South Lake Tahoe Webcam – Watch the Lake from Heavenly

The South Lake Tahoe Webcam sits at the top of Heavenly Mountain Resort’s aerial tram, about 2,515 meters (8,250 feet) above sea level, and looks north down the mountain to Lake Tahoe. The lake fills the upper left of the frame. The high-rise casino hotels of Stateline, Nevada, stand above the pines near the shore, and the Nevada shoreline runs off to the right toward the far end of the lake. In the foreground, a lattice tram tower and the chairs of the Gunbarrel Express climb the granite slope to the top station at the right edge. The view turns with the light: deep blue water on a clear morning, flat silver under cloud, snow across the slope in winter. A second tab carries Heavenly’s camera at the gondola midstation, which swings between its observation deck and the curve of the south shore.

About South Lake Tahoe and Heavenly

South Lake Tahoe is a city of 21,330 people (2020 census) on the southern shore of the lake, in El Dorado County, California. It was incorporated in 1965 and sits at 1,901 meters (6,237 feet). Its eastern edge runs straight into Stateline, Nevada. Sacramento is about 160 kilometers (100 miles) west on U.S. Route 50.

Heavenly opened as Heavenly Valley on December 15, 1955, and it straddles the California and Nevada state line. The summit reaches 3,068 meters (10,067 feet), the vertical drop is 1,162 meters (3,812 feet), and the permit area covers about 4,800 acres (1,940 hectares). Vail Resorts has owned the resort since 2002. The aerial tram the camera stands beside was built by Von Roll in 1984 and rises from the California side of the resort to Lakeview Lodge, the restaurant at the top of the tram. The Gunbarrel Express chairlift runs up beside it and ends at the same spot.

Lake Tahoe itself is 35 kilometers (22 miles) long and 19 kilometers (12 miles) wide, with 114 kilometers (71 miles) of shoreline and a surface at 1,897 meters (6,225 feet). At 501 meters (1,645 feet) deep, it is the second deepest lake in the United States after Crater Lake in Oregon. About two thirds of it lies in California and one third in Nevada.

Weather and Climate in South Lake Tahoe

In winter, the South Lake Tahoe webcam is mostly a snow report. At Lake Tahoe Airport, January averages a high of 6 C (43 F) and a low of -8 C (18 F), and the town gets about 310 centimeters (122 inches) of snow a year, with February and December the wettest months. The camera sits about 600 meters (2,000 feet) higher, where it is colder and far snowier: Heavenly averages 9.1 meters (360 inches) of snow a season, enough to bury the granite slope and the base of the lift towers for months. Spring is slow, with April highs around 12 C (53 F) and lows still below freezing at -2 C (28 F).

Summer is dry and clear. July highs reach about 27 C (80 F) and nights fall to about 6 C (42 F), and the lake often looks its bluest in the morning light. By October, highs drop to about 17 C (62 F) and lows to -2 C (29 F), and the first storms can whiten the upper mountain while the town below stays bare. Annual precipitation at the airport is about 520 millimeters (20.5 inches).

Things to Do Near South Lake Tahoe

The camera’s own mountain is the obvious start. The aerial tram carries visitors up to Lakeview Lodge, and the Heavenly Gondola, built by Doppelmayr in 2000, climbs from Heavenly Village at the Stateline end of town to the observation deck shown on this page’s second tab. Heavenly Village sits right beside the casinos of Stateline, so crossing into Nevada is a short walk from the gondola base.

Around the lake, Emerald Bay on the southwest shore is the best known stop, a glacier-carved inlet and the one part of Lake Tahoe that sometimes ices over. Fallen Leaf Lake lies just south of the main lake, close to town. On the Nevada side, U.S. Route 50 passes through Cave Rock, a large rock formation on the southeastern shore that is sacred to the Washo people, by a tunnel blasted in 1931.

Similar Webcams You Might Like

For more of the Tahoe basin and the Sierra Nevada, try these cameras.

• Palisades Tahoe Webcam
• Mt. Rose Webcam
• Truckee Webcam

Frequently Asked Questions

What can you see on the South Lake Tahoe Webcam?

The camera looks north from the top of Heavenly’s aerial tram over Lake Tahoe. In frame are the lake and its far shore, the Stateline casino towers near the water, the Nevada shoreline running off to the right, and in the foreground a tram tower, the Gunbarrel Express chairs and the edge of the top station.

Where is this webcam in South Lake Tahoe?

It is mounted at the top of the Heavenly aerial tram, beside Lakeview Lodge, at about 2,515 meters (8,250 feet) on the California side of the resort. The town of South Lake Tahoe lies below on the lake’s southern shore, about 160 kilometers (100 miles) east of Sacramento.

Can you see Heavenly Village or downtown on this camera?

Not up close. The village and the downtown streets sit near the casino towers far below, so from the top of the tram they show at most as rooftops among the pines, with no people or storefronts to make out. For a lower view of the shore, switch to the Gondola Midstation tab.

Does this webcam show Highway 50 traffic?

No. U.S. Route 50 runs through town and past the casinos, but at this distance the road and its cars are too small to see. For road conditions on Highway 50, use the Caltrans highway cameras.

What is the weather like in South Lake Tahoe?

Cold, snowy winters and warm, dry summers. January averages 6 C (43 F) by day and -8 C (18 F) at night in town, July 27 C (80 F) and 6 C (42 F). The camera, about 600 meters (2,000 feet) higher, is colder still.

What is the elevation of South Lake Tahoe?

The town sits at 1,901 meters (6,237 feet), just above the lake surface at 1,897 meters (6,225 feet). The camera at the top of the tram is at about 2,515 meters (8,250 feet), and Heavenly’s summit reaches 3,068 meters (10,067 feet).

Is there a webcam at the Heavenly Gondola?

Yes. The second tab on this page is Heavenly’s Midstation at the Gondola camera. It moves between the gondola’s observation deck, busy with visitors at times, and a wide view over the curve of the south shore with the town along the water.

Does the camera work at night?

Yes, the stream keeps running after dark. The camera switches to a black and white night view, the lake goes dark, and the lights of South Lake Tahoe and Stateline trace the shore below.

Source: Heavenly Mountain Resort