Incline Village · RedAwning

Sand Harbor State ParkGranite-cove beach with 70-foot lake clarity — kayak rentals, the Shakespeare amphitheater, and the busiest non-motorized launch on Tahoe

A 55-acre beach unit of Lake Tahoe Nevada State Park on the lake's east shore — granite-boulder coves with Caribbean-clear shallows, the 750-seat open-air Sand Harbor Amphitheater (host of the Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival every July and August since 1978), a working boat launch, and on-site kayak and paddleboard rentals through Adrift Tahoe. Frequently the most-photographed beach on the lake.

Hours today8:00 AM – SunsetThursday hours
TicketsFrom $15Day-use vehicle entry — Nevada plate
LocationIncline Village, Nevada2005 Highway 28
Official siteparks.nv.govPlan your visit

70 ft visibilityLake clarity
0.6 miBeach length
750Shakespeare seats
1.4MAnnual visitors

Sand Harbor is the headline unit of Lake Tahoe Nevada State Park — a 55-acre beach on Highway 28 just south of Incline Village, opened to the public in 1971 after Nevada acquired 14,301 acres of east-shore lakefront from George Whittell Jr.'s estate. The park comprises six management units in total, but Sand Harbor is the front door: a half-mile of white sand divided by granite boulder fields into a series of shallow coves, with Lake Tahoe's signature 70-foot underwater visibility making the water look closer to Bermuda than Sierra alpine.

Beyond the beach: a 750-seat lakefront amphitheater carved into the dunes that has hosted the Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival every July and August since 1978; a working boat launch (one of only two on the Nevada side); the Sand Point Nature Trail loop; the on-site Lake Tahoe–Nevada State Park visitor center; and the Adrift Tahoe rental concession running kayaks and paddleboards from a beach kiosk May through September. Rangers stage a yearly bear-aware briefing in late June.

Plan to arrive by 8:00 AM on summer weekends — the parking lot fills by 9:30 and the gate posts a Lot Full sign that stays up most of the afternoon. The 3-mile Tahoe East Shore Trail from Incline Village is the workaround: park in Incline, ride or walk in, pay the $2 walk-in fee, and skip the lot entirely. Off-season (October–April), parking is plentiful; spring snowmelt keeps the boat launch closed until April. Pets allowed only in designated picnic areas, not on the main beach.

The Boulder Coves
The granite-boulder fields that divide the half-mile of beach into a half-dozen swimmable coves — kid-favorite climbing rocks, snorkel-friendly drop-offs at the south end, and the Caribbean-clear water Lake Tahoe is famous for. The boulders are the most-photographed feature in any Nevada state park.
Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival
An open-air Shakespeare festival on the 750-seat lakefront amphitheater carved into the dunes — running every July and August since 1978, with two productions in repertory and a pre-show picnic permitted on the sand. Tickets from $39; sells out two weeks ahead in July. Pair with the Lakeside Cafe between acts.
Adrift Tahoe kayak & paddleboard rental
An on-site rental concession from a beach kiosk May through September — single kayaks $30/hour, doubles $40, paddleboards $30. The most popular non-motorized launch on Lake Tahoe; arrive early or expect a 30-minute wait at the kiosk by 11 AM in July.
Sand Point Nature Trail
A 0.5-mile loop trail at the north end of the park climbing onto Sand Point — a granite headland with interpretive panels on Tahoe's geology, the Marlette Lake Water System (an 1873 engineering landmark on the National Register), and the Washoe people who summered on this shore. Free with park entry.
Working boat launch
One of only two public boat launches on the Nevada side of Lake Tahoe — a single concrete ramp, $25 per vessel, operating April through October. Trailer queue is the bottleneck on summer Saturdays; arrive before 7 AM or after 4 PM to skip the wait. Required Nevada AIS inspection at the kiosk before launch.
Lake Tahoe–Nevada State Park Visitor Center
A small interpretive center inside the entrance station — exhibits on George Whittell Jr.'s 1930s east-shore landholdings, the Marlette Lake flume system, and a live underwater webcam pointed at the Sand Harbor cove. Free with park entry; staffed daily 9 AM – 5 PM in summer.
Diver's Cove
The southernmost beach inside the park boundary — the snorkel-and-dive cove, with a granite drop-off to 25 feet of water and the clearest underwater visibility on the Nevada shoreline. Bring your own gear, no on-site rentals; June water temperatures still cold enough to need a 3mm wetsuit.
East Shore Trail walk-in access
The 3-mile Tahoe East Shore Trail from Incline Village ends at the Sand Harbor north entrance — the only way to skip the parking-lot Lot Full closure on summer weekends. $2 per person walk-in or bike-in fee versus $20 per non-Nevada vehicle. Bike racks at the entrance hold ~120 bikes.

Open hours

Open year-round. Summer weekends fill the parking lot by 9:30 AM and rangers post a Park Closed — Lot Full sign at the gate, sometimes through 3 PM. Arrive by 8 AM for a beach-side spot or use the East Shore Trail from Incline Village to walk in. The boat launch operates April through October.

Monday8:00 AM – Sunset
Tuesday8:00 AM – Sunset
Wednesday8:00 AM – Sunset
ThursdayToday8:00 AM – Sunset
Friday8:00 AM – Sunset
Saturday8:00 AM – Sunset
Sunday8:00 AM – Sunset

Note · Vehicle entry stops 30 minutes before sunset. Visitors already inside can stay until full sunset, then exit on the gate's after-hours system.

Ticket pricing

Per-person admission. Buy in advance to skip the gate line.

Day-use vehicle entry — Nevada plate$15Per car, sunrise to sunset
Day-use vehicle entry — non-Nevada plate$20Per car, sunrise to sunset
Walk-in or bike-in$2Per person via the East Shore Trail
Boat launch fee$25Per vessel, Nevada-trailer surcharge applies
Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival$39From — Lawn-and-bench seats; July & August nightly

Adrift Tahoe runs the on-site kayak and paddleboard rental concession May through September — single kayaks $30/hour, doubles $40/hour, paddleboards $30/hour. Bring quarters for the boat-launch hose; the snack shack is cash-friendly.

Park information

Where to stay