Emerald Bay State Park

★5.0

Southwest > California > Lake Tahoe > Emerald Bay State Park

Emerald Bay State Park on Lake Tahoe, California

Emerald Bay State Park
John Palmer / California Department of Parks and Recreation, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

State park centered on Lake Tahoe's Emerald Bay, featuring Eagle Falls and Vikingsholm, a 38-room mansion

General Information
Hours:

Park open daily sunrise to sunset

Vikingsholm Tour
Offered daily every 30 minutes from 10:30am to 4pm
May 29 to September 30

Fees:

No entrance fees

Vikingsholm Parking Lot
Fees for parking are $10 per vehicle for the day, or $3 per vehicle for 1 hour
Fees are required by self-payment. . The pay machine accepts cash (exact change) or credit card

Vikingsholm Tour
Adults: $15.00
Students 7-17 years and with valid college ID/active duty military/seniors: $12.00
Children under 7 years: Free
Purchase tickets at the Visitor Center just past Vikingsholm. The Visitor Center is open daily during the tour season from 10am to 4:30pm

Pet Policy:
Dogs are not allowed in any areas on land, including beaches, dirt trails, service roads from highway 89 going down into Emerald Bay, Boat camp, and Vikingsholm. Dogs are not allowed on the Rubicon Trail or the entire grounds surrounding the Vikingsholm Mansion or Fannette Island.
Dogs are allowed within the two campgrounds only—the Boat Camp paved campground loop and Eagle Point paved campground road and campsites Dogs are allowed on boats and at the vista overlook at the Vikingsholm Trail parking lot.
Closest cities with hotels:
South Lake Tahoe
Seasons:
June through October
Location:
California 96150
Website:
parks.ca.gov/?page_id=506
South Lake Tahoe, CA Weather Forecast

How to Get There

Head north on CA-89 N. Turn right. Turn left

Overview

Emerald Bay State Park on Lake Tahoe’s southwest shore is a National Natural Landmark and the state’s first underwater park, with a glacier-carved bay, Tahoe’s only island (Fannette Island) and views that are among the most famous in the Sierra. It is reached by Highway 89.

Attractions

  • Vikingsholm: 38-room 1929 Scandinavian-style mansion, reached by a steep 1-mile trail; tours in summer
  • Eagle Falls: waterfall and trail to Desolation Wilderness
  • Kayaking and boat tours to Fannette Island
  • Camping at the Emerald Bay Boat Camp and campground

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article "Emerald Bay State Park", which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0