Lake Tahoe has plenty of parks with stellar views and great beaches and hiking trails, but only some of them have activities and amenities specifically geared toward families. We’re talking about things like free movie nights on the beach, cool playground equipment and drop-in day camps to keep the little ones entertained.
If you’re looking for things to do in Lake Tahoe with kids, add these Lake Tahoe parks with cool perks and amenities to your itinerary.
The best parks for families in North Lake Tahoe
Concerts at Commons Beach is a free live music series that runs from mid-June until the beginning of September every Sunday.
Christina M. via YelpCommons Beach
The four-acre Commons Beach is small but it packs a mighty wallop when it comes to family fun. Located on the lake in Tahoe City, the park offers a sandy beach, barbecues, picnic tables and playground equipment. But what really sets Commons Beach apart are the free activities nearby. On Thursdays from 8 a.m. until 1 p.m., mid-May through mid-October, the Tahoe City Farmers Market is the place for live music, food trucks, fresh produce and artisan products like handmade soaps. Come back to Commons Beach at dusk on Wednesdays from the end of June through the end of August for family-friendly movies on the beach. Also, Concerts at Commons Beach is a free live music series running from mid-June until the beginning of September every Sunday from 4 to 7 p.m.
Find it: Commons Beach, 400 North Lake Blvd., Tahoe City, CA 96145; 530-580-6279
North Tahoe Regional Park
North Tahoe Regional Park offers such an impressive array of year-round activities it’s worth a trip by itself. The 124-acre park is home to a disc golf course, playground equipment, an off-leash dog park, sports fields and hiking and biking trails. For an additional fee, you can also participate in zipline and rope courses at Treetop Adventures. During winter, the park is just as exciting, offering six miles of groomed trails and two sledding hills. There is a $5 fee per vehicle to get into the park.
Find it: North Tahoe Regional Park, 6600 Donner Road, Tahoe Vista, CA 96148; 530-546-4212
Nevada’s Sand Harbor State Park, with its namesake stretch of sandy beach along Lake Tahoe, features several wheelchair- and stroller-accessible hiking trails.
Courtesy of Tamara Gane, Special to SFGATESand Harbor State Park
Sand Harbor, a Lake Tahoe Nevada State Park, is one of the most popular destinations in the region and for good reason. The park is home to sandy beaches, a scenic wheelchair/stroller-accessible boardwalk, two boat launches, picnic areas, kayak/SUP rentals, a visitor center with a concession stand and, in summer, the popular Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival. Visitors should be aware that the park generally fills up by 9 a.m. between Memorial Day and Labor Day and once full, the gates don’t reopen until about 5 p.m. There is a $10 fee for vehicles registered in Nevada and a $15 fee for out-of-state vehicles.
Find it: Sand Harbor State Park, 2005 NV-28, Incline Village, NV 89452; 775-831-89452
The best parks for families in South Lake Tahoe
Kahle Park and Kahle Community Center
Stateline’s 19-acre Kahle Park offers amenities like outdoor basketball courts, sports fields, playground equipment and walking and biking paths. It’s also a popular place for sledding in the winter. But really makes it stand out is the Kahle Community Center, an indoor recreation facility with exercise equipment, sports courts, ping pong tables, air hockey tables, an indoor jogging track, a rock wall and more. Daily and monthly passes are available for out-of-town visitors and a drop-in day camp is available to children enrolled in kindergarten through sixth grade.
Find it: Kahle Park, 236 Kingsbury Grade Road, Stateline, NV 89449; 775-586-7271
The entrance to the Taylor Creek Visitor Center at South Lake Tahoe, Calif.
George Rose/Getty ImagesTaylor Creek Visitor Center
Managed by the USDA Forest Service, the interactive exhibits at Taylor Creek Visitor Center are the perfect place to learn about the human and natural history of Lake Tahoe. Perhaps the most popular exhibit is the stream profile chamber, which proffers an aquarium-like glimpse of life underneath the Lake Tahoe waters. From June through August, forest rangers offer guided walks every Friday at 11 a.m. In July and August, you’ll find a rotating slate of programming at the ampitheater, featuring characters as diverse as bats and Mark Twain. Four popular trails also pass through the grounds of Taylor Creek, including the wheelchair/stroller-accessible Rainbow Trail and the Lake of the Sky Trail, which offers several access points to Lake Tahoe.
The Taylor Creek Visitor Center building and facilities are open Wednesday through Sunday from Memorial Day weekend until the end of September, but the grounds and hiking trails are open to the public year-round.
Find it: Taylor Creek Visitor Center, Visitor Center Road, CA-89, South Lake Tahoe, CA 96150; 530-543-2674
Emerald Bay State Park
California’s Emerald Bay State Park is teeming with breathtaking views, beaches, hiking trails and unique attractions. The park is famously home to Fannette Island, the only island in all of Lake Tahoe, and Vikingsholm Castle, a 38-room mansion considered to be one of the finest works of Scandinavian architecture in the Americas. Tours are available for a fee from Memorial Day through the end of September (purchase your tickets at the visitor center). Please note that the mile-long hike down to Emerald Bay Beach and Vikingsholm Castle is extremely steep. Fannette Island is only accessible by watercraft but you can rent kayaks and SUPs on the beach.
Note: This is a popular park from Memorial Day through Labor Day and the gates close once the parking lot fills up in the morning. Plan to be there before 9 a.m. if you’re visiting during peak season.
Find it: Emerald Bay State Park, CA 96150; 530-541-3030
This story was edited by Hearst Newspapers Managing Editor Kristina Moy; you can contact her at [email protected].