Sugar Pine Point State Park

I love this little park. Great for a little stroll in nature, no crowds and access to a beautiful little beach. We usually come here to stretch our legs, but I’m going to make a note to do a little overnight camping trip here, even though I don’t live that far away. If you’re lucky, you might find yourself one of the most amazing gifts of nature — a giant sugar pine cone. These Amazonian sized pine cones are only found in very specific parts of the Sierra, can run the length of your arm and are very heavy.

Can I just live here? Had a fantastic time at this campground for Labor Day. We were warned about bears but didn’t see any. Gets super cold at night! Love Tahoe.

We spent 2 days here last weekend with family. The location is great, parking is easy and convenient, and they have nice bathrooms and showers. I didn’t use the shower but my boyfriend’s brother did and said it was clean enough.
My favorite part was going to Ehrman Mansion and the docks to hunt crawdads. The beach is beautiful and clean and the water is so clear. We’ll definitely be going back!

Beautiful location! It’s a bit of a drive (30 mins in the mountain from South Lake Tahoe), but it’s worth it.
2000 acres that was owned by a wealthy family and now you can tour their house. The tour of the Hellman-​Ehrman Mansion is short (a hour max) and you get to look around what wealthy people in 70 – 80 years ago lived like.
Relatively secluded and a beautiful walk around the beach.

Another Fourth of July spent here with close friends. Each year, it just gets bigger and bigger… our group started out camping with only four families a couple of years ago. Last year, it was six families, and this Fourth of July it grew to eight families. Gosh, I wonder how many people will make up our posse for next year.
I put up my rainbow flag, and do you know what? Good golly Miss Molly, I didn’t get the same neighbors I had last year. Gee, I wonder why? Kidding aside. We actually had four campsites reserved with two tents/​two families and two cars parked at each one. It’s about $ 50 per family for the weekend as it is about $ 40 per night that you split with another family and then the second car gets charged $ 10 per night so if you are spending a weekend there then it will be $ 20 for the second car which we split the costs as well to be fair. A double seat kayak rental is $ 30 per hour which is fun for you and the kids if you know what you are doing. Me being of unlucky genes and no swimming talent, I unfortunately fell into a bad situation.
We took turns on the kayak with our kid and one parent. One of the kids had a parent watching his other kid (their mom couldn’t make it out camping for personal reasons). Anyway I go with his kid, and we paddle along until I think it was a good point to turn around. I ask the other kid (a fifth grader) if she wants to turn around back to shore. She says she wants to paddle some more. So I say «okay» because I’m a cool adult. Not really… I’m more a dumb ding-​a-​ling. Next thing we know it, we get swept closer to the middle of Lake Tahoe where the water is really choppy and pulling us to the other side of the lake where we don’t want to go. We are losing control changing our boat around back to shore. Our paddling makes us go the opposite direction of where we want to go. Granted, we both have life jackets on, but I don’t know how to swim which makes me play a million and one scenarios in my head. Good thing, Jaws doesn’t hang out here with his homies or my partner and I would be dead meat.
I wave at the Coast Guard screaming «turn us around or rescue us please.» Because the wind is picking up and their boat’s motor is loud, I think they think I’m waving «hello, what’s up.» They wave back smiling. The other girl and I are pretty scared… but by the grace of God, the boat spins back pointing to our side of the shore and not at the other side of the lake where it was drifting for a long time. I tell the other girl to paddle like her life depended on it as I’m paddling like I’m running from the law on a boat. Inner Circle’s «Bad Boys» theme song from Cops runs through my head, but I’m paddling the boat to the beat of the Bee Gees’ «Stayin’ Alive» song. Thank God, we make it back to shore. We landed way past where our group was located, but the young lady and I was just happy to make it back to shore. I also probably looked like a jerk for hogging up all the kayaking time as we were sharing this kayak with seven other families taking turns on it. It was like God was saying to me, «you done messed up your life girl, chill out, let me direct you and show you the way, stop going against the flow, and a million I told you so’s popped in my head.» With dampened spirits, I didn’t want to fish for Nemo, his Dad, or Dory after that experience. So the fish got their second chance this weekend, but wait next year when I skip the kayak and bring my eskimo buddies and my homemade wasabi. Hopefully, you’ll get to read my Moby-​Dick tome next Fourth of July and I won’t get swept away like Tom Hanks in Cast Away. Better yet, I’ll bring my boyfriend Wilson just in case… my personal insurance that I won’t get crazier than I already am when I drift away.

As someone who just up + moved from über-​metropolitan Downtown LA to Norcal just recently, I think I surprise myself a little in proudly stating that my friends + I had the pleasure of camping here at Sugar Pine Point for a couple nights over a weekend in August. It had been years since I had the treat of spending a night under the stars!
THE CAMPGROUNDS
One of the people in our group made the reservation via
for only $ 35/​night plus a small fee. I’d recommend booking at least 2 months in advance to have your pick of campsites as some are definitely more secluded + spacious than others!
Driving up the 89 Hwy, you’ll see signs for the state park + then the campgrounds are West of the road marked by this solo sign
. Parking for 1 car is included with camping reservations + then it’s $ 10 for any additional cars. The parking passes includes not only parking at the campground but also any State Park in case you want to hop over to Emerald Bay or any other neighboring areas.
Upon checking in at the ranger station, you’ll get a campgrounds map
plus have to sign a form stating that you have read + understand the regulations regarding bears. The fine is a whopping $ 1000 for any food/​toiletries/​sunscreen left unattended outside your designated bear locker at anytime of day or night. Yikes!
The bathrooms
have running water, stalls with locks, flushing toilets, toilet paper + mirrors. Much nicer than what I’d expected, especially compared to state beaches in LA. And then there’s one centralized location for the showers, which require quarters.
Our lovely campsite #54 was furnished with a large table, bear locker, 2 fire pits + ample space for 3 tents
. The space was relatively flat, shaded + in close proximity to a water spigot as well as the bathrooms + a dumpster. Each bear locker is 36″ deep x 43″ wide x 22″ high (not including the lip at the door opening) so do make sure you shop + pack accordingly before arriving. Our largest cooler just barely fit through. We personally never heard or had a visit from a bear, though we did have several chipmunk neighbors
+ some noisy birds in the morning.
THE BEACH
Across the 89 is the beach, about a ¼ mile East is the beach. There’s trails you can take from the campground or it’s only about a 5 min drive away. Do note that this isn’t a sandy beach that you can frolic gleefully around but a pebble/​rock beach that can hurt your bare feet even in the chilly waters. Kinda wish I’d known that ahead of time. –_​_​_​–
But… it’s gorgeous with plenty of photo ops!
For those who are more adventurous, there are kayaks + stand up paddle boards available for rent
. Price is pretty steep though, around $ 30/​hour for the kayaks + $ 20/​hour for SUP. Hanging out on + jumping off the pier
is pretty awesome, but be prepared that the water is super COLD!
The most touristy attraction along this stretch of the beach is the Ehrman Mansion, which is owned by the state now but at one point had been owned by the Ehrman family. Tours priced at Adults — $ 10, Children 6 + under — Free, Children 7 – 17 — $ 8. We personally didn’t have the opportunity to go as there was a wedding happening on the lawn outside with the mansion being used for the reception.
All in all, a pretty awesome trip. I’m glad I did my research ahead of time as there’s not much cell reception or even GPS out there to figure stuff out on the fly. And if you somehow had the attention span to read this entire review, consider yourself ready to go! :)

This is one of our favorite spots for the Lake Tahoe region. This is another state park that has group camping (10 sites) available and lots of amenities and activities to do while you are there. To book a group site, you have to have 9+ people in your group.
A few things to keep in mind:
This park along with several others in the Lake Tahoe area are closed to camping unless you have a reservation during September and close for the season (I believe) from October through end of May/​mid June. This is for camping only! During the off season (weather and road conditions permitting) you can hike and snowshoe.
Lots of wildlife, especially bears. Because of this the law requires those using the state park to use the «bear boxes». As another Unilocaler indicated, the penalty for not doing so is pretty stiff.
Our family has used both the group sites as well as regular tent sites over the years and enjoyed every visit here!

BEST beach to swim and jump from the dock. We’ve been coming here for the last 5 years and kids always have a great time. It doesn’t get crowded and plenty of parking. you can rent kayaks and paddle board. Very clean and great view of Lake Tahoe.

Been coming to this beach once a year since I was in the womb. A BEAUTIFUL park on the west shore. There is plenty of beach for a group or family. There is also a pier you can walk down (and jump from, if you are brave enough, the water is COLD!) and lots of sand for the kiddies.
This is also the location of the Ehrman Mansion, which is available to tour, and worth it if you can peel yourself away from the sights of the lake.
Only downside is there are no dogs allowed on the beach, a rule that is strictly enforced by the rangers. So if you are a dog lover, this might not be the place for you.
This is my favorite place to be in the world. Calm, relaxing, and gorgeous!

If you want a great camping experience at Tahoe, this is the place. It is away from the crowds but only a few minutes into Tahoe City. The camp sites are clean and relatively spaced out. The RV crowd was respectful and kept the generators quiet at night.
Flush toilets, bear lockers, showers, fire pits, picnic tables.
The park has two sections with a beach access just up and across the road. I use the word beach liberally. If you haven’t been to Tahoe, just know that the beach is rock and crushed rock.

Nice quick hike with some very nice beach area if your on the west shore this is a must do.

One of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been and hands-​down the nicest stretch of parkland on Lake Tahoe. I missed the last tour of the Pinegrove mansion but wandering around the grounds, the beach, the docks and following the trails was nothing short of stunning. Amazing photo opportunities, shallow blue water and lots of places to stop and picnic. A must for anyone trekking to the West Shore of Tahoe. Period.

**LOCK your FOOD up**
We just left Sugar Pine camping. Great Group site with clean bathrooms, paved bike trails and short walk or ride to the lake. We were warned about bears and encouraged to lock everything and anything up in the provided bear lockers. At night we took everything including toiletries, bug spray, chapstick, ice chests and all food to the bear boxes. Our mistake was during the day when we went to the lake for some beach time we left ice chests out in the campsite. When we returned all of our ice chests were gone and we had been ticketed by the Park Ranger! A citation for $ 1,000 was issued in exchange for our ice chests. BUZZ KILL! There was no negotiation. Citation is in the mail and were stuck with the most expensive camping trip ever! PS we never did see or hear any bears.

Lake Tahoe is what I imagine heaven to look like. We stayed in Tahoe 2 nights and camped at sugar pine point. We basically had the entire place to ourselves beginning of May… perfect weather for camping and we didn’t have to worry about bothering our neighbors. Although if we did have neighbors the sites seemed to be spread out enough you wouldn’t feel like your on top of each other. Clean bathrooms. Make sure everything goes into the bear lockers and that your car doors are locked… the park rangers take this pretty seriously. Also if you camp you have access to the park beach across the street where it normally is 10 to park a day. GORGEOUS. Not sure how any spot on Tahoe can be less than, but again we basically had the beach to ourselves if you walk down a bit from the dock. No complaints at all and we were sad to leave.

This was a cool place to stop and hang out for a little while. We walked around the grounds, but didn’t actually go into the old house (s). Great place to picnic on the big lawn and look over the lake. There’s also a decent beach area with a dock that kids were jumping off of. The little creek behind the boat-​house was perfect for creek-​walking, I could have hung out in that creek for a long time.

Heaven! Peaceful beautiful view of lake and mountains. Visited this park for a few hours while attending a conference at the granlibakken resort in June.

We have camped at Sugar Pine annually since about 1985 as part of a traditional family trip. The good news is great location and access to all Tahoe has to offer. FYI-​the pizza place in Tahoma is AWESOME!!!
The bad news is that as the years have gone by, especially the last few, it is an entirely different group camping. Many of the guests are disrespectful to the property and to the other campers. There is lots of loud drinking parties, obvious use of drugs at night… yes, you can smell it burning… 420 culture club…
During the week it is fine. On weekends the last couple of years the property «feels» unsafe at times. The site behind me was occupied by a guy with a shotgun and shells on the table. He was lectured by a ranger, but really? He needed to be told it was illegal to have a gun in a State or Federal campground? Showers are filthy and disgusting. People actually leave bowel movements in the showers. And when the bathroom/​toilet gets clogged, people just keep going on top of each other rather than walking to another restroom. Totally and completely disgusting. I asked the staff what was going on. They confirmed this was becoming a regular thing with the campers.
It is a great park. Many people should be much more responsible and clean up after themselves. The ranger staff is not your mommy. This is a treasure and it is a tragedy to see how it has gone down over time.

This place is closest thing to heaven I’ve ever seen/​experienced. My goodness, this park is amazing.
We witnessed this place during the winter, so I can’t even begin to imagine what it’s like during the summer. It’s gorgeous trails lead throughout the park, giving you plenty of walking and sightseeing options. Add snowy tops into the mix, and you have a truly magical winter land. It is absolutely breathtaking.
If you go towards the water, a pier leads far into the crystal clear, ice blue waters that entice you to take a swim (though the sign telling you it’s too cold will prevent you from doing so). Just one look from this pier and you’ll forget anything that troubles you.
Apart of this magical place is the Hellman-​Ehrman Mansion. We only got to see the outside but WOW! Wow, wow, wow. Combined with the gazebo outside and the killer view of the lake, this spot would make one incredible sight for special gatherings and important events.
I can’t wait to return this summer where I’ll «ooh» and «aah» all over again.

Camped here for 4 days. Campsite number 105! It was a huge campsite with a bike trail connected to the back. No neighbor on the left side! Water spickett in front of camp and really close to bathrooms. Bathrooms and showers are clean. My shower was warm and only cost .50 cents!
We didn’t have a bbq grill. Not all campsites come with grills.
Bears! Serious $ 1000.00 fine if you do not put all food and toiletries away. 1 night out of the 3, we had a bear come through our campsite. We packed everything, so the bear simply looked for food and kept on walking to other campsites. We respect the bears and their habitat we are allowed to camp in, so we made sure to clean up.
The lake is about a mile away. It’s a nice walk or bike ride on the paved path. The path takes you to the mansion and the beautiful property it sits on. Gorgeous views, day and night. The boat dock was hit by something and is under construction, so we fished from the shore. You can rent kayak, paddle boards if you like!
We floated/​rafted the Truckee River in Tahoe city, about ¹⁰⁄₁₅ minutes away! Awesome adventure, ok for kids and dogs too!
Dogs are allowed at campsite, state park, mansion property, river rafting and taxi rides home.

Great place for cross-​country skiing in the winter. For $ 8 you can park and ski for miles along their trails. The east side allows you to ski along the lake for several miles, while the west side had a bit more snow and beautiful trees. If you don’t want the amenities of a Nordic park, this is a great deal and really, truly gorgeous.
We were all beginning or beginning-​intermediate skiers and had plenty to do, though there were several intermediate trials we didn’t attempt.