Sand Harbor Beach

The best beach in the area. A must see if you are in the area.

$ 12 parking for out of state residents, cash only, we came on a sorta cloudy, overcast windy day but nevertheless still had a good time. You can walk the sandy beach to the rocks along the water, as well as the boardwalk trail that took us back to the main parking lot area. Restrooms clean, and looks like they do Shakespeare performances too.

We come here every time we come to Tahoe. Beach, restrooms, walk ways and guest center are always so clean. The sand is different than other beaches here so soft not rocky. Gotta see this place

Beautiful beach. Have been coming here for several years and have recently noticed that the name of the game is to park your umbrellas, etc. as close to the shoreline as possible! On the weekends when it’s crowded it makes it inconvenient for others to access the lake. You have to step over people and things and kick sand onto their stuff. Oops sorry!
Even so the beach itself is awesome, they have a snack bar, and a bar where you can order tropical drinks and the like oh yeah! You can actually take your drink back to the beach, you don’t have to stay in the designated snack bar area.

This beach was awesome. $ 10 parking for Nevada state residents and $ 12 parking for out of state residents. The view was magnificent. There’s shade by the rocks, but you gotta get there early.

We came here as part of a family reunion activity day!
Pros:
–beautiful water, of course
–clean beach
–clean restrooms available at a short walking distance
–there are several little nooks surrounded by rocks to accommodate several big and small groups wanting to camp out for the day
–ice cream is nearby!
–we came here another day for Shakespeare in the park!
Cons:
–make sure you go early, before 11 to get a parking spot!
–ten dollar parking, cash only (other equally nice beaches are free… But at least this one has restrooms)
–as it is anywhere in Lake Tahoe, the water is COLD!

This is probably the best beach in Tahoe. The water is several shades of blue and it’s very kid safe in the coves. There are three different beach front areas of the Sand Harbor inlet, so arrive early to scope our the best place for you and your party. This place gets packed in the summer!
We highly recommend getting to the beach before 9am to get parking. It might sound crazy but the traffic to get into the parking area from the highway is packed in both directions. 30 – 40 cars lined up on both sides.
Parking is $ 12 cash. A reasonable rate but a little more expensive than other beaches in Tahoe going at $ 10. I repeat: arrive early to get parking if you really want to spend the day here.
Bring your own shade! There is little to no natural shade for the beaches here and you will find the sand littered with multi-​colored umbrellas and tents for families to take shade shelter in.
My favorite aspects about this location:
— Gorgeous beaches (clean & great views of the water)
— Lifeguards on duty
— Clean and close bathroom facilities with running water
— Café to order food (burgers, sandwiches, salads, ice cream/​soft serve)
— A *full* bar!
We will be back next year!

This is by far my family’s favorite beach to visit when in Tahoe! The sand is super soft, unlike the sand you’ll find at other Tahoe beaches. And the water… the water is spectacular! Crystal clear and you can walk out, like a mile into the water and still see your feet! Plenty of area on the beach to spread your towels out and definitely bring an umbrella as there isn’t much shade.
My kids love to go over to the rock area and catch crawdads. We always have a blast!
Bathrooms are clean, for the most part. Bring hand sanitizer with you, as there’s usually no soap available.

Awesome beach with the fresh chilly water! The perfect time honestly to one is after noon maybe around 2. That way you are not fighting for parking and less people on the beach. You can enjoy the water, sunset and the mountain views.

This is a beautiful sandy beach with clear water. There are rocky outcrop pings that you can also explore and climb on. We are used to the beautiful beaches of Southern California — I can say this one comes close in beauty! There are restrooms, a snack shop and picnic tables and grills available. We heard this beach can get crowded and parking can be an issue. We went Sunday 7÷13÷15 around 2:00 pm and were able to park and the beach was not over crowded.

It is May and Lake Tahoe is kinda in between the summer and winter, so not too many folks around. But perfect on a nice day. Today was that day!
It was almost empty with 2 other folks there with us when we arrived.
$ 12 to get in, but that also covers 2 other locations.
I will say this… WORTH IT!!! Again, it is May 8^th and it is somewhat cold and not a busy tourist time… so it was great to just be the only ones there and taking our time and not worrying about anyone else.
We had the opportunity to get on the rocks, beach was empty besides 3 women sunbathing and it was very quiet and serene.
The air is fresh and the water is calming.
Love this place!!!

Beautiful beach, nice sand, gorgeous water. You can paddleboard, kayak, and just float around and swim around the rocks. Fee is $ 12 for out of state and $ 10 for Nevada residents.
There is a gazebo you can rent for events and there’s also a visitor center to check out.

Amazing place, so glad we made the drive up from South Lake Tahoe. Being a long weekend the place was crowded but it never felt like too much. There are three places where you can access water. The smaller cove is perfect for toddlers as it is super shallow. On the larger bay, the right side (facing the lake) is more kid friendly. There are kayak and paddle boat rentals, although they are a walk from the main beaches.
Clear, blue, beautiful water. Sandy beach. Cool, calm lake.

This place is BEAUTIFUL.
Went kayaking with my bae #1 and had fun ahha water is crystal clean and when I left it didn’t give me that nasty salty chlorine feeling. I actually felt pretty clean, and it had shimmery specs so it was clear AND shiny. Sand wasn’t that soft, pretty coarse and had a lot of debris.
We sunbathed and whenever it got too hot, dip yourself in the cool water and you’re good again.
3 little beaches, one’s for divers, one’s for kayaking, and one looked like for general fun. We stayed at the kayaking one and people were really friendly.

Just went here with my boyfriend last weekend and it was great. We recently moved to Reno and we have been to Lake Tahoe about 4 – 5 times now. We are trying out different beaches, trying to find the best one. I must say I did like this one. If you’re from the Reno/​Sparks area, this beach is definitely closer to home than the ones in South Lake Tahoe. Parking in the lot was a flat payment of $ 10 which wasn’t bad since we stayed all day. It would be even cheaper if you had a full car and split it between everyone. The area right off the parking lot seemed to be the most crowded, so keep walking a little and you’ll find some nice space that isn’t so crowded. I found it pretty easy to relax and was able to get some homework done for grad school without a problem. However, a group of people did come on the beach around 6 and were blasting music which was completely rude. They definitely forced a lot of people to leave.
Anywho, the experience overall was nice and I’d go back. The water was beautiful here and the sand was nice and smooth. Water is still cold but it was nice when the sun came out! Still a little too cold for this Texas girl to fully swim in.

A wonderful beach in Lake Tahoe.
*Really nice sand… soft and perfect.
*Shallow cove that is roped off so the boats and skis don’t come in, perfect for swimming.
*Rocks on the point for bouldering and tide pooling (great for kids)
*Clean bathrooms!
Beware! The parking lot fills up FAST and if it is full, you can’t get in. No walk ins or drop offs allowed. WE got there on a weekday at about 11 and got one of the last spots. The kids loved it and so did we!

I started missing this place about 5 minutes after I left. We would have stayed longer, but the sun was melting my daughter’s ear. Sand Harbor is more of a resort than an actual beach. For example, there is a bartender onsite that will hook you up with a tasty frozen piña colada. The beach offers an expansive wading area for the entire family to swim or snorkel. Although I didn’t see any fish, I did see plenty of crayfish along the bottom of the lake that were going after my daughter’s sausage toes.
The beach itself is about 25 miles from S. Lake Tahoe right off of highway 28 in Incline Village. If you decide to make the drive, plan on arriving at Sand Harbor before 9: 00 am or you will not be able to park in the designated lot. This is important because the beach does not allow visitors to park nearby and walk on. Instead, you will need to travel about 4 miles past the beach, park in a designated lot, and catch a shuttle bus in. The shuttle rides are 3.00 per adult and 1.50 for kids. We almost decided to just forget the whole thing, as it seemed like such a hassle to tote around our coolers, chairs, and umbrella-​just to stand up in a crowded bus. I am so glad we chose to follow through on our adventure and visit what I would consider the best beach that I have ever been to.

Best beach ever. So beautiful! Agree with others on GETTING THERE EARLY. Do not roll up at 10am expecting to get in. We had a jet ski rental at 9am at (Sand Harbor Water Sports) so we were already there at 830am, and the parking lots fills up fast. It is $ 12 per car if non Nevada resident, or $ 10 for resident.
Lots of picture taking spots, and little alcoves to discover. My kids LOVED this beach. There is a restaurant (we didn’t try it out), and lots of bathrooms. The smaller beach by the restaurant is the best. The beach by the motorized launch area is busy and if you have small kids who play in the sand near the water prob not the best spot because you have jet skis, boats, kayaks all coming in. We started out there because of our jet ski rental but ended up moving to the smaller beach. There is a bigger longer stretch of beach we just didn’t get to.
There is a little gift shop too with sand toys, hats, towels, beach mats, blow ups
This beach is a must do.

There are three parts to Sand Harbor — there’s the boat launch area, which still has a small beach and can get a bit crowded with kayakers, boats, and SUPs; there’s what I call the «cove», which has a small beach but super easy access to bathrooms and the restaurant (my favorite spot), and then there’s «the beach» — very long, wide, sandy. And noisy as hell.
I actually come here a lot during winter. No one around, beautiful, and serene.

Two hour drive from Sacramento and you are in paradise!
As you can see in my photos, it’s breathtakingly beautiful here. Sand Harbor gets it’s name because unlike other places along Lake Tahoe, this place has nice, soft, smooth sand! The park was packed on the weekday that we went. We paid $ 10 for parking, $ 12 if you’re a non-​resident. Mom packed bento lunches for everyone and we picnicked in the shaded wooded area. No problem finding a picnic bench as there were many with a barbecue grill alongside every table. Nice. Afterwards, we hiked along the lake, unfortunately, we didn’t have our swimsuits on and the water was frigid when we dipped our feet in. My visit took place last June so it was probably too early in the season to swim. But there were a number of swimmers who would disagree. As you can see, the water is very inviting!