Map: Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit [Map] USDA Forest Service

Welcome to the Lake Tahoe Basin — a beautiful land of high peaks, broad valleys, shady forests, and delicate meadows surrounding the largest high–altitude lake in North America, Lake Tahoe. With miles of shoreline, excellent hiking trails, superb skiing, and world-class resort facilities, the Lake Tahoe Basin offers something for everyone. The Forest Service established the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit in 1973 to protect Lake Tahoe's water quality by specially managing the National Forest Lands in the Basin surrounding the Lake. Lake Tahoe is the largest high-altitude lake of its size in the United States, with an average surface elevation of 6,225'. The lake's shoreline is 72 miles long. The lake itself is 22 miles long and 12 miles wide. Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit provides information on dog regulations, fire safety, landscape formation, points of interest, frequently asked questions, Native American and pioneer history, heritage resource etiquette, wilderness etiquette, re