Lake Tahoe Nevada State Park
2005 NV-28
Incline Village, NV
Granite boulders, turquoise coves, and water so clear you can count the stones on the bottom, on Tahoe's quiet Nevada side.
Lake Tahoe Nevada State Park protects a long stretch of the lake's quieter eastern shore, and its centerpiece is Sand Harbor, where rounded granite boulders tumble into coves of water so clear it looks almost tropical. Tahoe is one of the deepest and clearest lakes in North America, and nowhere is that easier to see than here, where the sandy bottom glows pale beneath the surface and kayaks appear to hover over nothing.
Behind the shoreline, the park climbs into the pine-and-granite high country, where the historic Flume Trail traces an old wooden water channel along the cliffs and Marlette Lake sits hidden in the backcountry. Together they make this one of the finest and most varied pieces of public land on the whole lake.
What Guests Love
- Sand Harbor's smooth granite boulders and clear turquoise coves
- Water so transparent that boats seem to float on air
- The Flume Trail's cliff-edge views high above the lake
- Paddling a kayak among the rocks in the early morning calm
Worth Knowing
- Sand Harbor fills early on summer days and often closes its lot by mid-morning
- The lake is snowmelt-cold even in August, a shock for swimmers
- Higher trails hold snow well into spring, so check conditions before hiking
- The Flume Trail is a long point-to-point ride best done with a shuttle
Details
Incline Village, NV
Learn about Lake Tahoe Nevada State Park
Sand Harbor and the clear water
Sand Harbor is the jewel of the park, a curve of white sand and smooth boulders where the water shades from clear to deep turquoise. It is a favorite for swimming, paddling, and simply scrambling among the warm granite, and on summer evenings an outdoor amphitheater on the shore hosts a Shakespeare festival with the lake as a backdrop.
Tahoe's legendary clarity comes from its cold, deep water and the granite basin that holds it. Scientists have long measured how far down a white disk stays visible, and while clarity has slipped over the decades with development around the lake, it remains startling, often letting you see many yards down through the water at Sand Harbor.
The Flume Trail and Marlette Lake
High above the shore runs one of Tahoe's most celebrated routes, the Flume Trail. It follows the graded bed of a wooden flume built in the 1870s to carry water and timber to the booming silver mines of the Comstock and the towns of Virginia City and Carson City. The Marlette Lake reservoir, dammed in 1873, still feeds water to Carson City to this day through that ingenious old system.
After the flumes and a key water tunnel fell out of use, the grade was repurposed in the 1980s into the Marlette Flume Trail, now one of the most scenic mountain-bike and hiking routes in the Sierra. It clings to the mountainside with almost continuous views straight down to the blue lake, passing the quiet, forest-ringed Marlette Lake along the way.
The mountains and the seasons
The park's backcountry ranges from lakeshore up into Jeffrey pine and white fir forest, granite outcrops, and meadows that bloom with mule's ears and lupine in early summer. Black bears, coyotes, ospreys, and bald eagles all range through the area, and the clear coves draw the occasional otter.
Summer is the busy season, when the beaches and trails are at their best, but it is also crowded, so an early start pays off. Fall brings golden aspens and thinner crowds, and winter buries the high trails in snow while the lakeshore stays dramatic and stark. The water stays cold year-round, fed by mountain snowmelt.
Closest Boutels
The closest Boutel™ stays, so you can turn this stop into an overnight. Each is an independently owned, editorially selected place to stay.
Things to Do Near Incline Village
Incline Village
About 4 miles north
A lakeside resort community with beaches, dining, and trailheads, and a gateway to the north shore's ski country.
Spooner Lake
About 8 miles south
A quiet part of the same state park with easy loop trails, aspen groves that blaze gold in fall, and Flume Trail access.
Cave Rock
About 10 miles south
A volcanic promontory and Washoe sacred site jutting into the lake, with a boat launch and a striking highway tunnel.