Few regions on the North American continent have the ski-resort diversity of the Lake Tahoe region. Tahoe is best divided into two regions for vacation purposes: North Shore and South Shore.

When you consider the elements of a perfect ski vacation—variety of terrain, good snow, comfortable lodging, beautiful scenery, a wide choice of restaurants and nightlife, myriad other activities, accessibility—Lake Tahoe would rank near the top in all but a couple of categories (and it would be above the median in those).

Lake Tahoe, one of the largest and most stunningly beautiful mountain lakes in the world, straddles the border of California and Nevada about 200 miles east of San Francisco. Tahoe has received accolades from travel writers for more than a century. Mark Twain was one of the first to note its beauty. In 1861, he wrote in "Roughing It," Tahoe was "the fairest picture the whole earth affords." Because the lake is so deep and doesn't freeze, it retains its sapphire-blue color throughout the winter. Its name comes from a Washoe Indian word meaning "lake in the sky"—the lake is about 6,200 feet above sea level.

Tahoe is best divided into two regions for vacation purposes. Though you can run yourself ragged by trying to visit every major area in a week, it's better to concentrate on the North Shore or the South Shore. The two regions provide very different vacation experiences. Speaking in general terms, South Shore tends to attract first-time visitors who live outside California and Nevada, while the North Shore attracts fewer first-time visitors, but loads of Californians.

Of note to families, Heavenly and Sierra-at-Tahoe are the only two resorts in the entire Tahoe area that offer state-licensed child care for children younger than 2. For this reason, their day-care centers fill up fast, so book early. Other options are noted in the child care sections for each resort. The resorts that accept children 2 and older require that toddlers be toilet-trained. They also require a birth certificate with proof of age.

South Lake Tahoe
South Lake Tahoe boasts almost 10,000 acres of lift-served terrain that annually receives an average of 40 feet of snow, a stunning Alpine lake—72 miles of shoreline—that never freezes, and sunny skies for more than 300 days a year. Add to this entertainment like Chris Isaak, Sammy Hagar, Jonny Lang, Macy Gray and Toby Keith (all musicians who played here in 2004), 24-hour access to slot machines and casino table games, and lots of great food. And did we mention that South Lake Tahoe is slightly more than an hour from a major international airport? Paradise, eh?

Better still, you can pick your style of vacation. Part of the town lies in Nevada, so if you like to stay up late dancing and gambling, you can book a room at one of four giant, high-rise casino hotels. A few steps across the Nevada/California state line, which runs right through town, life is quieter. Two Marriott properties opened in November 2002 near the state line at the base of Heavenly Ski Resort. Base yourself here in alpine-style Heavenly Village and you can take a high-speed gondola right to the top of the mountain, enjoy the hustle and bustle of the south shore's casino nightlife, shop in one of the village's stores, or sit back and quietly soak in the area's innate beauty. Or stay in one of the many smaller inns and motels lining Lake Tahoe Boulevard (a.k.a. Hwy. 50).

When you're ready for the slopes, you can pick from three resorts: Heavenly and Kirkwood, two of the largest Tahoe resorts, and Sierra-at-Tahoe, just 12 miles down the road. Heavenly is the most popular Tahoe resort with out-of-towners, probably because you can see its runs rising above town. Kirkwood has a well-deserved reputation for awesome terrain and massive amounts of snow, and the near completion of the mountain village at its base is metamorphosing it into a year-round resort. You also shouldn't miss Sierra-at-Tahoe, a locals' favorite known for its tree skiing and incredible backcountry terrain.

A word on phone numbers: Though the South Shore appears to be one big town, it's two towns in two states. If you're staying on the Nevada side, you'll need to dial the area code before all California phone numbers, and vice versa. Kirkwood is in another area code, 209.

North Lake Tahoe
North Shore has history, is more spread out and a lot quieter, and has an amazing concentration of excellent skiing and snowboarding facilities. Resort skiing in California started in the North Lake Tahoe region in the late 1930s, when a group of investors, including Walt Disney, started Sugar Bowl. The 1960 Winter Olympics were staged at another North Tahoe resort, Squaw Valley USA. North Tahoe isn't as densely developed as the South Shore, but it covers a lot more miles of the lakeshore. Its Nevada side has casinos, but they are not as prominent as the ones at South Shore. The California side of North Tahoe is dominated by condos that are vacation homes for Northern Californians. There are restaurants and nightlife, but things get quiet once the sun goes down.

The North Tahoe region has 12 Alpine ski facilities (the lake is visible from five of them) and six cross-country areas. The five largest Alpine resorts are Squaw Valley USA, Alpine Meadows, Northstar-at-Tahoe, Diamond Peak and Sugar Bowl. The nearby resorts of Mt. Rose, Boreal and Homewood also are worth a visit if you're in the region. The remaining four—Granlibakken, Tahoe Donner, Donner Ski Ranch and Soda Springs—are very tiny areas that destination visitors would be unlikely to visit.