Lake Tahoe: Encyclopedia II - Lake Tahoe - Tourist activities

Lake Tahoe - Tourist activities

Much of the area surrounding Lake Tahoe is devoted to the tourism industry and there many restaurants, ski slopes and casinos catering to visitors.

Lake Tahoe - Winter sports

During ski season, thousands of people from all over California, including Los Angeles, San Francisco, and San Jose, flock to the slopes for some of the best skiing in the world. Lake Tahoe, in addition to its panaramic beauty, is well known for its blizzards. It gets more snow than anywhere in the United States and more than 99% of the world.

Some of the major ski areas in Tahoe include:

• Heavenly Valley: the largest Ski area at Tahoe, located near Stateline, Nevada
• Squaw Valley: the second largest ski area, known for its hosting of the 1960 Winter Olympics, located near Tahoe City
• Alpine Meadows: a medium sized ski area on the north shore only a few miles from Squaw Valley
• Diamond Peak: a medium sized ski area located in Incline Village, NV
• Northstar-at-Tahoe: a popular north shore ski area
• Kirkwood: a south shore ski area which gets more snow than any other ski area in Tahoe
• Sierra-at-Tahoe: a small south shore ski area
• Boreal: a small ski area on Donner Pass
• Sugar Bowl: a medium sized ski area in Donner Pass
• Donner Ski Ranch: a very small ski area on Donner Pass
• Homewood: a medium sized ski area on the west shore
• Mount Rose: a medium sized ski area north-east of the Lake, atop Mt. Rose

Scattered throughout Tahoe are public and private sled parks. Some, such as Granlibakken are equipped with rope tows to help sledders get up the hill.

Many ski areas in Tahoe also have Snow tubing, such as Squaw Valley. Snow tubing is popular among people who are interested in alternative sports. There is also Cross Country Skiing, Snowmobile riding, and Snowshoeing

Lake Tahoe - Water sports

During the summer, the lake is popular for water sports and beach activities. The two cities most identified with the Lake Tahoe tourist area are South Lake Tahoe, California and the smaller Stateline, Nevada; smaller centers on the California shoreline include Tahoe City and Kings Beach.

Boating, the primary activity in Tahoe in the summer, is known worldwide. There are lakefront restaurants all over the Lake, most equipped with docks and Buoys (See the restaurants section) There are all sorts of boating events, such as sailboat racing, firework shows over the lake, guided cruises, and more. Lake Tahoe also has its own Coast Guard

List of Tahoe Marinas:

• Homewood High and Dry Marina
• Sierra Boat Company
• Tahoe City Marina

List of Lake Tahoe Cruise Ships:

• Tahoe Gal
• Tahoe Queen
• M.S. Dixe

Lake Tahoe - Hiking and Mountain Biking

There are hundreds of hiking/mountain biking trails all around the lake. They range in size, length, difficulty, and popularity. One of the most famous of Tahoe's trails is the Tahoe Rim Trail, a 165 mile trail that circumnavigates the lake.

Lake Tahoe - Gambling

Gambling is legal on the Nevada side of the lake, the resort area of Lake Tahoe attracts all kinds of fun seekers, year round. In the town of Stateline, near Heavenly Valley, there are myriads of enormous casinos filled all year long.

See also: List of Tahoe Casinos

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Tourist activities", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki