Emerald Bay Boat Camp

Very scenic and beautiful hike from the Emerald Bay Boat Camp on the west side of Emerald Bay to the east side of the lake via the boating piers around the south shore. The west side trail is much closer to the water than the trail on the east side. Better save your energy for the walk up back to the highway at the end…but well worth it.

Great weather and awesome views… winter beauty

Very peaceful camp if you aren't afraid of an occasional bear wandering through. The water is glass in the early morning and late evening when there is no boat traffic. During the day I recommend going somewhere else as it is very congested with a constant boat parade in and out of the bay. There are multiple fresh water hydrants and outhouses hroughout the camp. You can purchase very small bags of ice for $5 and firewood for $10 from the camp host. Each site has a nice fire pit and charcoal cooking grill. Dogs are allowed but not on beach.

Beautiful and lots of snow in mid April 2023. Be careful with parking as CHP is ticketing.

Beautiful place! This place is very well taken! Perfect place to rest, relax and meditate. Im totally in love with this place!

Great view of the Lake with the mountains on all the sides. There is a small elevation made of stones which will give you a great view of the lake. I have added some photo which will make you feel to go there. I have enjoyed a lot, I went during winter, so if you wear gloves it would be great because it would be very much chilling.

WOW! Gorgeous area in Lake Tahoe. A definite must see. It's a good hike down from DL Bliss State Park if the road is closed. If not you can drive straight down and hike around. We hiked down from the state park and did portion of the Rubicon trail (bring a map) it was totally worth it and had some gorgeous views of the lake. Can't wait to go back.

First time here... easy to come down but really hard to go back up when you have asthma or kids. Took us longer to walk up then down too lol. This place is beautiful and worth coming all the way down too. Love every second here. Will do this again, definitely!

Best camp sites I have ever seen. Hiked in from DL Bliss thinking we made it to the kayak rental....nope. but Victor and Donna the camp hosts pointed us in the right direction. A long 15 minutes later and we were gone. If I was going to camp on the lake this is the place. The site in the east most corner of the camp would be my pick along the water!

The most stunning and most rugged area of Lake Tahoe. This is a review of the bottom of Emerald Bay. Highly recommend the Vikingsholm tour as well as a hike along the Rubicon Trail along the shore of the bay out to the main body of Lake Tahoe. There is a great camping spot with a dock halfway up the northwest shore of Emerald Bay.

Was there in April 2019. Still some snow, very cold, and some places are slippery or muddy due to snow melting. Watch your step and also be very careful driving up here. Their are MANY people walking on the sideof the road taking pictures. So going a slow speed is recommended.

It’s a very beautiful camp ground accesible to both people camped here and for visitors as well.

It’s clean and has a lot of camping options, including little houses.

Bike trails are also available and it’s really nice to bike around the area.

The views are breath-taking and you have so many sights around to visit.

We didn’t camp there so I’m unaware to state if the prices are high or not.

Clean restrooms and huge parking lot.

Beautiful place to stop and stare at. Great views especially at sunset, and lots of trails for outdoor hiking. There’s also a little Swedish castle at the bottom if you wanna pay to visit and hike down to it!

One of the most photo graphed places in Tahoe and as you can see gorgeous.
This is a must see if you are in the area you won't be disappointed.
I highly recommend this place

Emerald Bay is breathtakingly beautiful. Every time we come back, it brings back so many memories of past vacations to Lake Tahoe. We can't get enough!!!! We adore the story about the tea house. Lake Tahoe, you awe me!!!

Beautiful area with great CA state campgrounds. Nice beaches and a boat landing at the closed end of the Bay. Great place to get in touch with nature and away from the touristy part of South Tahoe lake.

Its a beautiful place! Too bad people still leaves their trash or they go to smoke. Nature is to enjoy the fresh air, not people smoking. Other than that I loved the place.

If there are only a few things you do/visit during the non-skiing season, Emerald Bay is an absolute must see. I visited in early May, and sunny/clear conditions allowed for breathtaking views. It's also a treat to see how clear the water is. There are plenty of photo opportunities at Emerald Bay. If you visit Emerald Bay State Park, pay for parking and spend some time there to explore. Most people explore near the parking lot (which is good), but those who want to get closer to the bay/water will want to hike down a little bit. The trail down is short at about one mile, but keep in mind that what is downhill one direction is uphill on the way back up to the parking lot. Once you get down, there is a building known as Vikingsholm. Although Vikingsholm was closed and not offering tours when I visited, you can still marvel at the architecture as you walk around it. If you're in the Reno-Tahoe area and you have time to explore, definitely visit Emerald Bay.

Absolutely stunning views! From the Vikingsholm car park, you already have a great view over Lake Tahoe. You can also walk down to the water - it’s around a mile and isn’t too steep. The views from beside the water are also beautiful and there’s an interesting Viking-style building. Parking can be difficult if you don’t get there early enough, so earlier in the day is better. The views on the drives around that area are also amazing. Must-see if you’re visiting Lake Tahoe!

what a Joy. great boat camping experience. wonderful camp host full of knowledge rich with stories. clean facilities with extraordinary views. if you have the time to reserve a site #1&21,22 have the optimal views and ease of access in my opinion. Bring a paddle board and a pole for continual excitement and joy.