Emerald Bay (Lake Tahoe)
Lake Tahoe (SW shore, Hwy 89) · near South Lake Tahoe / Tahoma · Sierra Nevada / Yosemite
Kayaking & SUP
At a glance
- Best season
- June–September · Morning is essential (afternoon winds build fast) · Water stays cold all year
Permits and booking
- Permit
- No permit for day paddling. Launch from Baldwin Beach, D.L. Bliss State Park, or the Emerald Bay area (state park day-use fees apply). Boat-in camping requires a reservation. The clarity means you can see the lakebed 20+ feet down.
What is here
- Wildlife
- Bald eagles · Ospreys · Rainbow & mackinaw trout (visible in the clear water) · Occasional black bear on shore · Waterfowl
Worth knowing
- Good for a first timer
- Yes
Kayaking & SUP detail
- Nickname
- The Most Photographed Paddle in California
- Water types
- alpine-lake
- Exposure
- moderate
- Sup friendly
- Yes
- Wetsuit
- Tahoe water is cold year-round — low 60s°F in summer, mid-40s in winter. A wetsuit or at minimum a dry bag for phone and layers is standard, not optional. Hypothermia is a real risk if you go in.
- Tidal note
- No tides, but ALTITUDE AND WIND are the hazards: Tahoe sits at 6,225ft, and afternoon winds build quickly and can turn the bay choppy and dangerous. Launch at dawn, be off the water by early afternoon. The paddle to Emerald Bay from D.L. Bliss or Baldwin Beach adds distance and exposure — plan accordingly.
- Intl tip
- Emerald Bay is on Tahoe's SW shore near D.L. Bliss (swimming guide) — the same stretch of granite coves. South Lake Tahoe has every service and (in winter) the ski resorts (skiing guide). Vikingsholm's tour and the Eagle Falls hike above the bay round out the day. Go at dawn for the glassy water and empty parking.
The guide
Emerald Bay is the most photographed paddle in California, and for once the hype holds — a glacial cove of impossibly clear, de…
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to Emerald Bay (Lake Tahoe) — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 38.954, -120.109