The Upside Of A Drought!

Is there an upside to a drought?

Heck, yes! The winter hiking is fabulous. We get to look up at snow on the mountains, but we can go on lake-level hikes without any snow gear. The sun shines, the temperature is perfect, and everywhere you look is a postcard.

Do I feel guilty enjoying such weather when we really need the moisture? Yes. (But not too much!)

The trail down to Skunk Harbor makes a perfect winter hike to a beautiful picnic spot.
And the view ain't too shabby. That's Alpine Meadows on the left and Squaw Valley on the right.

The rocks at Skunk Harbor Bay are gorgeous. And the water is clear as air.
At my feet is the most wonderful beach, a luscious curve of soft sand.
If the water were warmer than forty degrees, it would be great swimming!

A few days later, just as we were getting used to this balmy winter,
 we got 18 inches of fluffy white stuff at our house.
So we strapped on our snow shoes and headed out into the forest.

Click here a full blog post on hiking Skunk Harbor. Definitely one of the most beautiful hikes in Tahoe

Best Beaches In Tahoe - D.L. Bliss State Park

D.L. Bliss State Park Beach – West Shore

Parking – Limited - You must get there early!

Fee - $10 per vehicle

Dogs – Sorry, not allowed on the Beach nor on the trails nor left unattended anywhere. (But leashed dogs are allowed in the camping and picnic areas.)

Boat Launch – No, unless your boat is a kayak, paddleboard, or canoe that you can carry to the water.

Note that as of this writing, D.L.Bliss State Park is closed for the season. So you might want to bookmark this for use next summer.

To get to this great beach, drive north from Emerald Bay up the West Shore a couple of miles or so and look for the sign. Or drive south down the West Shore a mile or so from Rubicon Bay or about 4 -5 miles south of Meeks Bay.

Look for the park sign.

This is the highway sign at the park entrance.

Once you pay at the gatehouse, the drive winds its way in over a mile. (They will give you a park map when you pay.) Near the end of the drive, the road splits. Going to the right takes you to the Rubicon Trailhead. Going to the left takes you down to the beach. If you get there early, especially on weekdays before July 4th or after Labor day, you can park at the lot right on the beach, making it very easy to carry your lunch and umbrella and Tahoe Mystery novels to the sand.

This is a view of the south beach from above. Rubicon Point is at the end of the beach.

This is the view of the south beach from down on the sand.

This is the north beach, right next to the closest parking lot. Wow.

What a great place to hole up with a novel. Is that Marlette Peak across the lake?
I can almost see the Flume Trail, which is featured in the book I'm reading, Tahoe Killshot.

Best Beaches In Tahoe - Pope Beach

Pope Beach – (Southwest corner of Tahoe)

Parking – Plenty, but always a good idea to get there early!

Fee - $8 per vehicle

Dogs – Sorry, not allowed, not even in vehicles!

Boat Launch – No, unless your boat is a kayak, paddleboard, or canoe that you can carry to the water. (Remember to get your boat inspection.) You can also rent a kayak or paddleboard during much of the season here. Give them a call for schedule.



One of the greatest beaches in Tahoe is only a short distance from the "Y" intersection in South Lake Tahoe where Hwy 89 (Emerald Bay Road) goes north from Hwy 50. Turn north at the Y and drive 2 miles toward Emerald Bay.

 Look for the sign.

Pope Beach is huge, and although very popular, we stopped by on a weekday morning in August and the place was almost empty!

There are many picnic tables and barbecues.

You will see some waterfowl, and the lake and mountain scenery is in the Wow range.

The parking lot accommodates many cars, so even during the height of the season, you'll find a place if you get there early.

Another great benefit for a day at the beach is plenty of restroom facilities.

Note that these pictures show the beach when Tahoe's water level is low. After a big-snow winter, Tahoe's level goes up six feet, and the beach becomes quite a bit narrower!

Bring your hat and sunscreen and sunglasses, and have fun!

Best Beaches In Tahoe - Kiva Beach

Kiva Beach - (Southwest corner of Tahoe)

Parking - Not very much, get there early!

Fee - NONE! More reason to get there early.

Dogs - YES! More reason to get there early! Note: Bring a leash! (More below.)

Boat Launch - No, unless your boat is a kayak, paddleboard, or canoe that you can carry to the water.

There are few places where dogs can frolic in Lake Tahoe. When one of them happens to be a spectacular beach, you can bet it is popular. When there is also no parking fee, you know where the crowds are going to be.

Because of these factors, Kiva Beach is one of the most popular beaches on the lake. Located east of Baldwin Beach and west of Camp Richardson and in the Tallac Historic Site, it is close to South Lake Tahoe. Even during slow periods, Kiva often has lots of people when the other beaches are mostly empty.

As always, if you plug, "Kiva Beach, South Lake Tahoe" into Google Maps, you'll get the appropriate picture. However, Google puts the little marker pin on the straight section of narrow beach. The most beautiful portion of the beach is the curved area to the west. Walk around, you'll find it.

So lets go back to Kiva's raison d'être: Dogs.

Dogs are allowed, but there are some rules. They have to be on a leash. Yes, you'll see dogs running free, and you'll be tempted to let yours join them. But be aware that if a ranger shows up, you'll pay a hefty fine, rumored to be in the $200 range. The rules even say you have to have your dog on a leash when it's in the water. You be the judge.

It goes without saying that you must pick up after your dog.

Dogs are also not allowed on the meadow behind the beach. Too ecologically-sensitive. (The meadow, not the dogs.)

As for the beach? It is a beautiful crescent of sand with great swimming and awesome views, very much like its neighbor Baldwin Beach, which doesn't allow dogs, and does charge for parking.

Bottom line: If you want to bring your dog to the beach, and you want it to be beautiful, Kiva rules like no other.

Turn off the highway at this sign. It is about a quarter mile west of the Camp Richardson Hotel.

You will drive in and come to a fork in the road with this sign. Take the left fork.

The left fork road brings you to an oblong oval parking lot. On the west side is a somewhat inconspicuous trail.
That's your path to doggie heaven.

Pay attention to the dog rules.

The trail goes back about 100 yards to the water.
The beach you probably want - the large, crescent-shaped beach - is on your left.
To your right is a much narrower beach that makes for a nice walk down
toward Valhalla and Camp Rich.

The backdrop to Kiva Beach is Mt. Tallac on the left of this photo and Maggies Peaks
to the right. Yes, your thought about the name origin is accurate. Maggie was a shapely maiden.

Kiva Beach rocks for dogs. But of course, there is always a flip side. If you have young kids who are afraid of dogs, drive down to Baldwin Beach and pony up for the parking fee. See my previous post on Baldwin Beach.

Best Beaches In Tahoe - Baldwin Beach

Baldwin Beach – (Southwest corner of Tahoe)

Parking – Plenty, but always a good idea to get there early!

Fee - $7 per vehicle

Dogs – Sorry, not allowed, not even in vehicles!

Boat Launch – No, unless your boat is a kayak, paddleboard, or canoe that you can carry to the water.

As the bulk of the tourists return home in September, Tahoe's beaches become even more attractive. By several measures, Baldwin Beach may be Tahoe's greatest beach. It is a mile long and quite broad from water to the shore plants, it has great swimming if you're brave when it comes to cold water, and it has great views of the lake as well as of Mt. Tallac and Maggies Peaks. Further, if you're looking for a good place to launch your kayak for a great paddle to Emerald Bay, Baldwin is the closest public beach.

Looking east toward the ski runs of Heavenly

Looking west toward the mountains that border Emerald Bay

Behind the beach is Mt. Tallac, snow-covered in the spring and early summer and beautiful in the fall.

Baldwin Beach has picnic tables and barbecues as well as nice rest rooms (a big benefit at a beach). Bring your sweetheart or your family and friends for one of the great Tahoe beach experiences.

Get there early to claim a picnic table

Waiting for cheeseburgers

The nicest beach restrooms on the lake

Baldwin Beach has parking closer to the beach than most, especially the west lot (turn left at the T).

Baldwin Beach is bordered on the west side by private property and on the east side by Taylor Creek, which drains Fallen Leaf Lake. East of Taylor Creek are Kiva and Pope beaches. More on those in another post.

Please note that the water in Taylor Creek is very cold and swift in the spring and early summer. It is also deeper than it looks! While some people wade through the creek when the water is low in the fall, I do not recommend taking the risk. You could possibly get swept out into the lake in the ice cold current.

How to get there:

Baldwin is a bit over 4 miles northwest of the “Y” intersection in South Lake Tahoe. Head out 89 toward Emerald Bay. When you see the Camp Richardson Hotel, drive another 1.4 miles toward Emerald Bay and look for the Baldwin Beach sign.

If you plug “Baldwin Beach, South Lake Tahoe” into Google Maps, you will get what you need.

While they charge $7 per car to drive in, you can park for free in a lot just before the check-in building. The walk in is a pleasant half-mile or so.

You will come to a T with parking lots to both the right and left. I prefer the left lot, although, if you're walking, it is a greater distance. Also, if you want to rent a kayak, the vendor usually sets up on the beach near the right lot.

The beach closes to vehicles in the middle of October, although you can still walk in after that. In the winter, if it isn't snowing and the roads have been plowed (i.e., making it safe to park without getting towed), you can park on the highway and cross-country ski or snow-shoe in. Baldwin is a fabulous winter picnic location on the lake with few, if any, other people around.

There is a fenced area to protect the endangered Tahoe Yellow Cress, the only place in the world where this little flower grows!

A rainbow of colors to choose from, but note that the kayak vendors only come when there are enough people to justify it. If the beach is mostly empty, there won't be kayaks to rent.

Bring an umbrella, lots of sunscreen, and a mystery novel to read, because Baldwin Beach is a sweet place to spend an entire day!

Best Beaches In Tahoe - Sand Harbor

Sand Harbor – (Northeast corner of Tahoe)

Parking – Plenty, but always a good idea to get there early!

Fee - $12 per vehicle

Dogs – Sorry, not allowed, not even in vehicles!

Boat Launch – Yes

Tahoe has many classic, all-natural beaches with tons of sand and crystal-clear water, which, in August, can warm up to an almost tolerable temperature in the 60s.

Some of the classiest beaches of all are at Sand Harbor State Park off Highway 28 on the Nevada side of the lake about 3 miles south of Incline Village.

Sand Harbor is made up of a point of rocks and trees and sand that poke out into Lake Tahoe in a more prominent way than any other place on the shoreline. There is one very long beach facing south, a small and a medium beach facing north, and many little cozy areas tucked into hundreds of giant boulders that look like they were sprinkled onto the area by the Boulder gods.

Talk about clear water

Because of the way the the south-facing beach is protected, the water is often warmer, and you will likely see more people swimming at Sand Harbor than at any other beach on Tahoe.

The park has multiple restroom facilities, a store, and meeting areas that large groups can  rent, making it very comfortable.

Perhaps the most famous aspect of the park is its outdoor stage and natural amphitheater where the Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival is held everysummer. This year it is A Midsummer Night's Dream. Click here to get your tickets now.
 There is no other theatrical experience like it in the world. You sit under the stars watching your favorite of the Bard's delights.

Shakespeare on the beach is a great experience.

Behind the stage is the lake. Visible 20 miles away are the snow-capped mountains of the Desolation Wilderness looming over the West Shore.

Look closely down by the waterline, just right of center, and you
will see the rock slide at Emerald Bay (the gray triangle).
This is where the mountain slid away in 1955. 

There's a reason why Mt. Tallac is one of the most photographed mountains on the planet...

If you turn and look northwest, you can see the mountains of Alpine Meadows and Squaw Valley.

In the distance to the northwest are Alpine Meadows and Squaw Valley.

The boat-watching is great. Motor boats with skiers, sailboats and kayaks.

Kayaking Crystal Bay is like magic.

Sand Harbor is a unique and gorgeous spot that - sappy cliche here, but it's true - will give you a spiritual renewal. Highly recommended.