Everyone knows Lake Tahoe’s level has been rising rapidly this winter thanks to the copious quantities of snow and rain that we have received. But I’ve been too busy shoveling and skiing to go down to the lake shore to take a gander until now, and it is a treat! The beaches are smaller, the lake is much closer, and the Truckee River is roaring.
Check out these four pictures which tell the tale.
This shot is from just over a year ago from April of 2016. I couldn’t get a shot from that spot today because: a) the water is cold and I would be up to my neck in water and b) I can’t get my kayak out of the basement yet to paddle to that spot because there is still a five foot wall of snow hard against my basement door.
The second shot is from the Lake Tahoe Dam a year ago. Just a bit of a trickle.
This photo of the Lake Tahoe Dam was taken this week, where under my feet six gates were open delivering over 700 cubic feet per second of delicious Tahoe water into the Truckee River (that’s a whole lotta water).
This picture is from the Commons Beach. While last April it was a long and rocky walk to reach the lakeshore, now the beach is literally right there. And boy is it purdy.
Note that the pier in the shot that was pretty much high and dry last year, is again a pier surrounded by water.