Lodging Lake Tahoe

History of Lake Tahoe

"…I ascended today the highest peak… from which we had a beautiful view of a mountain lake at our feet, about 15 miles in length, and so nearly surrounded by mountains that we could not discover an outlet." So wrote John C. Fremont, on the clear, sunny morning of February 14, 1844 .

The discovery was accidental: Fremont was searching for the mythical " Buenaventura River " described to the area by some early geographers, and shown variously on regional maps as flowing into the Gulf of Mexico or San Francisco Bay .

In over 50 years of recorded history of the weather in the Lake Tahoe Basin , 80 percent of the days have had sunshine. The probability runs from a December/January/February low of 75% sunshine to a June/July/August high of over 93%. Any given year will provide approximately 240 cloudless days and another 75 days when both sunshine and clouds are recorded. The remaining 50 days are the ones that provide the famous Sierra snowpack...and a wee bit of rain.

Sierra snow is unique. It falls in great quantities in relatively short periods from late November to early April, on a ratio of one day of snowfall for every four days of sunshine. The average winter snowpack is 225 inches, or nearly 20 feet, approximately four times the average in Fairbanks , Alaska . Even the crystalline structure of Sierra Snow is rare. It is said to be unusually reflective and capable of withstanding high winter air temperatures to retain its fluffy perfection on the ski slopes. This reflective quality, coupled with the clarity of the Sierra air can be very dangerous to unwary skiers and sunbathers since the sun's intensity is nearly four times that of the brightest day at sea level.