Although many people have heard the wondrous and captivating beauty of Lake Tahoe and many would still ask this age-old question, When is the best time to take a Lake Tahoe vacation? Lake Tahoe is nestled high in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, with an elevation of a little over 6,000 feet.

Winter storms are common and it’s easy to get caught unprepared, as Lake Tahoe weather quickly changes from clear skies to blizzards. Winter and summer storms are usually common from September through June and drivers should be sure they have chains with them to tie around the tires especially when passing through snow-drenched roads high up in the alps.

As a precaution, it pays to check out the Lake Tahoe weather forecast frequently and be prepared. No matter when and where you go at Lake Tahoe, always expect colder temperatures and more snow especially at higher elevations. Still, Lake Tahoe weather is generally nice, since it gets an average of 250 to 300 sunny days a year and humidity is very low, especially during summer. Water temperatures range from 32 degrees Fahrenheit in winter to 68 degrees in the summer.

So, whether  you plan to go skiing, mountain biking, paying golf or simply relaxing and enjoying the breathtaking view, experience the enjoyment of your Lake Tahoe vacation. Proper planning is key to make you enjoy your vacation. From what things to pack, how to save time and money, preparing for high altitudes, it does help a lot to make your vacation as hassle-free and enjoyable as possible.

You can save money with Lodging Packages and Deal, and still enjoy a worthwhile vacation at Lake Tahoe at lesser costs. Many resorts and hotels offer a variety of pre-arranged packages that include activities, lodging and often meals, all for one low price. Lodging packages also offer quick and convenient one-stop vacation planning.

Many resorts also have recreational facilities that could help make your stay enjoyable and worthwhile, if you are not a, outdoor junkie or would just like to just take a break from the busy routines of everyday living. These resorts provide complimentary access to recreational facilities including swimming pools, gyms, spas, playgrounds, ski and sledding lessons and a whole lot more families on vacation will enjoy.

For solitary sojourners or couples wanting to have an intimate time, there are also a lot of fine dining establishments to enjoy a romantic dinner, as well as a good number of spas where you could pamper yourselves and enjoy the bliss of a good weekend or vacation getaway.

Many hotels and lodgings also have their own kitchens which could be a great way to save money, since there are a great deal of bakeries and gourmet shops that provide good food for take out or groceries that are delivered right at your hotel doorstep after placing an order online or by simply faxing orders in. Or simply order ahead of time and have it picked up by the time you arrive for check-in.

If you are feeling lazy or just would like to spend the day inside your room, there are also daily DVD rentals conveniently available with new releases with a wide variety of titles to suit the entire family.

Lastly, take advantage of free shuttle service provided by your hotel, that way you need not worry about driving and getting to where you want to go. Most hotels in the Lake Tahoe area provide day shuttle service, as well as night shuttle service to service guests wanting to experience the sights and sounds of Lake Tahoe.

So ask yourself when is the best time to take a Lake Tahoe vacation? The answer is all up to you.

If one thinks that a Lake Tahoe vacation is simply just a respite from the hustle and bustle of a busy metropolitan life, there’s in fact more to discover in a Lake Tahoe vacation. Aside from the fact that Lake Tahoe is a popular destination, getting to know the origins of Lake Tahoe can be as challenging as an extreme sporting adventure.

For starters, the Lake Tahoe Basin took form as a geologic block fault about 2 million years ago. A geologic block fault is a fracture in the earth’s crust causing blocks of land to move up or down, which is a primary cause of earthquakes. It is this fault movement where uplifted blocks created the Carson Range on the east and the Sierra Nevada mountains on the west, while the down-dropped blocks, also called a graben, created the shear between the Sierra Nevada Microplate and North America.

On the other hand, the Lake Tahoe basin is formed by a series of large down-to-the-east normal faults, including the West Tahoe and Dollar Point fault, the Stateline and North Tahoe fault and the Incline Village fault. Most of the highest peaks that can be found of the Lake Tahoe Basin that formed during the creation of process of Lake Tahoe creation are Freel Peak at 10,891 ft, Monument Peak at 10,067 ft, Pyramid Peak at 9,983 ft in the Desolation Wilderness and Mount Tallac at 9,735 ft.

As the geologic formations began to take shape, eruptions from the now-extinct volcano Mount Pluto formed a dam on the north side, as melting snow filled the southern and lowest part of the basin to form the ancestral Lake Tahoe as rain and runoff added more  water to the lake.

Lake Tahoe was shaped and landscaped by scouring glaciers during the Ice Ages, which began a million or more years ago and is fed from 63 tributaries with the Truckee River as the main and only outlet. The Truckee flows northeast through Reno, Nevada and into Pyramid Lake, which has no outlet. The soil found on the basin come primarily from andesitic volcanic rocks and granodiorite, with minor areas of metamorphic rock.

Some of the valley bottoms and lower hill slopes are covered with glacial moraines, or glacial outwash material derived from the parent rock. With the great depth of Lake Tahoe, as well as the locations of the normal faults within the deepest portions of the lake, suggests that earthquakes on these faults can trigger tsunamis with wave heights predicted to be around 10 to 33 ft in height, capable of traversing the entire lake in just a few minutes.

This may be evident with the massive collapse of the western edge of the basin that formed McKinney Bay around 50,000 years ago which was thought to have generated a tsunami wave with an estimated height of no less than 330 ft.

Although Lake Tahoe is a natural lake and with most areas consider protected, it is also used for water storage by the Truckee-Carson Irrigation District, for which the lake level is controlled by a dam at the Truckee River- the lake’s only outlet- at Tahoe City. The 6 foot high dam can increase the lake’s capacity by 732,000 acre/ft.

So if you think that lake Tahoe is just a vacation spot, think again, there’s more to discover in a Lake Tahoe vacation.