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Lake Tahoe, The Lake, is the jewel of the Sierra Nevada's. At 6,226 feet above sea level Lake Tahoe is the largest alpine lake in North America. It is 12 miles wide, and 22 miles long. The Lake has a surface area of 191.6 square miles. The average depth of The Lake is 989 feet, while its deepest point is 1,645 feet. This is the third deepest lake in North America. Lake Tahoe contains about 40 trillion gallons of water. To put that number in perspective, that amount of water would cover the state of California in 14 inches of water.

LAKE TAHOE, CA

Dave
2004-02-21 14:15:23

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site. All that was recognizable from the early day pictures was the large stump of the tree directly behind the springs.

Today the Springs is on the camp of 20 people who own a rustic time share type cabin. Their are many many wooden bathrooms scattered about, probably from when groups used to come up and camp. The Rubicon river runs a short distance away from the springs. I have seen large trout in this river. The Springs lie on the edge of a small meadow where Indians used to have their summer hunting grounds. I have found small pieces of obsidian and part of an arrowhead about 50 feet from the Springs. There used to be many Timber rattlesnakes in this area, even when the Rubicon Springs Hotel was in its heyday. They slowly disappeared due to the extreme hunting by guests of the lodge.

A woman used to own the lodge and she provided fancy silverware and pottery for her guests. I was able to locate where the main hotel once stood and was able to find some pieces of pottery covered with interesting colors. Rubicon Springs today is a haven for mosquitoes. It lies on the edge of the meadow and slowly flows into the center of the small meadow. I have tasted the water, and it is quite good. I put iodine pills in it of course.

A great biking trail is the paved bike path that parallels Highway 89 from Tahoe City to just past Homewood. This path winds its way around west shore and occasionally parallels the edge of The Lake. This path also extends to Squaw Valley and winds along the Truckee River. This part of the trail is a bit steeper then the path around the west shore because it follows the Truckee river down the canyon. Still it is not overly steep and many people can be found riding it on warm summer days.

A bike path also parallels Highway 89 in parts of north shore and a good majority of south shore.

Good hiking trails and cross country hiking can ...