Editorial: Lake Tahoe is loved, but is there such a thing as "too much" love?

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - There have been headlines for months about Lake Tahoe "being loved to death" and that tourism numbers are on the rise. Last fall, a Fodor's travel guide suggested those with plans to visit Lake Tahoe should reconsider due to persistent traffic and the impact it has on lake clarity. That same story is now being regenerated in publications from coast to coast.

Yes, the roads are full of cars during the summer and popular ski weekends.
Yes, it is hard to find space on a beach or a place to park in the scenic areas of the Lake Tahoe Basin.

The endless stop-and-go traffic on SR89 at the beaches around Camp Richardson and Emerald Bay isn't for the faint of heart or for those in a hurry. Traffic on US50's East Shore around beaches doesn't come to a complete stop like SR89, but it isn't much better.

Those lucky enough to live in a tourist destination like Lake Tahoe know the challenges of crowds as they navigate through them to get to work, home, and to the grocery store.

But while there are challenges, there have also been many positives to come out of a hearty tourist economy - local business owners are making more, the staff is getting more hours on their paychecks, and more money is moving through the community. Housing is another issue and a challenge for locals, and the topic for the next story.

UC Davis's annual State of the Lake Report shows the water is clearer now than it has been in over three decades thanks to smaller populations of Mysis shrimp and continued concentration on roads and other sources of runoff ending in the lake. More needs to be done to make sure next year's report is as glowing. Climate change will continue to have an impact on clarity.

The ways people live and work changed during the pandemic, with more residents not only in the Lake Tahoe Basin but there has also been an influx of residents within 100 miles of Lake Tahoe.

Migration of residents from the Bay Area has not only affected the Lake Tahoe Basin in recent years, but it has also affected all communities within 100 miles of the lake but on a much grander scale. According to a SFGate story Monday, in 2020 alone, the migration rate between San Francisco County and Sacramento County grew by 70 percent. People have always been moving in search of lower housing costs and more space, but the pandemic sped that process up.

This is a growing number of people who have Lake Tahoe in their backyard - close enough to spend an afternoon, a day, or a weekend. And it's not just Sacramento, the current metro area population of Reno in 2023 is 531,000, a 1.53 percent increase from 2022, and the year before that there was a 1.75 percent increase.

The Tahoe Prosperity Center created its Prosperity Playbook final report, and that shows roughly 12 million people live within a three-hour drive of Tahoe.

And besides the visitors coming to Lake Tahoe from close range, post-pandemic national and international travel is on the increase. Seeing and experiencing Lake Tahoe is on the "to-do" list of many. The lake, the mountains, the trees, the wildlife, and the fresh air have been a draw since the Washoe used the Lake Tahoe Basin as their summer home.

Lake Tahoe has been a haven for tourists since the late 1880s when the area morphed from mining, logging camps, and clear-cutting of trees around the Basin to fancy resorts and the unforgettable experiences of nature. When roads appeared, more visitors came as access to the region increased.

While we can't change how much Tahoe is loved, we can change how it is loved, become better stewards, and love it more responsibly. The Destination Stewardship plan is the result of multiple agencies who came together to, in a sense, save Lake Tahoe for generations to come. And, to be a steward of the Lake Tahoe Basin and do better at every step.

The plan has four strategic pillars: Foster a tourism economy that gives back; Turn a shared vision into shared action; Advance a culture of caring for the greater Lake Tahoe region; and Improve the Tahoe experience for all.

Traffic counts in the Caltrans report from 2014 to 2021 show an increase at most intersections in South Lake Tahoe, and it will be months until the final counts are available for 2022, and then later 2023 to see the physical numbers of post-pandemic travelers.

Traffic counts include locals on the road too and do not count any duplicate vehicles traveling in the area (multiple trips). Traffic counts "behind" means the number of cars south of the traffic light, and "ahead" means those north of the traffic light. If the road is east/west, behind is west, ahead is east:

Peak hour at the Y on US50 in 2014 was 2400 cars per hour, 26000 a peak month. Data includes traffic north of the Y too - 3850 an hour peak, 39500 a peak month. Those same numbers in 2022: 3400 cars per hour in peak time, 27500 a peak month, then north: 4050 cars per hour peak, 40000 a peak month.

Move to US50 at Rufus Allen Blvd. in South Lake Tahoe:
Peak hour back 2014 - 3150 cars
Peak hour ahead 2014 - 2850 cars
Peak month back 2014 - 37500 cars
Peak month ahead 2014 - 42000 cars
Peak hour back 2022 - 2750 cars - decrease
Peak hour ahead 2022 - 2750 cars - decrease
Peak month back 2022 - 36000 cars - decrease
Peak month ahead 2022 - 35000 cars - decrease

US50 at Pioneer Trail
Peak hour back 2014 - 3000 cars
Peak hour ahead 2014 - 2600 cars
Peak month back 2014 - 39000 cars
Peak month front 2014 - 36500 cars
Peak hour back 2022 - 3550 cars
Peak hour ahead 2022 - 3000 cars
Peak month back 2022 - 43000 cars
Peak month ahead 2022 - 34000 cars - decrease

US50 at the state line (no counts "ahead" since that is Nevada)
Peak hour back 2014 - 2850 cars
Peak month back 2014 - 34500 cars
Peak hour back 2022 - 2450 cars - decrease
Peak month back 2022 - 38500 cars

While these numbers really don't tell too much of a tale, it does show an increase in most areas over the eight years. The hourly rate of traffic crossing the state line is less in 2022, though the number of cars using Lake Parkway is not included so many locals may be using the back roads. There were also decreases through the Rufus Allen intersection.

So what do we do with this information? Remember that people will come to Lake Tahoe for the same reasons they have for decades, and for the same reasons people choose to live in the beautiful area. Being responsible in all we do is key, and making informed decisions on how and when to recreate in the least intrusive way.

Continue to love Lake Tahoe, showing her all that is necessary to preserve the experience for the next 1,000 years.