Emerald Bay State Park

The short answer: Emerald Bay State Park is on Lake Tahoe's West Shore, on Highway 89 about 12 miles north of South Lake Tahoe and 22 miles south of Tahoe City. It is open every day from sunrise to sunset. There is no entrance gate; you pay to park. As of the 2026 season, the main Vikingsholm lot costs $10 per vehicle for the day or $3 for one hour. The famous view is free from the overlooks along the highway. Vikingsholm, the 1929 Scandinavian-style mansion at the head of the bay, is a steep one-mile walk down, with guided tours from late May to September 30. Dogs are not allowed on the trails or beaches, and Highway 89 through the bay can close in winter storms.

We manage five homes on the West Shore, two vacation rentals in Tahoma and three Homewood vacation rentals. Emerald Bay is about 10 to 12 miles south of them, roughly 20 to 25 minutes on Highway 89, so it is one of the easiest big day trips from our homes. Below is what we would tell a friend before a first visit. We checked the fees, hours and rules against California State Parks, the Sierra State Parks Foundation, the U.S. Forest Service and the Tahoe Transportation District on September 30, 2026.

Where to stay near Emerald Bay

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The closest towns to Emerald Bay on the north side are Tahoma and Homewood, and that is where our West Shore homes are. From Tahoma, the Vikingsholm lot is about 10 miles and roughly 20 minutes away; from Homewood, about 11 to 12 miles and 20 to 25 minutes. Being that close means you can be in the lot before 9 am without an early alarm. None of our West Shore homes is lakefront, and our homes do not accept pets.

One of them is the Enchanting Chamberlands Cabin in Tahoma. Some of our homes have hot tubs, which feel good after the climb out of Vikingsholm (see which). For a bigger group, see our large-group rentals, or browse all our homes.

Book direct on our site rather than on Airbnb or Vrbo. Our nightly prices on Airbnb are set 28% higher than on our own site (17% higher on Vrbo), and every home page shows the dollar saving for your dates. Read booking direct vs. Airbnb at Lake Tahoe, search your dates, or call us at (530) 317-0291.

Hot tub

Tahoma★ 4.84 out of 5 from· 139 reviews

Tranquil Trails Cabin

3 bd · 2 ba · Sleeps 6from $154 / night

Homewood★ 4.95 out of 5 from· 39 reviews

Updated West Shore Cabin 1 mile to Chambers Beach

3 bd · 2 ba · Sleeps 6from $185 / night

Tahoma★ 4.75 out of 5 from· 151 reviews

Enchanting Chamberlands Cabin

3 bd · 2 ba · Sleeps 8from $160 / night

Book direct and pay less than for the same home on Airbnb: pick dates on any home to see the difference.

Emerald Bay quick facts

Sources: Emerald Bay State Park (California State Parks), the Sierra State Parks Foundation for tours, and the Forest Service Eagle Falls page. State Parks says special rates may apply at peak times and prices can change without notice, so check before you go.

Is Emerald Bay State Park open? Hours and seasons

The park is open all year, from sunrise to sunset. What changes with the season is what's running once you get there.

• Late May to September 30: Vikingsholm tours and the visitor center are open, kayak rentals run at the beach, and restrooms at lake level are serviced.
• October to May: you can still walk down to Vikingsholm and the beach, but there are no tours, no services and no drinking water. Restrooms at the bottom stay open year-round, according to State Parks.
• Winter: snow and ice make the trail hazardous, and Caltrans closes Highway 89 through Emerald Bay during and after some storms. Check Caltrans QuickMap before you drive.

Where things stand on September 30, 2026: Vikingsholm tours end for the year today. Eagle Point Campground and the Boat-in Camp are closed for the 2026 season; hikers can still walk into Eagle Point to reach the south end of the Rubicon Trail, with no services. The Rubicon Trail is open.

Emerald Bay State Park entrance fee and parking

There is no entrance station and no per-person fee. You pay for the parking lot you use. This is where most first-time visitors get confused, because the lots belong to two different agencies.

• How to pay: the State Parks machine takes a credit card or exact cash. Put the receipt on your dashboard.
• Your receipt works elsewhere that day. A California State Parks day-use receipt is good at any California state park on the same date, so you can use it at D.L. Bliss or Sugar Pine Point on the way home. A State Parks annual pass (including the Tahoe Regional Annual Pass) is accepted. Federal passes are not.
• Size limits: the Vikingsholm lot takes vehicles up to 18 feet and no trailers.
• When to arrive: State Parks recommends coming before 9 am or after 3 pm and avoiding weekends. In peak season the lot may be gated when it is full.
• Don't park on Highway 89. Illegally parked cars are towed, and parking rules here are strictly enforced. Lock your car and don't leave valuables in it.
• Fees may change at Eagle Falls. In July 2026 the Forest Service proposed raising the Eagle Falls fee from $5 to $10 per vehicle (later $15). The public comment period closed September 29, 2026, and no decision had been announced when we checked. See the Forest Service fee proposal.

Getting there from the West Shore, South Lake and Tahoe City

Highway 89 is the only road into Emerald Bay. It runs along the lake from Tahoe City in the north to South Lake Tahoe in the south, and the stretch above the bay is narrow and winding, with steep drop-offs.

• From Tahoma: about 10 miles south, roughly 20 minutes, past Meeks Bay and D.L. Bliss State Park.
• From Homewood: about 11 to 12 miles, roughly 20 to 25 minutes.
• From Tahoe City: 22 miles south, according to State Parks; allow 40 minutes or more in summer traffic.
• From South Lake Tahoe: 12 miles north on Highway 89 past Camp Richardson.
• From Incline Village or Kings Beach: drive around the north end of the lake through Tahoe City and down the West Shore; plan on about an hour or more.

Search for "Vikingsholm parking" or "Emerald Bay overlook" in your map app instead of just "Emerald Bay State Park," which can send you to the wrong entrance. Cell reception around the bay is unreliable, so load your directions before you leave.

The Emerald Bay shuttle

In summer the Tahoe Transportation District runs a reservable Emerald Bay shuttle to the Eagle Falls trailhead, one route from Sugar Pine Point State Park on the West Shore and one from the South Y Transit Center and Camp Richardson. In 2026 it ran from mid-June through Labor Day, about every 30 minutes, for $5 one way or $10 round trip ($2.50 or $5 reduced fare). It has finished for the year, and the district says to check back for summer 2027 dates. From our Tahoma homes, the Sugar Pine Point stop is a few minutes' drive, and taking the shuttle skips the parking hunt entirely.

Why Emerald Bay is famous

Emerald Bay is a narrow bay carved by glaciers, with steep granite walls, blue-green water and Fannette Island near its mouth. The National Park Service designated it a National Natural Landmark in 1968. At the head of the bay sits Vikingsholm, built in 1928–1929 for Lora Josephine Knight, who bought the head of the bay and Fannette Island in 1928 for $250,000, according to State Parks. The combination of the view, the island and the house makes it one of the most photographed places on the lake. The bay also has a protected underwater area with a Maritime Heritage Trail for divers, according to State Parks.

Visiting Vikingsholm

Vikingsholm is a Scandinavian-style summer home built with granite quarried behind the house and timbers cut in the Tahoe Basin. Some sections contain no nails, pegs or spikes, and the north and south wings have sod roofs. You can walk down and see the outside any time of year. The inside is open only on guided tours.

• 2026 tour season: daily May 23 to September 30, 2026, 10:30 am to 4 pm, every half hour, with no 12:30 pm tour. Tours last about 30 minutes and are first come, first served.
• 2026 prices: $18 adults; $15 for students 7–17, seniors, active-duty military and college ID holders; free for children 6 and under.
• Tickets: at the visitor center just past Vikingsholm, open 10 am to 4:30 pm in tour season.
• 2027: tours usually start again on Memorial Day weekend. Check the Sierra State Parks Foundation for dates and prices.

For the full story of the house, its builders and the tour, see our Vikingsholm Castle guide.

The best hikes in and around Emerald Bay

Vikingsholm Trail

This is the one-mile trail from the Vikingsholm lot down to the house and the beach. It is steep. The walk down is easy; the walk back is a climb of roughly 400 to 500 feet at about 6,800 feet, and State Parks warns that there are no rides out. Lower Eagle Falls is a quarter mile behind the visitor center at the bottom.

Rubicon Trail

The Rubicon Trail follows the shoreline from D.L. Bliss State Park around Emerald Bay to Eagle Point, 7.4 miles in all. State Parks lists four access points: the Rubicon Trailhead at Calawee Cove in D.L. Bliss, the Lighthouse Trailhead 1.3 miles south, Vikingsholm at 5.7 miles (reached by the steep one-mile trail from the lot), and Eagle Point Campground at 7.4 miles. It is moderate to strenuous, with no dogs, bikes or fires, and it is very busy in summer. From Tahoma or Homewood, a good plan is to start at D.L. Bliss and walk south as far as you like before turning back.

Eagle Falls and Eagle Lake

This trail starts at the Forest Service Eagle Falls lot on the uphill side of Highway 89, at about 7,100 feet. It reaches the upper falls and a footbridge in a short climb, then continues about a mile from the trailhead to Eagle Lake inside Desolation Wilderness. Day hikers into the wilderness fill out a free self-issue permit at the trailhead. Leashed dogs are allowed. The lot has restrooms in season but no drinking water, and the Forest Service warns it can be extremely crowded on weekends.

Bayview Trail and Cascade Falls

The Bayview trailhead is across the highway from Inspiration Point. The short walk to Cascade Falls, above Cascade Lake, is a good alternative when Eagle Falls is packed, and the longer climb continues into Desolation Wilderness toward Granite Lake. Leashed dogs are allowed on this Forest Service trail. The lot is small and fills early.

Fannette Island and the Tea House

Fannette Island is the only island in Lake Tahoe. Lora Knight built a small stone tea house on its summit, though the Sierra State Parks Foundation notes that, contrary to many stories, she rarely used it. The roof, door and windows are long gone, and what's left is a stone shell with a fireplace.

• Getting there: only by boat, kayak or paddleboard. There is no public boat launch inside Emerald Bay.
• Closures: State Parks closes the island in April and May for wildlife breeding.
• No swimming to the island. Boat traffic in the bay makes it dangerous, and State Parks prohibits it.
• Clean, drain and dry any kayak or paddleboard you bring, to keep invasive species out of the lake.

Boat tours and kayak rentals

• Kayak rentals in the bay: Kayak Tahoe rents kayaks at the beach in summer, first come, first served, about 10 am to 5 pm. You still have to hike down to reach them, and State Parks suggests calling ahead if the forecast is windy.
• Cruises: the M.S. Dixie II paddlewheeler runs a narrated scenic cruise of about two and a quarter hours from Zephyr Cove on the Nevada side into Emerald Bay. Check Zephyr Cove for the current schedule and prices.
• Tours by water: in tour season, the Sierra State Parks Foundation partners with Action Water Sports and Cruise Tahoe on boat trips that include a Vikingsholm tour, which skips the hike.

Where to take the photo

• The Vikingsholm lot overlook: the view right from the parking area is one of the best, and it is the one place dogs are allowed.
• Inspiration Point: a vista point on Highway 89 south of the Vikingsholm lot with the wide shot of the whole bay and Fannette Island.
• From the water: a kayak near Fannette Island gives the angle most visitors never get.

Morning light and calm water make the best color. Afternoon wind often ruffles the bay. Drones are not allowed anywhere in the park.

Dogs, drones and other rules

• No dogs on any trail, road or beach going down into the bay, at Vikingsholm, on the Rubicon Trail or on Fannette Island. They are allowed on boats and at the parking-lot overlook. State Parks enforces this year-round and asks visitors not to leave dogs in cars.
• No drones, no fires and no smoking.
• No bikes or motors on the trails.
• No camping outside the designated campgrounds, and no overnight parking in the Vikingsholm lot, even with a wilderness permit or a Boat Camp reservation.
• Bears are active here. Never leave food in a car or unattended on the beach.

Best time to visit Emerald Bay

• June to August: everything is open and the water is at its warmest, but the lots fill early. Arrive before 9 am or after 3 pm.
• September: our favorite month. Tours run through September 30, the crowds thin after Labor Day, and the weather is usually settled.
• May: the waterfalls run hardest with snowmelt, but Fannette Island is closed and services may not be fully open.
• October to April: quiet and beautiful, with no services, and the road can close in storms. See our winter guide and best time to visit Lake Tahoe.

What to bring

• A card or exact cash for parking
• More water than you think you need for the climb back up
• Good walking shoes; the Vikingsholm trail is steep and can be icy in the off-season
• Layers; mornings at 6,800 feet are cool even in July
• Snacks, especially if you are coming from sea level
• Your directions downloaded, since cell service is spotty
• A trash bag; pack out everything you bring

A sample Emerald Bay day from Tahoma or Homewood

1. 7:30 am: coffee and breakfast sandwiches in Tahoma (see our Tahoma restaurants guide), then drive about 20 minutes south.
2. 8:15 am: park at the Vikingsholm lot before it fills, take the photo from the overlook, and walk down to the bay.
3. 9 am to noon: walk part of the Rubicon Trail north along the shore, or rent a kayak in season and paddle toward Fannette Island. In tour season, join a Vikingsholm tour.
4. 12:30 pm: climb back up and cross the highway for the short walk to Eagle Falls (separate Forest Service lot), or head north for a swim at Meeks Bay.
5. Evening: back at the house, or a swim and sunset at Chambers Landing.

Take away

Emerald Bay State Park is open sunrise to sunset all year. Parking at the Vikingsholm lot is $10 a day or $3 an hour, the overlook view costs nothing extra, and the one-mile walk down to Vikingsholm is steep on the way back. Leave the dog at home for the bay itself, arrive before 9 am in summer, and check Caltrans before a winter drive. For more ideas along the lake, see things to do in Lake Tahoe and our Lake Tahoe beaches guide.