At lake level, you are nearly 1,000 feet higher than a mile above sea level. At this altitude, the air is much thinner and cleaner than that at sea level. This often times leads to misconceptions about distance. What may appear to be a shrub covered area toward the peak of a mountain may actually be a heavy stand of pine, cedar, and fir, some of which tower upwards of 180 feet into the sky.

Many people have tried to guess the dimensions of Lake Tahoe - unsuccessfully to their astonishment. Again, the atmosphere up here can play havoc on even the keenest eye. One of the more popular guesses is that Lake Tahoe is five to six miles in length and three to four miles across. In reality - Lake Tahoe is nearly 22 miles long with it's widest area close to 13 miles!

Stand on the bluff at Tahoe city an view that sandy trio to the southeast. They are Job's Peak, Job's Sister and Mount Freel - all three more than a vertical mile above the lake itself and over two miles above sea level!

To get a true feel for how clear the atmosphere is up here, you have to experience a night down at the beach, or at the end of the pier, lying back with your legs swinging over the edge, staring at literally millions of crystal clear pinpoints of light.

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