Lake Tahoe is a phenomenon created by nature and nurtured by time and politics. Incredible physical characteristics have been discovered and also written about the lake and surrounding terrain. Add the political decision to divide the lake in two and allocate one half to California and one half to Nevada, and visitors will find a holiday spot worth more than just a quick trip.

Lake Tahoe is the third deepest lake in North America and sixty-three tributaries flow into Lake Tahoe, but Truckee River is the lake's only outlet. Evaporation accounts for a loss of over 104 million tons of water every 24 hours.

An interesting item of trivia is that the waters of Lake Tahoe never reach the ocean. Lake Tahoe runs into the Truckee River, which in turn spills into Pyramid Lake in the Nevada desert. Pyramid Lake has no known outlet except evaporation.

Lake Tahoe boasts four well-defined seasons and a balanced blend of rain, sun, snow, heat and cold. It is important for visitors to the area to know that Lake Tahoe weather can change extremely rapidly and also that the intensity of the sun reflecting off the water and the snow can quickly result in sunburn on unprotected skin and eyes.