Lake Tahoe is the second deepest lake in the United States, with a maximum depth of 1,645 ft, trailing only Oregon's Crater Lake at 1,949 feet. Tahoe is also the twelfth deepest lake in the world, and the fourth deepest in average depth. It is about 22 miles long and 12 miles wide and has 72 miles of shoreline and a surface area of 191 square miles. Approximately two-thirds of the shoreline is in California. The south shore is dominated by the lake's largest city, South Lake Tahoe, California, which adjoins the town of Stateline, Nevada, while Tahoe City, California is located on the lake's northwest shore. Although highways run within sight of the lake shore for much of Tahoe's perimeter, many important parts of the shoreline now lie within state parks or are protected by the United States Forest Service.
Lake Tahoe never freezes over due to the constant mass movement of water from the bottom to the top. In February of 1989, Emerald Bay froze over for the first time since 1952.