Visit Sand Harbor Lake Tahoe (Fun Sand Harbor Activities For Families!)
Are you planning a summer Lake Tahoe trip? Want to visit the best beach in Lake Tahoe? Sand Harbor Lake Tahoe is where you will want to go!
Sand Harbor Lake Tahoe is one of the most beautiful areas around the entire lake!
In this post, we will give you a complete guide to visiting Sand Harbor Beach Nevada. We will start with directions and Sand Harbor parking instructions. We will make sure you know the Sand Harbor beach hours. And most importantly we will be exploring all of the fun things to do at Sand Harbor Beach.
I will also list a few Sand Harbor Tahoe resort options and camping near Sand Harbor Lake Tahoe options.
Let’s explore Sand Harbor Lake Tahoe Nevada State Park!
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Sand Harbor Lake Tahoe Directions
Sand Harbor Beach Nevada is located on the eastern shore of Lake Tahoe. It is one of the best beaches at Lake Tahoe. When you see amazing pictures of Lake Tahoe, they are usually taken at Sand Harbor.
Sand Harbor Beach is pretty easy to get to, if you are coming from Incline Village or even South Lake Tahoe.
GPS Fail
One important thing to mention is that when you enter in Sand Harbor Beach to your GPS, it will try to take you to the boat ramp. When you get close ignore your GPS and look for the official Sand Harbor Beach sign.
Sand Harbor Parking
One thing that is good to know about Lake Tahoe is that every beach does have a fee. Sand Harbor parking runs around $10 to park.
The parking lot is really big. If you go to the right you will find the small coves with beautiful rocks pictured. If you go left you will see the Sand Harbor Visitor Center and Museum.
If you continue even farther down you will find a beautiful beach where you can rent kayaks and paddleboards.
Fun Things to Do at Sand Harbor Beach
There are so many fun things to do at Sand Harbor Lake Tahoe Beach. The activities at Lake Tahoe Sand Harbor Beach are a great way to spend your day.
Lake Tahoe Sand Harbor Beach Hours
8:00 am to Sunset
Sand Harbor can fill up by 9:00 am during the busy season.
We are going to dive into all your options for fun things to do at Lake Tahoe.
1. Lake Tahoe Sand Harbor Visitor Center
At the Sand Harbor Beach Nevada State Park, there is a visitor center.
This is a fun area where you can learn about the history of Lake Tahoe. There are exhibits you can check out. This is a great area to take a break from the sun.
Gift Shop at Lake Tahoe Sand Harbor
We were so glad there was a gift shop at the visitor center because we forgot some pretty important items. You can get sunblock, swimsuits, and even goggles at the shop. There are also some fun souvenirs.
Restaurant
There is also a restaurant concession area open during the busy season. It is a great place to grab some food and a cold drink.
2. Sand Harbor Beach
One of the best things to do at Sand Harbor is hang out at the beach.
You can bring your chairs, pop-up beach tent, and beach blankets and relax on the beach all day.
Get to Sand Harbor Beach Early
Sand Harbor Beach gets crowded during the summer months. If you want a good spot on the beach, you may have to arrive as early as 8:00 am during the busy season.
We went at the beginning of June and didn’t have a problem finding parking or a spot on the beach. It wasn’t too crowded.
3. Kayaking
If you are planning on renting a kayak at Lake Tahoe, Sand Harbor is the absolute best place to do this.
There are 3 zones for kayaking in Sand Harbor. All of which have crystal-clear water and are beautiful.
Rental Location on Site
There is a kayak rental facility at Sand Harbor. You can choose your duration and type of kayak. They have single kayaks, double, and even triple kayaks.
They also have clear-bottom kayaks.
We rented a single, double, and triple when we went. They told us that triple kayaks are the most likely to tip over. We put one adult and two 8-year-olds in the triple and did just fine!
Book Ahead
Sand Harbor Beach can get really crowded during the summer months. It is a good idea to book your kayak ahead of time. This way you can guarantee your spot. Especially if you want to book a clear bottom kayak.
4. Sand Harbor Beach Paddle Board
Paddleboarding at Sand Harbor Beach is another great activity. Paddleboards are one of the easiest water sports you can do. It is great for all ages and fitness levels.
You can rent a paddle board and stay in the same zones as the kayaks.
Sand Harbor Rental Location on Site
You can rent paddleboards on Sand Harbor Beach at the same location as you rent your kayaks.
This site does get very busy during the summer, so booking ahead is a good idea!
5. Swimming at Sand Harbor
Can you swim at Sand Harbor? Yes, if you are brave! I say that because the water temperatures run on the side of cold!
Water Temperatures
The water temperatures at Lake Tahoe are between 50 degrees to 57 degrees during the summer months.
My kids loved swimming at Sand Harbor. We went at the beginning of June. It was cold water!
6. Boating at Sand Harbor
Sand Harbor is a great place to launch your boat and hit the lake.
Don’t worry if you do not have your own boat, there are so many great options to rent a boat.
Water Activities at Sand Harbor
Boating is probably the number one activity at Lake Take Tahoe. You can enjoy water-skiing, tubing, and many more boating water activities.
7. Scuba Diving at Sand Harbor
Scuba diving is allowed at Sand Harbor. There are large boulders and a few man-made obstacle courses within the buoys.
You can dive outside of the buoys, but I have heard there isn’t much to look out for besides sand.
Scuba Tours at Sand Harbor
There are lots of cool sites to explore near the shoreline. You can easily scuba dive from the shore. There are scuba tours that meet at 6:00 am at Sand Harbor.
8. Hike at Sand Harbor
We love hiking at Lake Tahoe! There are so many amazing trails.
Three trails you will want to hike at Sand Harbor are the East Shore Trail, Memorial Point Trail, and Sand Point Nature Trail.
East Shore Trail
One of the most popular trails is the East Shore Trail. It is about 3 miles long. It starts in Incline Village and ends at Sand Harbor.
This is one of the best trails in all of Lake Tahoe. It is scenery is beautiful! It parallels the road that goes along the water. Many people also enjoy renting bikes for this trail.
Memorial Point Trail
Memorial Point Trail is a short .5-mile hike that leads to secluded beaches and rock areas.
I went on this trail and fell in love! This is the trail you will want to bring your camera on! I want to say it is “beautiful” but that word doesn’t do this area justice. It is so so gorgeous!
Sand Point Nature Trail
The Sand Point Nature Trail is .3 miles and is handicap accessible. It is a short walk with big views. It is great for all ages and physical fitness levels.
9. Photography at Sand Harbor Beach
Taking photos is a must! This place is unreal!
It is the perfect place for engagement, wedding, senior, or family pictures. If you have a professional photographer take your images you will need to get a permit in this area.
Photo Tours
If you just want to take some beautiful landscape shots you might want to book a small group photo tour. You can also book a hiking and photo tour in the area. It is one of the best things to do at Sand Harbor Beach Nevada.
10. Shakespeare Festival
The Shakespeare Festival takes place in July and August in Sand Harbor Beach Nevada State Park.
The feature play is shown most nights of the summer. It is an outdoor theater overlooking Lake Tahoe.
There are young Shakespeare nights featuring Shakespeare play mixed with a Broadway play on other nights.
Tickets
Tickets for the Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival range from $17 – $70 depending on where you sit. You can also book a premium table for an additional cost.
11. Get Married at Sand Harbor
Sand Harbor Lake Tahoe beach is the perfect place to get married! Seriously, when we were there someone was getting ready to get married.
Your wedding pictures would be heavenly. Plus, there is an area where you can cater your entire event. The only thing I notice was that seating might be an issue. There weren’t too many spots.
This would be a destination wedding spot for sure!
12. Sand Harbor Camping and Resorts Near Sand Harbor
There are no campsites in Sand Harbor Lake Tahoe State Beach. You can day camp, which means you can grab a pop-up tent and enjoy the entire day on the beach but no overnight camping in this area!
Lake Tahoe Resorts Near Sand Harbor
There are many resorts and VRBOs in Incline Village. The best option is the Hyatt Residence Club and the Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe.
Are you Ready to Visit Sand Harbor Lake Tahoe Beach
Hopefully, this list of fun things to do at Sand Harbor Lake Tahoe Nevada Beach gives you some ideas for your Lake Tahoe vacation.
Sand Harbor Beach is amazing! It was my favorite place to go on our summer Lake Tahoe trip!
There are so many great Sand Harbor Beach activities as well as just gorgeous views to enjoy!
I know you will have fun exploring Sand Harbor Lake Tahoe beach!
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Sand Harbor in Lake Tahoe looks like the perfect spot to spend a hot sunny day. Plenty of fun water focused activities to cool you down.
It is a perfect summer vacation!
These pictures are beautiful! I think I’d enjoy hiking or boating at Sand Harbor. But can you imagine how beautiful a wedding there would be?!
The Lake Tahoe Sand Harbor area looks amazing! There’s so much to do there.
It is a great spot at Lake Tahoe!
Wow! Sand Harbor Beach at Lake Tahoe looks amazing! Those crystal-clear waters are what does it for me. And to have those beautiful mountains in the background. Lake Tahoe is moving up on my bucket list!
The Lake is gorgeous with great views!
There are so many activities at Sand Harbor Lake Tahoe. Thank you for sharing.
Sand Harbor is such a fun area to visit!
This looks like a gorgeous place to visit! There seems to be so much to do. It reminds me of Silent valley here which is a big local lake land. Except the water looks far clearer.
Now I have to look up Silent Valley!