Lake Tahoe State Park Travel Guide

I have been many times. Once just in from the beach and we all sat in the bar. Another time I attended a work party and then I took family there while they were up visiting and sat in the dining room. The food is always so good. Their prices are less than you’d think for the high-quality of their food. I highly recommend them for late lunches and dinner.

Favorite Dish: The grilled salmon on butternut squash risotto with panchetta and basil pesto and red wine sauce on top. Or the Tri-tip Quesadilla.

2 more images

The state park takes this issue very seriously with even doing regular boat inspections. Eurasian watermilfoil (Myriophyllum spicatum) is an attractive plant with feathery underwater foliage. It was once commonly sold as an aquarium plant. Eurasian watermilfoil, hereafter called milfoil, originates from Europe and Asia, but was introduced to North America many years ago and is now found over much of the United States.

In western Washington, the distribution of milfoil closely follows the Interstate 5 corridor. It is very apparent that milfoil has been spread from lake to lake on boat trailers. Because it is widely distributed and difficult to control, milfoil is considered to be the most problematic plant in Washington. The introduction of milfoil can drastically alter a water body's ecology. Milfoil forms very dense mats of vegetation on the surface of the water. These mats interfere with recreational activities such as swimming, fishing, water skiing, and boating. In eastern Washington milfoil interferes with power generation and irrigation by clogging water intakes. The sheer mass of plants can cause flooding and the stagnant mats can create good habitat for mosquitoes. Milfoil mats can rob oxygen from the water by preventing the wind from mixing the oxygenated surface waters to deeper water. The dense mats of vegetation can also increase the sedimentation rate by trapping sediments.

When milfoil invades new territory, typically the species diversity of aquatic plants declines. While some species of waterfowl will eat milfoil, it is not considered to be a good food source. Milfoil reproduces extremely rapidly and can infest an entire lake within two years of introduction to the system. However, milfoil is able to reproduce very successfully and rapidly through the formation of plant fragments. In the late summer and fall the plants become brittle and naturally break apart. These fragments will float to other areas, sink, and start new plants. Milfoil will also grow from fragments created by boaters or other disturbances during any time of year. A new plant can start from a tiny piece of a milfoil plant. This is why milfoil can so easily be transported from lake to lake on boat trailers or fishing gear. Once established in its new home, water currents may carry milfoil fragments and start new colonies within the same waterbody.

Once milfoil becomes well-established within a waterbody, it is difficult or impossible to remove. In smaller waterbodies (350 acres or less), we have had some success using an aquatic herbicide called Sonar® to remove milfoil and the selective herbicides 2,4-D and triclopyr-TEA show great promise in managing milfoil infestations. Other control methods include harvesting, rotovation (underwater rototilling), installation of bottom barriers, diver hand pulling, diver dredging, and in some very limited situations the use of triploid (sterile) grass carp. We are investigating other biological controls such as the milfoil weevil. Milfoil management costs the state and private individuals up-to-one million dollars per year. http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/wq/plants/weeds/milfoil.html

Lake Tahoe State Park
P.O. 8867
Incline Village, Nevada 89452

I guess it all depends on your point of view. I grew up on the north side of the lake, so I thought the water temperature was normal and that everywhere else in the world was warm...

With that being said, the above posts are correct. The average temperature is about 50F. Winter or summer, it does not matter, the lake is so large and the currents are so strong, that the temperature only fluctuates about 4 degrees. We used to go swimming for my sister's birthday (December) and the water actually felt warmer since it was countered by the colder air.

The beaches on Tahoe will have wave action typically less than the ocean, but do not count on them being calm. They are most of the time, but since the lake is so large, strong winds on the opposite side of the lake can carry 4+ foot waves to the other side even if the other side has good weather.

There are hundreds of small almost secret places I know to go swimming that are fantastic, but it is next to impossible to explain how to get to them. Only locals have the intimate knowledge to find most of them.

With that being said, the most protected and typically calm beach around the entire lake would be Sand Harbor (on the east side). Also due to its shallow, protected bay, it is typically a couple degrees warmer than the rest of the lake.

Equipment: Swim suit, towel and sun lotion are a must. Food and drinks are recommended, but no glass is allowed. You can also bring canoes or kayaks if you like.