Location: County: El Dorado. Nearest City: Tahoma.
Campsites, facilities: There are 100 sites for tents
or RVs up to 21 feet long and trailers up to 18 feet long. Piped
water, coin-operated showers, flush toilets, picnic tables, and
fire grills are provided. There are also 20 boat-in sites available
on the north side of the bay with water and toilets provided.
Leashed pets are permitted, except on the beach.
Reservations, fees: Reserve by phoning 1-800-444-PARK/7275
($7.50 reservation fee); $14-$16 per night, $1 pet fee. No reservations
for boat-in sites; $10-$12 per night. Open June through September.
Contact: Call 1-530-541-3030, 1-530-525-7277, or 1-530-525-7232.
Operating hours, seasons: The park is open from late-May
to early-September. Call the park for information.
Park Kiosk Hours:
Directions: In South Lake Tahoe at the junction of
Highway 89 and U.S. 50, turn north on Highway 89 and drive 6.5
miles to the state park turnoff on the east side of the road.
Turn east and drive one mile to the park entrance.
Weather, clothing: The weather can be changeable; layered
clothing is recommended.
Trip notes: Emerald Bay State Park is adjacent to D.L.
Bliss State Park. It is set at Eagle Point, near the mouth of
Emerald Bay on Lake Tahoe, a place of rare, divine beauty. With
its rugged shoreline and blue-green water, Emerald Bay is one
of the most photographed places in the world. Vikingsholm, a
replica of a Scandinavian m castle (800 A.D.), is part of the
park. The building is considered one of the finest examples of
Scandinavian architecture in the Western Hemisphere. Tours are
available of this 38-room mansion. Emerald Bay offers a panoramic
view of the lake from Eagle Falls. Hikers can head into nearby
Desolation Wilderness or walk the rugged lakeshore to D.L. Bliss
along the Rubicon Trail. The park also has several short hiking
trails. This is one of the most beautiful and popular state parks
on the planet Earth. Although the high number of people at Lake
Tahoe, and at this park in particular, present an inevitable
problem, the 20 boat-in sites provide a remarkable solution.
There may be no more beautiful place anywhere to run a boat than
in Emerald Bay, with its deep cobalt-blue waters, awesome surrounding
ridgelines, glimpses of Lake Tahoe out the mouth of the bay,
and even a little island.
© 2001, Miwok Lodge 439, Order of the
Arrow, Santa Clara County Council Inc., BSA
Revision 1.2
