Camping at Lake Tahoe isn’t exactly what most people expect. Those who’ve never been there think of getting to pitch their own tent near the water, but that isn’t the case. You can, however, get something that’s close to that experience. All of the Lake Tahoe campgrounds are found on the south and west parts of the lake. Some of them are run by the California State Park while the others are run by the US Forest Services. Be sure to call the attractions and restaurants ahead of your visit to confirm current opening times.
Best Lake Tahoe Camping
- Overview, Photo: ZoneCreative/stock.adobe.com
- Lake Tahoe Camping: Zephyr Cove, Photo: steheap/stock.adobe.com
- Best Lake Tahoe Camping: Nevada Beach, Photo: ShutterMary/stock.adobe.com
- Lake Tahoe Campgrounds: Fallen Leaf, Photo: Pop Sujinun/stock.adobe.com
- Lake Tahoe Campgrounds: Emerald Bay State Park, Photo: MelissaMN/stock.adobe.com
- Lake Tahoe Campgrounds: D. L. Bliss State Park, Photo: susanne2688/stock.adobe.com
- Lake Tahoe Campgrounds: Meeks Bay, Photo: MNStudio/stock.adobe.com
- Lake Tahoe Campgrounds: Sugar Pine Point State Park, Photo: Michael/stock.adobe.com
- Conclusion, Photo: Kit Leong/stock.adobe.com
- Cover Photo: Courtesy of Annee - Fotolia.com
More Ideas: Vikingsholm
Located in El Dorado County, California near the shore of Lake Tahoe’s Emerald Bay, Vikingsholm is a 38-room mansion listed on the National Register of Historic Places, open to the public as a living history museum offering guided tours. Throughout the mid-19th century, Lake Tahoe’s Emerald Bay became a prominent site for summer homes for California’s early business and civic leaders, beginning with the construction of a seasonal residence overlooking the bay for stagecoach magnate Ben Holiday in the 1860s.
History
The home and its surrounding land were sold in 1880 to Paul Kirby, who constructed a number of resort cabins on the property for public rental, which were sold to William Henry Armstrong in 1892 for personal use. Armstrong’s land was purchased by Lora Josephine Knight in 1928 at a sum of $250,000 with the intent of creating a grand summer home residence that would reflect the area’s natural beauty.
Knight, a prominent philanthropist and backer of Charles Lindbergh’s historic 1927 transatlantic flight, was inspired by her frequent European travels and selected the bay for her construction site due to its resemblance to Scandinavia’s fjords. The home was intended to replace Knight’s former summer home, Wychwood, which had been located on the lake’s North Shore at Observatory Point. Knight’s nephew, Lennart Palme, served as the architect for the summer home project, which broke ground in 1928 and was completed the following year by a team of 200 workers. Palme’s design for the mansion faithfully followed the historic architecture of a number of well-known Swedish castles and Norwegian churches, which were studied carefully by Knight and Palme during a 1928 summer planning trip.
Nearly all of the building was constructed from materials gathered near the Lake Tahoe area, with much of the building’s construction utilizing traditional Scandinavian construction methods that did not use nails or spikes. All the building’s timbers were hand-hewn and all metal work was hand-forged, with the home’s intricate wood carving detail created custom by hand. Following the project’s completion, Knight vacationed at the home for 15 summers until her death in 1945, when the estate was sold to rancher Lawrence Holland and later to lumberman Harvey West. West negotiated an agreement with the State of California to donate the mansion to the state for payment of half the appraised value of its land, a deal that was finalized in 1953.
Attractions and Tours
Today, Vikingsholm is owned by the State of California under the supervision of the Sierra State Parks Foundation, operated as a living history home museum open to the public for guided tours throughout the summer months. It has been incorporated as part of Emerald Bay State Park’s Harvey West Unit, which has been declared as a National Natural Landmark. In 1996, the home was added to the National Register of Historic Places, ensuring its continued preservation as a historic cultural landmark in the Lake Tahoe area.
As an example of the American Craftsman and Scandinavian Revival schools of architecture, the mansion is considered one of the greatest examples of Scandinavian-style architecture within the United States. The 38-room mansion showcases granite boulder work typical of 11th-century Swedish castles and timber work resembling early Norse architecture, including door border work modeled after historic church entrances. The home’s sod roof is covered with wildflower plantings, while its roof ridges showcase dragon head sculpture work. The Scandinavian motif is carried throughout the home’s interior, which showcases traditional Nordic fireplaces, wall and ceiling paintings, and living room beams with dragon carvings. Many of Knight’s original personal furnishings have been preserved within the mansion, including a hallway clock popularly known as “Selma” and a number of rare Swedish and Norwegian fine art reproductions. The home is noted for its exemplification of the relaxed, scenic atmosphere associated with the Emerald Bay’s status as an elite resort area in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Public tours of the home are offered throughout the summer months, hosted by docents from the Sierra State Parks Foundation. Tours run daily between the end of May and the end of September, with tours lasting approximately 30 minutes. Tickets for home tours may be purchased at the park’s Visitor Center, which is located near the mansion. Tour rates are offered for adult and student visitors, with children under seven admitted free with a paying guardian ticket. All tour proceeds benefit restoration and educational programming at the mansion, including private field trip opportunities for elementary and secondary school groups, which may be reserved by contacting the Sierra State Parks Foundation via phone or email.
As the mansion is only accessible via a steep mile-long trail hike from the parking area, any visitors with accessibility concerns should contact California State Parks before purchasing tour tickets. The mansion may also be accessed via private boat service and may be viewed during the off season from the park’s South and North Shores. Periodic public event programming is held at the mansion by the Sierra State Parks Foundation, including semiannual fundraising gala events.
CA-89, Tahoma, CA 96142, Phone: 530-525-9530
More Things to Do in Lake Tahoe
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More Ideas: Homewood High & Dry Marina
Lake Tahoe is one of the most popular recreation areas in all of California and Nevada. The second deepest freshwater lake in the whole of the United States, Lake Tahoe sits right on the state border and offers many miles of coastline and a lot of wonderful, shimmering water to enjoy and explore.
It's a great place for fishing, boating, hiking, and other forms of recreation, with plenty of world class ski resorts right nearby too. Whether you’re visiting with your family, a group of friends, a special someone, or even simply by yourself, Lake Tahoe can offer a lot of lovely experiences and great memories.
Many people visit Lake Tahoe with their own boats in order to really get out their on the water and make the most of their trip, and when it comes to boat storage on Lake Tahoe, there's no better name to trust than the Homewood High & Dry Marina.
Homewood High & Dry Marina - Full Service Dock on Lake Tahoe
Homewood High & Dry Marina is a full-service dock on the West Shore of Lake Tahoe offering boat storage, launches, repairs, rentals, and more. It's the best place to choose for secure boat storage on Lake Tahoe, and the Homewood High & Dry Marina has been a staple part of the Lake Tahoe experience and area for many people for several decades now, dating all the way back to its establishment in 1967.
Known as 'High & Dry' due to the dry rack storage systems it uses, the Homewood High & Dry Marina offers more variety and security compared to many other marinas in the Tahoe area. It provides full storage through the summer and winter periods at Lake Tahoe, as well as short term and daily options too, along with a full-service repair and tune-ups facility offering all kinds of services to keep your boat in perfect shape.
Boat Storage on Lake Tahoe with Homewood High & Dry Marina
Homewood High & Dry Marina is the leading name in boat storage at Lake Tahoe and offers a huge and varied range of storage services in order to suit all customers and needs. Find all the info you need below:
- Annual Storage - Those who make frequent trips to Lake Tahoe and need an annual storage solution for their boats should choose this option. Contracts run from May 1 through to April 30 of the following year. You'll get priority treatment and care from the Homewood High & Dry Marina staff and the option to choose between buoy or dry rack storage in summer. During the winter months, your boat will be kept safe in a covered indoor storage area.
- Summer Storage - Those just in need of summer storage can choose this option and have their boat looked after and safely stored from May 1 through to the end of September. You can choose between dry rack or buoy storage as desired.
- Winter Storage - Maybe you already have your boat stored safely away in the summer but need to keep it stored up with Homewood High & Dry Marina in the winter. If so, you can choose the winter package and enjoy the peace of mind that comes from knowing your boat is being kept safe in a fully secure indoor facility. Homewood High & Dry Marina even offers delivery of your boat when spring time rolls around.
- Daily and Short Term Storage - Perhaps you're only heading to Lake Tahoe for a day trip or a small vacation. If so, daily and short term storage options are available with Homewood High & Dry Marina too, and you can fill out an online inquiry form to find out more.
- Types of Storage - The two different types of storage used by Homewood High & Dry Marina in the summer are dry rack and buoy. Dry rack storage keeps your boat safe and secure in the face of Tahoe's sometimes unpredictable weather, and all boats can be accessed at any time during business hours free of charge. The staff use a forklift to access your boat and then get it out on the lake. Buoy storage is a more traditional form of storage in which your boat is stored on a buoy, with a valet service offered during business hours of Homewood High & Dry Marina to allow guests to retrieve their buoy-stored boats as needed.
- You can contact the office, which is located at 5190 West Lake Blvd, Homewood, CA 96141, by calling 530 525 5966.
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