Lake Tahoe (dark shores)
Lake Tahoe · near South Lake Tahoe / Tahoe City · Sierra Nevada / Yosemite
Stargazing
At a glance
- Best season
- Summer–fall for Milky Way; still nights give lake reflections
What is here
- Highlights
- milky-way · astrophoto
- Landscape
- lake
- Amenities
- Milky Way reflected in the lake · Quiet eastern-shore dark spots · Abundant campgrounds · Full resort-town amenities
- Best for
- Star reflections on a great alpine lake
- Features
- Stars mirrored in alpine water · Dark eastern & southern shores · Easy access & camping · Comfortable resort base
Worth knowing
- Hazards
- Town & casino light — seek the quieter eastern/southern shores · High altitude — cold nights even in summer · Summer crowds; winter snow closes some access · Afternoon storms possible in summer
- Beginner friendly
- Yes
Stargazing detail
- Designation
- informal
- Reach
- easy
- Darkness
- 3
- Sky notes
- The largest alpine lake in North America mirroring the stars — while the resort towns glow, Tahoe's quieter eastern and southern shores and high passes offer dark skies and the Milky Way reflected in vast, still alpine water
- Stats note
- ~Bortle 3–4 (darker on quiet shores & passes); alpine-lake reflections at ~6,200 ft
- Campground
- Yes
- Intl tip
- The largest alpine lake in North America mirroring the stars — while the resort towns and casinos glow, Tahoe's quieter eastern and southern shores and high passes offer darker skies (~Bortle 3–4) and the Milky Way reflected in vast, still alpine water at ~6,200 ft. Easy access, abundant campgrounds, full amenities. Seek the darker undeveloped shores away from town light; cold nights even in summer; summer afternoon storms; winter snow closes some access. Accessible and family-friendly.
The guide
Lake Tahoe, the largest alpine lake in North America, straddling the California-Nevada crest at some 6,200 feet, offers beautif…
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to Lake Tahoe (dark shores) — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 39, -120.05