D.L. Bliss State Park (Lake Tahoe)
Lake Tahoe west shore · near South Lake Tahoe / Tahoma · Sierra Nevada / Yosemite
Camping · Swimming & Hot Springs
At a glance
- Difficulty
- beginner
- Elevation
- 6300
- Campsites
- ~150 sites
- Season
- Summer (June–September)
- Fee
- ~$45–75/night
- Temperature
- 58–68°F (peak summer surface)
- Cost
- State park day-use fee · Lots fill by mid-morning in summer
- Season
- July–September for swimming · The parks are open (and gorgeous) far longer
Permits and booking
- Reservation required
- Yes
- How to reserve
- Reserve on ReserveCalifornia (6 months ahead) — one of the most competitive campgrounds in California; some sites near the beach book out instantly. On Tahoe's stunning west shore with Rubicon Trail access. Showers. Seasonal.
What is here
- Setting
- mountain
- Amenities
- Tahoe's most beautiful shore · Lester Beach access · Rubicon Trail trailhead · Showers
- Best for
- Iconic Lake Tahoe beach camping
- Features
- Tahoe's clearest, prettiest west shore · Lester Beach & Rubicon Point · Rubicon Trail to Emerald Bay · Granite-and-pine setting
Worth knowing
- Dogs
- Allowed
- Good for a first timer
- Yes
- Dogs
- Not permitted
- Safety
- Tahoe's water is cold even in August and deep quickly off the granite — respect it. Parking is the crux: arrive early or bike/boat in.
Camping detail
- Camp type
- developed
- Intl tip
- Reserve on ReserveCalifornia 6 months ahead — beach-area sites are among the hardest to get in the state. Summer only. Swim at Lester Beach; hike the Rubicon Trail to Emerald Bay. Combine with the Tahoe fishing, kayaking, and Emerald Bay. Showers. Nights are cold at 6,300 ft. Iconic Tahoe.
Swimming & Hot Springs detail
- Type
- swimming-hole
- Temp
- cold
- Clothing optional
- No
- Directions
- Hwy 89 on Tahoe's southwest shore: D.L. Bliss State Park (Lester Beach, Calawee Cove) and adjacent Emerald Bay State Park share six-plus miles of shoreline. The Rubicon Trail links them along the water.
- Pools
- Granite-boulder coves and white-sand crescents with Caribbean-clear water — Calawee Cove and Lester Beach at Bliss, Emerald Bay's fjord-like inlet with Fannette Island, all linked by the Rubicon Trail.
- Intl tip
- Vikingsholm, the Scandinavian-castle mansion at Emerald Bay's head, is a worthy tour; the Eagle Falls trail above adds an alpine waterfall. Sunset from the Rubicon Trail's cliffs is a Tahoe rite.
The guide
D.L. Bliss State Park occupies what may be the most beautiful stretch of Lake Tahoe's shoreline — the west shore's granite cove…
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to D.L. Bliss State Park (Lake Tahoe) — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 38.984, -120.102