Lake Tahoe’s Best Beaches
Lake Tahoe is world famous for its clear blue waters and expansive beaches. Whether you’re looking for a place to swim, sunbathe, or take a walk, there’s a beach perfect for you in Tahoe. Pack a lunch and bring your towels, masks, and snorkels! A relaxing afternoon on Lake Tahoe is a wonderful way to spend the day. Here are some of our favorite spots to soak up the sun by the water.
Tahoe City is your gateway to the lake, a 10-minute drive south on Highway 89. A favorite option in Tahoe City is Skylandia beach. This is a perfect spot for a relaxing day at the beach. The upper level has plenty of picnic tables to relax in the shade and peer down at the beach and out at the beautiful lake vista. It’s an easy park and walk location and has a public dock to walk out on. There are picnic tables and plenty of space for everyone—even on busy weekends.
From Tahoe City, you can head south along the California Coast past state park beaches, which offer daytime picnicking and sandy beaches (Check out Meeks Bay!).
Heading clockwise (Northeast) out of Tahoe City takes you through a series of lakefront small towns, many with their own small municipal beaches. If you’ve got dogs head to Carnelian West Beach, which is dog-friendly and offers excellent paddle-boarding and rentals.
Continue 20 minutes NE around the lake and, if you’re feeling adventurous, check out Secret Cove, a suit-optional beach that requires steep hiking down, but rewards with a private and tranquil beach, with plenty of granite boulders to lay out on. Several more beaches await on the Nevada side; just take care parking - there is plenty of legal parking on the side of the highway, but cars tend to zip through at 45 MPH+.
There are plenty of beautiful beaches to choose from when visiting Lake Tahoe, and we’ve barely scratched the surface! Have you been to any of these amazing spots? If not, add them to your list for next time – they won’t disappoint. We’d love to hear about your favorite beach in the comments below. Thanks for reading and happy swimming!
For more information about beaches, be sure to check out Tahoe Public Beaches.
