Emerald Bay Beach
The Vitals- Operated by the California
State Park System
click here for Emerald
Bay Photo Gallery. Click here for topo
map or here for this really cool
topo map.
Where the mouth of Eagle Creek meets the head of Emerald Bay you
will find a beach as beautiful as any you could imagine. Surrounded
by peaks rising sharply almost 3,000 feet from the lake, the bay
itself has been deemed one of the 'most photographed places on earth'.
However, you won't find this beautiful beach without a hike or a
boat. The hike is about 1 mile on what is basically a road and there
is about 450 feet of elevation change. The beach would be an excellent
place to swim but on a typical summer day there are a lot of boats
anchored on the beach. Unlike other beaches on the lake, the water
gets deep quick here. There is plenty to do though, even for the
little ones. The south side of Eagle Creek does have a large shallow
area thats good for kids and there's plenty of sand at the beach.
The pier, when uncrowded, is ideal for jumping off of. If that's
not enough, head underwater. In 1994, Emerald Bay received a designation
as an underwater
park, featuring relics from the days gone by when there was
a hotel on the north side of the bay. Other items of interest in
Emerald Bay State Park are Fannette
Island, Vikingsholm, and Eagle
Falls. There are numerous companies that cruise to Emerald Bay and they come in all shapes and sizes. There are companies running out of almost every marina on the lake but the busiest in terms of people is Zephyr Cove with the paddlewheeler M.S. Dixie II (tickets) and the Woodwind 2 sailboat.
Directions- Emerald Bay is located on Hwy 89, 10 miles north
of the "Y" or 22 miles south of Tahoe City's "Y".
The hiking trail begins at the Harvey West parking lot on the north side
of the bay.
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