Lake Tahoe lies on the California–Nevada border and is the largest alpine lake in North America.
The lake sits in the Sierra Nevada at an elevation of about 1,897 metres. It formed during the ice ages when glaciers reshaped the surrounding mountain basin. Tahoe is famous for its clear, deep blue water and dramatic mountain scenery.
Its maximum depth is 501 metres, making it the second-deepest lake in the United States after Crater Lake. The lake’s outlet is the Truckee River, which flows northeast into Nevada and eventually reaches Pyramid Lake.
Lake Tahoe is sometimes confused with Crater Lake because both are exceptionally deep and scenic mountain lakes. Crater Lake occupies a volcanic caldera in Oregon, while Tahoe is a large fault-and-glacial basin shared by two states.