Lake Tahoe
Lake Tahoe (ˈtɑːhoʊ; Washo: Dáʔaw) is a freshwater lake in the Sierra Nevada of the Western United States, straddling the border between California and Nevada. Lying at above sea level, Lake Tahoe is the largest alpine lake in North America, and at it trails only the five Great Lakes as the largest by volume in the United States. Its depth is , making it the second deepest in the United States after Crater Lake in Oregon (). The lake was formed about two million years ago as part of the Lake Tahoe Basin, and its modern extent was shaped during the ice ages. It is known for the clarity of its water and the panorama of surrounding mountains on all sides. The area surrounding the lake is also referred to as Lake Tahoe, or simply Tahoe; its English name is derived from its Washo name, "Dáʔaw." More than 75% of the lake's watershed is national forest land, covered by the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit of the United States Forest Service. Lake Tahoe is a major tourist attraction in both Nevada and California. It is home to winter sports, summer outdoor recreation, and scenery enjoyed throughout the year. Snow and ski resorts are a significant part of the area's economy and reputation. The Nevada side also offers several lakeside casino resorts, with highways providing year-round access to the entire area. The name for Lake Tahoe derives from the Washo word for the lake, "Dáʔaw ," meaning "The Lake." Even though dáʔaw is used in the names of other lakes with modifiers (for example, Á’waku dáʔaw for Pyramid Lake, meaning "trout lake"), it often is used without a modifier to refer to Lake Tahoe. This may be because of Tahoe's importance to Washo culture. List of Lake Tahoe peaks and Lake Tahoe-Nevada State Park Lake Tahoe is the second deepest lake in the U.S., with a maximum depth of , trailing Oregon's Crater Lake at . Tahoe is the 17th deepest lake in the world, and the sixth deepest in average depth. It is about long and wide and has of shoreline and a surface area of . The lake is so large that its surface is noticeably convex due to the curvature of the Earth.