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Emerald Bay is one of the most photographed places on Lake Tahoe, and for good reason. The views of Emerald Bay from above are gorgeous, but hiking down to access the bay is well worth it. Emerald Bay is only designated as a landing spot on the Lake Tahoe Water Trail, but you can rent kayaks and SUPs on the beach with Kayak Tahoe. Once on the water, take a spin around the bay or dock at Fannette Island, the only island in all of Lake Tahoe. After exploring the water, hike one of the many trails around the bay, or take a tour of Vikingsholm to admire Scandinavian architecture.

The trail down to Emerald Bay can be accessed by the Vikingsholm parking lot just off Highway 89 and about 12 miles from South Lake Tahoe. Make sure to arrive early as the parking lot fills up fast! We were visiting in October and arrived about 9:00 in the morning and snagged one of the last parking spots and people were parked all along the shoulders of the highway by the time we left. Also, the drive from South Lake Tahoe to Emerald Bay is gorgeous! There is one point you are driving this narrow two lane highway high above the lake with water on both sides - it’s amazing. If you do nothing else, at least drive through this area.

Since I’d done my research and knew Emerald Bay was only a designated landing spot, we decided to leave our boards in the car and hike down the steep, one mile trail to rent paddle boards on the beach. We arrived just as they opened because the weather forecast called for windy conditions later in the day, so we wanted an early start. We soon were told they were only renting kayaks due to the forecasted winds and because the water was kind of cold. We’d been paddling for a few days on the lake and honestly didn’t think the water was that cold - I guess that comes with living on Lake Michigan! We decided to ask if they’d allow us to launch our own boards and they gave us permission to launch at a safe distance from their launch area. After some quick contemplation, we hiked back up the steep one mile trail, put our 25 pound boards on our backs and hiked back down to launch. I’ve recently switched my board bag to Ten Toes and couldn’t be happier with the zipper design and ease of use, but I digress. We could have easily skipped it, but it looked too amazing not to paddle!

We quickly got on the water and paddled into the bay past Fannette Island. The winds were calm and the views of the surrounding mountains were breathtaking. After snapping a few photos, we headed towards Fannette Island with plans of docking our boards to explore the island. However, the winds picked up and let me tell you, they are no joke coming in over the mountains into the bay. We quickly realized we needed to skip the island tour and head back to shore. Once near the shore, we found some protected space to relax and hang out with a few ducks. It wasn’t the ideal paddle of Emerald Bay, but I’m so glad we did it. Another option to paddle Emerald Bay on a nice, calm day, is launching from Baldwin Beach and paddling the 3 miles into the Emerald Bay using Vikingsholm as a landing spot. Based on the weather forecast, we knew that wasn’t a good idea for us, but I’m glad we found a way to experience paddling the bay! We packed up our boards, hiked back up the steep trail to store the boards in the car and continued to explore the surrounding area.

While You’re There

Hike to Eagle Falls - Lower Eagle Falls is a short walk from the Vikingsholm parking lot and is a great spot for pictures above Emerald Bay. Cross the highway to find the Eagle Falls Trailhead. The hike to Eagle Falls is only about a half mile and there is a vista you can access just beyond the falls. You’ll find stone stairs and many rock formations along the way. We only hiked here and back, but I’m wishing we’d continued to Eagle Lake, which is a 4 mile round trip hike. Maybe next time, we’ll hike with our paddle boards to Eagle Lake. After hiking up the steep trail from Emerald Bay with my 25 pound board on my back - I now think I can conquer the world.

Lake Tahoe quickly became one of my favorite places in the United States and I just scratched the surface. This gorgeous place has many more beaches I’d love to launch my paddle board from and several hiking trails I need to explore. I guess this just gives me a good excuse to go back - soon.

SUP Lake Tahoe: How to Paddle Emerald Bay

While You’re There