Sugar Pine Point State Park (Tahoe)
Lake Tahoe west shore · near Tahoma / Tahoe City · Sierra Nevada / Yosemite
Camping · Nordic & Snowshoe
At a glance
- Difficulty
- beginner
- Elevation
- 6300
- Campsites
- ~175 sites
- Season
- Year-round (rare winter Tahoe camping)
- Fee
- ~$35/night
- Best season
- Dec–Mar; west-shore snow variable at lake level
Permits and booking
- Reservation required
- Yes
- How to reserve
- Reserve on ReserveCalifornia (6 months ahead). A forested west-shore park — one of the FEW Tahoe campgrounds open in winter (for snow camping/skiing). Showers (summer), RV sites. Historic Ehrman Mansion, lake access.
What is here
- Setting
- mountain
- Amenities
- Rare year-round Tahoe camping · Ehrman Mansion & lakeshore · Winter cross-country skiing · Showers (summer)
- Best for
- Year-round Tahoe camping (incl. winter)
- Features
- One of few winter-open Tahoe camps · Historic Ehrman Mansion · West-shore lake access · Cross-country ski trails
- Activities
- classic · snowshoe · backcountry
- Setting
- lake
- Amenities
- Olympic Nordic heritage · Lakeside state-park trails · Gentle forest & meadow skiing · Snowshoe routes
- Best for
- Historic, gentle lakeside touring
- Features
- 1960 Olympic XC venue · Quiet west-shore park · Gentle groomed trails · Historic Ehrman Mansion
Worth knowing
- Dogs
- Allowed
- Good for a first timer
- Yes
- Hazards
- Low-elevation, variable snow · Cold, sun exposure · Weather-dependent grooming · Layers
Guides, rentals and operators
- Rentals
- No
Camping detail
- Camp type
- developed · rv
- Intl tip
- Reserve on ReserveCalifornia 6 months ahead. RARE year-round Tahoe camping — winter means cross-country skiing and snow camping (bring winter gear). Summer: lake access, the Ehrman Mansion tour, and west-shore beauty. Showers in summer. Combine with the west-shore sights and D.L. Bliss. A versatile four-season Tahoe base.
Nordic & Snowshoe detail
- Venue
- park
- Ability
- beginner
- Snow
- 3
- Trail notes
- Groomed and marked Nordic trails through a lakeside state park that once hosted Olympic cross-country events — gentle forest and meadow skiing and snowshoeing on Tahoe's quieter west shore
- Terrain note
- ~6,200–6,600 ft; groomed & marked trails; variable lake-level snow
- Intl tip
- A tranquil west-shore Tahoe state park that hosted the 1960 Winter Olympics cross-country events. Gentle groomed and marked trails wind through tall pines and meadows near the historic Ehrman Mansion and toward the lakeshore — easy, scenic terrain ideal for beginners, families, and snowshoers, with a peaceful park feel. At ~6,200 ft the snow is lower and variable — best mid-winter after storms; check conditions, dress in layers. Quietly beautiful, with a whiff of Olympic history.
The guide
Sugar Pine Point on Tahoe's west shore is a lovely forested state park with a rare distinction: it's one of the only campground…
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to Sugar Pine Point State Park (Tahoe) — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 39.056, -120.118