Boat-In Campground

The scenic Emerald Bay area will reward your tired biking legs with incredible vantage points - the kind of views that make water and rock into a mythic pairing. It will even reward your palate with a drippy ice-cream cone or a lakeside beer if you follow the suggested routes of those who have bicycled before you. Trail and paved road options available!

Have you heard of Lake Tahoe? That tiny lil’ water recreation gem no one really knows about yet, where you can motor around through huge expanses of crystal lake for timeless stretches of a sun-drenched day? Okay, so you and all your second cousins know about the infamous Tahoe area, but there are plenty of ways to have a more primitive experience and to find a Tahoe that speaks to the less beaten path. Boat-in-Camping at Emerald Bay , for instance, gives you the chance to rumble all your belongings to distant coves where starry nights erase all memories of the crowded city.

At nearby D.L. Bliss State Park’s Lester and Calawee Cove beaches, fishing enthusiasts can cast their line for rainbow, brown and Mackinaw trout as well as Kokanee salmon (a landlocked form of the Pacific sockeye), all of which have been introduced into the lake. Before you enjoy the bounty, bring a valid California or Nevada fishing licence and check out the details on daily catch limit!

We’re talking tree shaded curves that shape shift into steep canyon walls which metamorphosize into hidden lake havens. Emerald Bay State Park , together with D. L. Bliss State Park, cover more than six miles of Lake Tahoe’s west shore and provides accessible trails that will take you wherever your hiker’s heart desires - from summits that gaze over Tahoe to waterfall photo ops, to lakes that reflect a morning cloud pattern. Adapt hikes to your difficulty meter, with Granite Lake and Maggie’s Peaks or Eagle, Velma and Fontanillis Lakes.

Do you relish the smooth slice of wood through lake water, as you glide via kayak (or canoe) toward a campsite destination so piercingly beautiful, it’s transcendental? What better way to make use of your paddles than that? Emerald Bay is often considered one of the most idyllic boat-in campsites in all of California, so refine your light traveling skills and kayak to a boat-in campsite this summer, (open for reservations beginning June 13th). If boating your belongings makes you cringe in anticipation of wet socks, bring your kayak or canoe out for day excursions and explore the intricate coves of Emerald Bay and the other beaches dotting Lake Tahoe, sans luggage. Jet skies and motor boats are channeled into their own path by clearly marked buoys and kayaking the area is suitable for beginners as well as more endurance-focused oarsmen, seeking a longer trek that starts or ends on the shores of Emerald Bay. Check out Kayak Tahoe for rentable options!

Make friends with the wind and refine your windsurfing or kiteboarding expertise in the waters of Tahoe when you go play at Emerald Bay! Nervous? Rent some gear and take a lesson at Lake Tahoe Kiteboarding.

Snowshoeing trails await your powdery imprint, particularly along the Cascade Lake Trail . Don’t save Emerald Bay for the summer - pay homage to winter, Tahoe style, and make this an all seasons destination. Rentals available!

When gazing at a photo of Emerald Bay’s glassy cove as it merges, seamlessly, with the grander expanse of Lake Tahoe, the first thought of a devoted water-seeker is “Shall we swim?” And swim you shall! Home to shorelines and secluded coves, Emerald Bay will be your launching point for serious aquatic communion. Summer temperatures range from 75 degrees during the day to 40 degrees at night, which means this isn’t for swimmers looking to backfloat for hours through a tropical bathtub. Emerald Bay and the surrounding area offers the kind of frolic and lake-play that keeps the circulation singing!

A birder might just wet themselves on an Emerald Bay trail, when ospreys, bald eagles, western tanagers, white headed and pileated woodpeckers dart past their binocular gaze. Then again, any animal enthusiast will enjoy the winged display, the bats at dusk, the snowshoe hares and the coyotes, that all call this stunning piece of earth their living room. Wildlife is anything but sparse at Emerald Bay.