Eagle Point Campground — Emerald Bay State Park

Lake Tahoe is such a beautiful place and Emerald bay is probably one of the most beautiful. I got a bit lost when just exploring the campground area and noticed there wasn't a bad spot in the whole camp area. Some have water view others didn't, ours simi-did.

Things I loved about this campground.

• Showers with hot water! ( you do have to pay for the shower a dollar per 3 minute. You need cash to get tokens for the shower room.) *Clean bathrooms that flush.
• Large sinks at the restroom area to clean dishwear
• Water pump so u can douse your fire easily. Just need your own bucket. *bear box
• picnic table
• tall fire pit with half grate
• platform for tent areas. *cute little beach that a quarter of a mile walk. ( my friend and I took down our inflatable kayaks and paddled to the Island. It was a huge plus that added to our trip and loving this campground)

Things I didn't like

• Campsite very close together
• the platform for the tents. Even though it's cute it if your tents not the "right" size you end up needing to get inventive.
• one car only in most spots

Great campground, beautiful pines, with very nice camp hosts. Quiet hours start at 8pm which was fine with us. Park rangers are present and will ticket you if not compliant with placing items/trash in bear boxes, warnings given first though. Lower eagle bathrooms are so much nicer than the ones located to in the upper eagle campground, which were dated and shared, only one of two showers worked during our visit. Lower eagle has single stall showers and bathrooms and are newer. Drove down there twice for showers. Price is 1 token for 3 mins and every token is one dollar. Bundles of wood are $10 (cash only). Our specific spot offered morning shade and no shade in the afternoons, so bring a pop-up canopy. We had plenty of space for two small tents and a camper van. Rubicon trail is nearby and we did twice mainly to get down to the water, lots of private small areas to sunbathe and take a dip. Beware lugging your items is no easy feat because walking uphill in the Tahoe sun can be difficult but can be done if needed. Drive to grocery stores takes 15-20 mins, closest is camp rich gen store which is pricier than average but in a bind the come through. Overall good experience!

I walked through the seasonally closed Eagle Point Campground while exploring the Emerald Bay section of Lake Tahoe. This campground is a newly renovated area of the peninsula on the South/West side of the Emerald Bay State Park separated into Upper and Lower sections.

Since the campground was closed we had to park on Highway 89 and walk through the campground to get to the Rubicon Trailhead which is located at the divider between the 2 camping sections.

As we hiked through I was really blown away with the layout of the campground. I loved that these sites were almost a multi-leveled. Meaning that your tent site might be 10 feet lower than your picnic table, bear box, etc. or it could have a raised fire pit on a small bluff above the tent pad, table. Each site was unique, and this added to the separation between sites, so you’re not on the same level and directly next to your neighbors, adding to the feeling of being in the wilderness. (At least to me)

Also, it should be pointed out that there were signs everywhere about using your bear boxes and that they’d fine you if you leave anything in your car. I know some people seem to have an issue with this for some reason…but I don’t want a bear roaming through any campground I’m staying at.

There weren’t any sites that I saw which could hold an RV or 5th wheel, unless you have something under 18 feet… So maybe tents only, and there are no hookups. While I know I got a sterile experience since no one was actually camping, the campground was very clean and well maintained and the restrooms looked really nice. They had running water, flush toilets and pay showers ($1 per 3 minutes). The little amphitheater at the trailhead was cool and seemed ideally setup for presentations with incredible views of Lake Tahoe.

While pets are allowed in the campground, they’re not allowed on the Emerald Bay SP trails or beaches. Sites are $35 and all are reservable 6 month out, so

We stayed during the week to avoid the crowds. The first night we had some neighbors but rest of our stay there were only a handful of campers. Our site was #56 which had a partial view of the lake through the trees in the distance. It was also located directly across from the bathrooms and campground host who’s name was David. He was very friendly and accommodating. The bathrooms are clean and the showers have hot water. Cost $1 per token for the showers. Only downside to being so close to bathrooms were that other campers are not as curtious when comes to closing the bathroom door quietly at night so be prepared to hear the door slamming all night long. There was beach access from the campground by a moderate walk down the trail. The campground is close to a lot of day excursions in Emerald Bay. My suggestion hike to Lower and Upper eagle falls and continue onto Eagle Lake. The views are breathtaking! definitely a highlight of our trip. It is only a ten min drive to the Eagle Falls from the campground and about a 20 min drive to town. The campground is dog friendly but dogs are only allowed on the paved road; no trails or scenic view points. Overall very nice campground.

Emerald Bay State Park Campground is nice campground located in a spectacular area. The campground itself is fairly big, but doesn’t feel like it the way things are laid out. With the campground running down the point of a peninsula the topography of the area helps the campsites feel a bit more private as well.

There are a few trails that leave from the campground and a handful of places to explore within the campground.

Leaving from the campground are a few trails that take you to beautiful overlooks of either Lake Tahoe or Emerald Bay itself. There I also the Rubicon Trail which takes you west around Emerald Bay to Emerald Bay State Park and Eagle Falls. If you’d like you can also continue on the Rubicon Trail around the other side (north) of Emerald Bay and hike through DL Bliss State Park to Rubicon Point. Going all the way to Rubicon Point would be about a 12-mile round trip hike with 2,200 feet of elevation gain with some spectacular views of Lake Tahoe.

Another hike I would recommend would be taking the Rubicon Trail to Emerald Bay State Park and then doing the short road walk to Highway 89 and the Eagle Falls Trailhead (3-miles one way). You could also drive to the trailhead, but the parking lot is very small and fills up quickly when it is not buried in snow. From there you will fill out a day use permit to enter Desolation Wilderness, my personal favorite place on earth. You can enjoy a nice short hike to Eagle Lake or continue on to the Velma Lakes area. Eagle Lake is 0.89 miles and 540 feet of elevation from the Eagle Falls Trailhead while the Velma Lake area is 4 miles and 1,930 feet of elevation gain from the same spot.

There are also countless trails within a short drive from this campground, or if it surprises you and rains in June like it did for us, you can run to South Shore Lake Tahoe and hide inside a movie theatre for a few hours.