The Lake Tahoe Basin has been a recreational gathering place for many decades this century because millions of people are attracted to Lake Tahoe, one of the larger, clearer, high-elevation lakes in the world. People come here to hike, boat, camp, gamble, bicycle, and take photographs. Parasails and hot-air balloons float across the sky.
Motels crowd the shoreline.
Behind the recreational glitter, a deep geologic and cultural history surround this 122.1 million acre-foot lake. Though the lake's basin is adjacent to the Eldorado, Tahoe, and Toiyabe national forests, scientists consider it separate from other parts of the mountain range, for good reason. For one thing, it is a pretty rare breed. Sixty-three streams flow into Lake Tahoe, but only one, the Truckee River, flows out past Reno and into Pyramid Lake. Tahoe's water never flows into the Pacific Ocean.