This was a great spot to launch our paddleboards from! Very short walk from the parking lot to the water, and a scenic 3 mile paddle to Emerald Bay. Honestly once we reached Emerald Bay we both agreed we enjoyed the views from Baldwin Beach and the surrounding area more. We arrived around 8:30am on a late August Friday morning and there was plenty of parking left. The parking fee was $12 and allowed return privileges as well as access to Pope Beach and Kiva Beach. We came back in the evening around 6pm and there was still a decent amount of parking left. The parking lot to the left has closer water access while the parking lot to the right had less people/crowds. I recommend coming early because there are so many boats, jet skis, and motorized vehicles on the lake that makes it difficult to paddle. They blast music and speed back and forth not too far from shore :( read more

Baldwin Beach - Beaches Near Me - South Lake Tahoe, California

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My family and I visited Baldwin Beach in early July. We arrived somewhat early at around noon, and found that there were a few people already at the beach - but not to the point that it was overwhelming. Overall it was a beautiful beach with incredible views of the snow capped mountains surrounding Lake Tahoe. I would advise that you come prepared with your own beach chairs and cooler with food and drinks; as these aren't available to rent or purchase on the beach. Super crystal clear and clean water, which you are sharing with geese ! Overall this was a very family friendly beach - and one which we thoroughly enjoyed. read more

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Beautiful beach! The back drop of the mountains at this spot is gorgeous! We even saw snow at the top of the mountains in the background in mid July. The beach was clean. The day we were there it was really busy so parking was tricky. However, there was lots of parking there (it just happened to be a very busy weekend). There was parking there and across the street. We ended up finding a spot across the street. Definitely a beautiful place to spend an afternoon. read more

Baldwin Beach - Love this view - Beaches Near Me - South Lake Tahoe, California

To beat the July heat the Sunday, we headed to Baldwin Beach around 5:30pm and stayed until sunset. It was perfect. The crowd started to leave around 6:30-7pm and it felt as if we were the only one there. Such a beautiful and relaxing beach. Upon entering, it was $10 to park our car. There's only so many stalls so the person at the gate stated there may be only 5 spots left. We pulled up and there was a parking spot right at the walkway to the beach. It was a short 2-3mins walk from our car to where we wanted to sit. We had a few foldable lawn chairs with us. No issues at this time to find a spot right at the water. It was a shame that ppl do not pick up after themselves. A nice young guy was picking up trash that was left. Worth the drive. Such a nice and relaxing evening before the weeks starts. read more

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Off season visit. Dropped by simply because I've passed by it so many times and decided to check it out...it looks inviting from the highway above. I'm guessing from the setup...large grounds, good amount of parking, trails, bike paths, sandy beach, picnic tables...that it probably remains a busy spot during the season. But right now, although a handful of people were using the grounds, it was quite serene. Definitely looks like a good spot for a group or individual to spend a few hours enjoying another lovely stretch of Tahoe waterfront. read more

Baldwin Beach - Baldwin Beach - Beaches Near Me - South Lake Tahoe, California

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Extremely rude staff at front entrance including the supervisor. 0 out of 10. Work on your customer service. Being a perk doesn't fit the job description. read more

I first came to Baldwin Beach in the summer for my bachelorette. During the summertime, it can get quite crowded and parking can be quite challenging. If you don't get a spot in the lot closest to the beach, be prepared to walk quite a distance. In the off-season, although the parking lot is closed, it's quite enjoyable, to come down and enjoy the peace and serenity of the beach without all of the tourists. It is more of a rocky-sandy beach than smooth sand, but nonetheless a beautiful spot to take in all that Tahoe has to offer. read more

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$10/vehicle to access this beautiful beach half hour away from busy South Lake Tahoe. The view of Mt. Tallac from here is fantastic, as the trailhead to this gorgeous peak is only a few hundred yards away. Great view of every "corner" of the lake as well. The water is not as shallow as at Pope Beach, so keep this in mind if you're going with a young toddler (if he/she is willing to get over the cold water). Restrooms available, but no showers, sprinkles of other facilities. Kayaks available. I liked it more than Pope Beach, both in terms of raw beauty of the place and the fact that it was MUCH less crowded (not even close). read more

We saw this beach last year while we were jet skiing. Chanced upon it today with the kids and loved the beach! Sand is so beautiful. Water is cold as expected in June. There were geese and some boats that accompanied our stay; not much boats due to windy weather. Be prepared to pay $10 cash or credit. read more

Baldwin Beach - Beaches Near Me - South Lake Tahoe, California

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Pretty great beach! Some friends of mine love to kayak up here and they had invited my boyfriend and I to go up with them one weekend. It is worth it to get up at zero-dark thirty to make it to the beach by 8am. As it opens, parking fills up QUICK. It was $10 and there is someone there to collect the fee. I think it is worth it to go early to get closer parking. This beach does fill up but it isn't busy on the beach, if that makes sense... My friends were kind enough to let us know that this beach really doesn't have any shade. In the afternoon, it did get pretty windy and we saw a couple beach umbrellas take off. When you go, try to take a shelter for shade but be prepared to anchor that sucker. The beach sand was a little rough. As I've gotten older, my feet have become more and more sensitive. As the sand got into my sandals, I started have some serious pain. I think water shoes would've been the way to go up here. The beach sand also holds heat well and it'll be hot, hot, hot on your feet. There is a place where you can rent kayaks and stand up paddle boards if you keep going East on the beach. You can find more info at https://kayaktahoe.com/#rates . We did a standup paddle board each for 2 hours. A 2-hour rental was $45 each. Definitely a well spent $45! I had never tried paddle boarding before. I sat on mine for 1.5 hours and then got some courage and tried to stand up the rest of the time. It was really fun! Not sure I would rent again but I'm glad I tried it. This beach was really awesome! It sure could use a boardwalk to you don't have to walk on the rough sand the whole time. Overall, I would go back here. It was a really nice beach. Very clean. My friends and I left our important belongings on the beach and no one bothered them. It is more of a family beach and you got the feeling people would look out for your things. 8/10 recommend read more

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It was so closed to our camp site and water was not too deep. Parking is limited so you may have to park across the street or along the street and walk there. No shade no table. Niceeeee view out there and love that there arent many small pebbles in the sand read more

This is such a lovely beach in S Lake area. The best part is that the sand is soft whereas the camp Richardson beach on the right is very rocky to enter. Parking is $10 for day pass and it's valid at several other locations (Meeks & a few others I can't remember). You can also buy a seasonal pass for $80. However, on weekends, it is challenging to get a parking spot so you have to either arrive early or plan on walking. If you park along the road and walk, it's maybe a half mile walk from the parking station to the beach. My partner and I actually really enjoy the walk since it's nice and scenic. It probably goes without saying but there isn't any shade so bring your own. They have kayak rentals right at the main beach entrance. read more

Beautiful, clean, excellent beach in South Tahoe. No docks nearby so you feel much more isolated and part of the grand nature of Tahoe. We came on a Monday in August at 11am and the parking lot was about half full. There are maybe 40 spots total. The parking lot is maybe 100 feet from the water. There are flush restrooms at the parking lot and they are very clean. The beach has very coarse sand, so it's easy to clean your stuff! The water here gets deeper a little more quickly than other beaches like El Dorado or Camp Richardson where a toddler could wade out for several hundred feet; here at Baldwin, for an adult, it gets to waist deep maybe 30-50 feet from the shore. Swimming here is so pleasant; the water is so clear and you can see the bottom even when it is 5 feet deep. I swam about a quarter of a mile just going parallel to the shore. There are no docks to disrupt your view of the lake. There are some boats tied off the shore a few hundred feet to the west, and a mile or two away to the east you can see a much more busy dock, possibly Camp Richardson. Boats/jet skiers can be seen driving by several hundred feet from shore. Lots of kayakers/stand up paddlers in the swimming area. read more

The water is gorgeous-- clear, blue, and refreshingly cold. My family visited during Memorial Day weekend and enjoyed people-watching on the beach. Pros: Bathroom nearby! Beautiful views. Easy parking. Negative: -Tons of huge ants. They don't bite (I think), but they'll find their way into your bags and clothes. We couldn't lay down for too long without feeling something crawling on us. -SO CROWDED. The idyllic photos online were probably taken during a regular weekend. When we visited, Baldwin Beach looked just like the Santa Cruz Boardwalk (yech). -I recommend water shoes, because the sand is sharp. Extremely coarse grains that could probably cut your feet if you step a little too hard. -Little to no shade anywhere. Not even trees. Only shrubs! -Over half of the public restroom stalls were out of order. LOL -Tons of boats IMO, summer in Lake Tahoe is for water sports, not beaches. Really can't compare the beach experience here to the ones in Socal. read more

Beautiful Beach and easy access with bicycle rentals. Have benchs where you can sit and enjoy the view.

This is a great spot to just chill on the shores of South Lake Tahoe! I think out of all the beach spots in the area, this one is probably my favorite, as there are less people and more space. It was a nice break from the larger crowds on Zephyr or the Keys. Dog friendly, so it's a good place to take your pet if you have one. An even better spot for doggo-watching! I loved seeing all the different kinds of dogs at this beach, and most of them are friendly and well-trained. Super chill vibe at this beach if you're looking for something low-key and less intense. read more

Really nice beach with beautiful mountain backdrop views we keep returning to. Close enough to the action of South Lake Tahoe, clean, good parking, adequate restrooms, picnic tables, and a foot washing station are among some of the provisions. read more

We paid $10 to gain access to a handful of beaches, however, we only went to Baldwin... but not Baldwin that is more west as it had too much goose poop everywhere. See pic of map for a better spot. Because it was raining earlier in the day and cleared up by 4pm, we had the entire beach to ourselves the last hour we were there. There was construction going on next to the parking lot and it looked like there had been a fire as there weren't a lot of trees around. Not sure if it was a natural fire or what. In any case, the only cons were that the sand is really course and hurts to walk on. We launched our paddle boards and carrying them was a bit hard on the skin bc pieces of sand that are on your board will rub against you as you walk with it when you get out of the lake. there is a bathroom in the parking lot which is nice. There was also a bathroom at the goose poop area parking lot as well. read more

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We came to this beach with our own kayak to kayak to and around emerald bay. We arrived around 8:30 and paid the $8 parking fee (cash only) and there was plenty of parking. We unloaded and launched straight from the beach. There are tons of bees and yellow jackets around this area which sucks! I'm one of those people who tries to avoid at all costs, if you are allergic to bees I wouldn't come here. The ride from Baldwin to emerald bay wasn't too bad, there was definitely a lot of waves from all the boats but this is also a busy holiday weekend. We were lucky enough to see some bald eagles in emerald bay and brought some sandwiches to enjoy on the water. We spent around 4 hours here. When we left, the beach was full and the line to enter the parking area was insane! They had a sign out that said it could be up to an hour wait, so get here early! I would recommend this beach if you are looking to launch your own paddle board or kayak and cruise around emerald bay! read more

Baldwin Beach - Get here early!! When we arrived at 8:30 there was tons of parking, 4 hours later the line was insane! - Beaches Near Me - South Lake Tahoe, California

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Arrived at 9:30am on Saturday, parking limited available. Grabbed a bench near the beach, set up with umbrellas. Was surprised the beach not allowed charcoal grill, fortunately with ice cooler the raw meat didn't go bad. Water so clean, a little bit cold in the morning. Around 11:30 saw more people walking in, guessing no parking so they parked outside. Glad we arrived early. Left there before 1pm, three spots traffics within 5 miles about 8 minutes each, back Sacramento around 3:15pm. read more

Baldwin Beach - Beaches Near Me - South Lake Tahoe, California

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Great beach. Clear water. Great views. However the sand is not soft but comprises of sharp pebbles so make sure that your kids are wearing beach sandals. Also I hate the idea of letting such a large number of unruly lightly regulated rogue boaters on this lake. I wish that there was a policy to limit the total number of boaters to a very small number. It would be perfect if they could ban all motorized boats on this lake. Specially during long weekends the drunk boaters were clearly a danger to beach going swimmers and snorkelers (as the boats got too close) as well as to other boaters. read more

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Enjoyed a relaxing afternoon on this beach for the 4th of July. Parking was $20 fee for the day- may have been higher for the holiday? Parking was full anyways so we parked across the street from entrance road for free. It was less than 1/2 mile walk to the beach. Glad we walked and saved the cash! The beach was pretty packed for the 4th, but honestly seemed the least congested compared to all the other beaches we drove by on Tahoe. It's a little farther away from South Tahoe--I think the farther away from the main attractions--the better off you are. Kayaks and stand up paddle boards were being rented- it seemed like this happened all the time. The staff were friendly! A park ranger even walked by and collected some of our trash. The beach seemed very clean. The sand was nice for easily wading into the water. Great spot to relax at Lake Tahoe! read more

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To enjoy this beach, you need to be prepared. If we hadn't been prepared, it could have been a miserable time. We originally planned on going to Pope Beach, but it's notorious for being crowded, and in these times of covid, we decided to play it safe and go to a less popular beach. Baldwin Beach gets hot. Hot hot hot. There's no shade on the beach. There are some trees further back behind the ponds of water with picnic tables underneath, but your view of the lake will be obstructed by the shrubs near the ponds. We got to Baldwin Beach at 10am. The entrance fee was $10 per car. Parking was easy at this time. We grabbed our stuff and set up on one of the picnic benches on the beach. Bring lots of shade and sunscreen. We brought a pop up shade for the picnic table, a pop up tent for closer to the water, and an umbrella. Also, bring chairs or beach blankets. The sand is hot. Our beach ball rolled away and the sand was burning my feet because I went to get it without my flip flops. Oops. The water doesn't seem as cold as the other beaches. Either the sun warms it up quick or the sun is burning you up so cold water feels amazing, unsure which lol. Just make sure to lather on the sunscreen. I apparently missed a spot on my leg and had a big red, tender burn the next day. Considering covid, it was great! Our nearest neighbors on both sides were at least 20 feet away. We didn't come within 6 feet of anyone at any time. Not even in the parking lot. We left around 12:30pm and there was a long line getting into the parking lot. They let one car in when one leaves. Just get there before 10 and you should be fine. read more

Beautiful and clean! Extremely nice staff, both at the entrance and maintaining the grounds! Perfect area for kayaking or non motorized water sports as the water is right next to the parking and the mountains give great cover from the wind! $8 for day use, 2 small parking areas, clean restrooms with running water. read more

Baldwin Beach - Beaches Near Me - South Lake Tahoe, California

This beach is absolutely gorgeous. Totally worth the time! It's relaxing & the perfect place to lay out and absorb some sun! To get into the park it only costs $10 and the pass can be used at other parks/beaches near by. GO! You won't regret it. read more

Baldwin Beach - Beaches Near Me - South Lake Tahoe, California

Only giving a low star rating because visit Tahoe website lists as a dog friendly beach. It is indeed not go to Kivia beach which is before Baldwin. Dog friendly but remember dog friendly DOES NOT mean off leash. Leash your dogs and pick up after them, don't ruin more beach access for pets. read more

My husband and I brought our daughter here for her 2nd birthday. The weather was nice, a bit windy. The water was a little cold but with the sun right in your face, the water felt nice. I'm only docking two stars for the parking system and how they allowed so many cars in with no parking available for the beach. There should be a better system to track how many parking spots are available or if one/all of the lots are full BEFORE someone pays to park inside. The other star was docked because one of the young teenage workers was incredibly rude to my family but we wanted to enjoy our day for our daughters sake. Bathroom was a little dirty and there weren't any toilet seat covers so a bit unsanitary however as someone who squats on the regular it wasn't too much of a hassle. read more

Baldwin Beach - My daughter enjoying her 2nd birthday at Baldwin Beach in South Lake Tahoe, CA. July 9, 2020 - Beaches Near Me - South Lake Tahoe, California

My favorite beach in lake Tahoe! The sand is my favorite! Theres no rocks! There's also bathrooms so thats a plus. The water is beautiful and clear as always :) read more

Baldwin Beach - So pretty :) - Beaches Near Me - South Lake Tahoe, California

Our visit to this beach today was a pleasure. Sure we waited to get inside but as a car left they let one in. Once inside we found a great sandy spot by the lake and spread out. We rented a kayak and paddled back and forth and into the lagoon. The water is clean and refreshing, make sure you bring: Chairs, umbrellas, sunscreen, sandals, water The restroom is nearby and clean. The cove and views are stunning. The parking was nice and easy. The crowd was nice and we had a really fun day playing in the water. Highly recommended! read more

Cleanest beach in lake Tahoe I this is my favorite beach and I really love it it's a little far but its definitely think that its worth it and there's also a bike path going to it and I find that really nice read more

Super nice beach! Not much shade but there were a few table out so you need to get there early if you want one. Didn't start to get crowded until about 12. The only bummer was it's cash only to get in and I never carry cash! Luckily my wife saved the day! read more

Baldwin Beach - Baldwin beach - Beaches Near Me - South Lake Tahoe, California

This is mid July at 1pm. You get stuck in traffic and drive past these other popular beach spots and get here. There is street parking, but make sure you can park there without getting a ticket! If you park on the street, it's about a 10 minute walk to the actual beach area. The walk was very serene. It felt like you're entering somewhere private and the beach is tucked all the way inside these hedges of bushes and thick greenery. We saw little baby pine trees, so cute! If you decide to drive and park near the beach, the entrance charges you a fee per car. The sand is pretty coarse. You should wear footwear unless you can withstand such gritty large granules of sand. Nonetheless, the view is beautiful, turquoise and clean freshwater. I believe it is the closest beach that you can kayak to Emerald Bay. The beach was not crowded at all. If that is one reason you need to come, this would be it. They have clean restrooms. There are kayak and SUP rentals on the beach. We kayaked 2 hrs round trip and just got to the entrance of the Emerald Bay. There was wind draft and so we did get a bit of resistance during our kayak. The whole experience was so beautiful and the water was pristinely clean and clear! Next time, I'm coming back to kayak all the way there! We didn't experience any bees that another review had mentioned. It was pretty hot and windy that day. read more

$7.00 for parking. No dogs unfortunately. Very easy access to the beach, especially if you are bringing your own paddleboards, kayaks or outriggers. We launched from Baldwin Beach for our paddle out to Emerald Bay. Unlike Pope Beach, this one has less foliage / tree cover. read more

Always love coming here, but unfortunately there are a lot of gas powered boats that anchor at the north end. This is a non-motorized boat area and it bothers EVERYONE on the beach that these boats drive near swimmers and will tie up clothes- line style obstructing the beach so you can't walk through. Also obstructs the view. Today a very large party (obviously not social distancing) came with their power boat and huge Trump signs and loud music. Another boat came into the swimming area so we asked them to move. Soon after, the kids and other people got to swim to the post. The sheriffs came on their normal rounds and spoke with them about their music and line they needed to anchor differently. The sheriffs were all POC which I couldn't have planned better myself, I literally wished for it and it happened. After a while the two boats of people started calling us "Karens" which is weird since we did them a favor by telling them to move out of the swimming area before the law enforcement came. They're the ones with the Trump flags and country music and uhhh I'm not white, I'm pretty sure a "Karen" is a privileged white (and racist) person. They also called us "beach nazis" which makes it even more hilarious. Yes, cuss in front of your children and teach them to ignore safety rules, great job. We are a mixed race family trying to enjoy our own holiday. Anyway, the people near us were grateful since the Trump signs also made them uncomfortable and we all paid to park here. read more

One of the most beautiful beaches I've been to. The water is amazingly clear. You can walk out into the water which is a little cold and about 25 yards water will be only waist deep. The beach was clean with views of the sierra mountains surrounding us was just amazing. Park your car next to the beach they charge 8 dollars but it's worth it. Lake Tahoe is truly beautiful. read more

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Great beach, perfect for kayaking, paddling or swimming. Make sure you get there before 10am.

We love Kiva beach since it's free but, since we were going to spend more than a few hours we needed restrooms! Nice, clean beach with several picnic benches. Gets crowded later, but that wasn't a problem for us since we arrived around 10 a.m. read more

Baldwin Beach - Beaches Near Me - South Lake Tahoe, California

I am absolutely baffled by the positive reviews of this beach. We have a house in south lake and spend about 40% of our time here. We usually stick to pope beach but decided to try Baldwin because we can get our boat close to shore. I've never had a less enjoyable time at the beach. Two words: bee swarms. The whole length of the beach. They swarm when you arrive and they keep swarming until you leave. They swarm when you eat, they swarm when you don't eat, they swarm when you apply sunscreen, they swarm when you wear sunscreen. They swarm on the beach and in the water. I've been here for about two hours now and there hasn't been 10 seconds of peace. DO NOT COME HERE IF YOU ARE ALLERGIC TO BEES. I've honestly never seen anything like this. read more

One of my friends highly recommended this beach so we had to check it out before leaving Tahoe. It was beautiful & hardly anyone there. Had clean restrooms, clean beach. Bbq area picnic tables & a few benches. Tons of beach to explore. Great place to bring your family. read more

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I was in Lake Tahoe this past week for a wedding and decided to make the most out of my trip. Woke up early to head out to Baldwin for a quick run on the boats before attending the wedding. Gorgeous beach!! By far one of the cleanest recreation beaches I've visited. Parking is close and convenient, restrooms are clean, and the views are absolutely breathtaking. The staff are all also very friendly and accommodating. Best 3 hours spent on the trip! read more

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