Lake Tahoe is North America’s largest alpine lake and was historically home to Lahontan cutthroat trout.
Straddling California and Nevada in the Sierra Nevada, Lake Tahoe covers roughly 191 square miles and sits at an elevation of about 6,223 feet. Its deep, clear basin formed through geological faulting and glacial activity, helping create the dramatic mountain setting associated with the lake.
Lahontan cutthroat trout were native to the Tahoe basin and the connected Truckee River system. Overfishing, habitat disruption, dams, and introduced fish severely reduced the population, and the trout was extirpated from Lake Tahoe in the 20th century. Conservation programs later stocked Lahontan cutthroat trout in parts of the lake, including Nevada’s shoreline.
Lake Tahoe is often confused with Crater Lake, which is deeper, and Yellowstone Lake, which is a high-elevation lake in a volcanic caldera. Tahoe’s “alpine lake” distinction refers to its large mountain setting, not simply its elevation.