Ample Parking, multiple bathrooms, shower washing/rinse area, shallow beach area, benches, tables and trees either shade? Perfection for a beach day for friends, family and kids, except when theres a random thunderstorm of gumball sized hail. The beach is fantastic with tall trees providing much needed shade. The waves are calm and if you're lucky you can secure a table and/bench. Loads of people pack in here like sardines on the weekend so get in where you fit in because when the suns out, the funs out! read more

Pope Beach Day Use Area - Beaches Near Me - Camp Richardson, California

Want to check out Lake Tahoe and see the actual lake? You can visit Pope Beach, which is open from Memorial Day weekend through October. Pope Beach is one of several beaches located on National Forest land. When my husband and I came for a visit 2 Wednesdays ago (in March), it is during the off peak season. It has gated access for cars, in which it cost $10 (but prices increase during July 4th weekend). But we ended up parking along State Highway 89 (among other cars) and walked on the bike trail over to the beach. Unfortunately dogs are not allowed. It was nice to be able to visit this beach when it was not crowded and just watch the water (which looks to be really clean). The beach itself was very clean and this beach allows for you to swim, kayak, canoe or paddleboard. The beach does have public restrooms. There were also picnic tables and plenty of shade from the trees. Definitely a place to consider when you come to Lake Tahoe in the warmer months if you are looking for a little lake/ beach fun. read more

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Beach was very nice with pine trees along the beach provided much needed shade in the summer. The sand though was not the cleanest with feathers, pine needles, and pine cones- every once in a while hurts the feet - but what do you expect for a beach in mountains. Go early to get parking- fills up early in the summer. read more

I spent some time on the lake with my family this weekend and it was so worth it. The weather was perfect! Personally I haven't been this far out on the lake leisurely since my oldest was a tot. Scratch that we camped at Fallen leaf since then, but my youngest wasn't born yet. It was his first time hanging. My in-laws had a family cabin nearby and we'd pass the time on their dock catching rays and playing in the water until almost sunset daily. We decided to come hangout at Pope beach and my little loved it. It was the perfect way to end our weekend and for them to return to school. $12 day fee, well maintained restrooms. The trees offer decent shade and I don't recall there being so little beach since I was last here, but I love that we could off load and be so close to the water. I can't wait to come back and camp soon or spend the day lakeside here. read more

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Pope Beach can be very crowded during the Summer high season, but I was there on 10/4/25 and it was lovely. The entrance fee per car is $10, but if you walk or ride your bike in, it's free. I never expected the parking lot to be so big, but it's huge. There are also bathrooms that are kept really clean and an outdoor shower to rinse off sand. Unfortunately, there are no dogs or Charcoal Grills allowed (Propane is o.k.) I also spotted picnic tables and a few benches. This place is so beautiful and relaxing, I could bring supplies for an all-day lake day, but very easily just come to read or enjoy the view for a while. read more

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Little crowded little touristy and will cost you $12 to park but it's still Lake Tahoe! read more

Pope Beach Day Use Area - Pope Beach - Beaches Near Me - Camp Richardson, California

$12 for parking today. What went well? The weather. Beautiful, sunny day kept the lot full. Which meant a ton of folks. But folks dressed for summer because it was indeed, summer-like. Would return here happily if the weather held like this. Not too hot but warm enough to feel comfortable fully submerged in Lake Tahoe. read more

Beautiful serene location, surrounded with lots of pine trees that provided lots of shade- just what we needed because we did not pack an umbrella with us. We arrived early enough and we loved the peaceful view because there was nobody sitting at the table next to us or crowding us on the sand, but eventually more people started to show up and crowd our personal space of calmness. So definitely arrive earlier and enjoy the calmness of it all before the crowds rush in! The shade was perfect enough that we didn't need an umbrella after all but because it is pine trees, there were so many pine needles in the sand. I enjoy being barefoot on the sand but those pesky needles kept stabbing my soles- that's the beauty of nature though! We were also visited by lots and lots of geese, nonstop during our stay! So make sure all snack items are perfectly secure when heading out to the water, because they room freely and walk right up to you looking for food. So I don't doubt that they will go through personal items to get to the snacks if not secured properly read more

Pope Beach Day Use Area - Beaches Near Me - Camp Richardson, California

So good to be back in the old neighborhood. Quality/Quantity - Nice easy bike ride from the old neighborhood. We prefer the paid beaches as there are less people. Not too crowded today. Everyone on the beach seemed to be having a good time. Atmosphere - Cut and pasted from their website: "Pope Beach is located on National Forest land and is approximately three-quarter miles long with a sandy beach, excellent swimming and picnicking opportunities and incredible views of Lake Tahoe and the surrounding Sierra Nevada. Kayak rentals and a food concession are available on site." Accessibility. Food Concessions. Paddleboard/Kayak Rentals. Parking/Day-use Fee ($10 per vehicle) . Picnic Tables. Public Bathrooms - No soap or paper towels... Public Transit Nearby. Shade Available. Watertrail Trailhead. Grills = Gas only to reduce fires. Swim = Cold waters. No dogs allowed. Fishing = Need license, CA or NV. Service - N/A. Price - Free for us as we rode our bikes to the beach. Owner Comments - Thank you Forest Service for maintaining this beach. read more

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the parking lot is right in front of the beach making it very convenient to transfer our belongings from car to beach. parking was $12 if i'm not mistaken. i wasn't so upset because of the closeness of the parking to beach. the bathroom facilities were as clean as they can be (just the usual sand trickling in). def need sandals here, lots of twig residue fallen on the beach from the trees. also helps with the hot, gravel-ly sand. we had so much fun though! we set up our blanket and towels right in front of the water, we got there like 12p on saturday. we saw plenty of parking and space on the beach during the timeframe we were there (~12-2p). water felt good enough for 84° weather, cold at first but with the heat, we got used it to eventually and it felt good when we got used to the water temp read more

Pope Beach Day Use Area - shoreline - Beaches Near Me - Camp Richardson, California

There are so many beaches in the area, it was hard to choose where to spend our Sunday afternoon this past weekend. I'm glad we chose this spot, as it gave us the option of sitting under the shade of the many pine trees lining the beach, with picnic benches scattered throughout as well, or to lay our mat on the soft and smooth sand under the warmth of the sunshine (ideal for this day with such confused weather). We basked in the sun, relaxing and admiring the scenery as well as the many geese waddling around on the sand, sometimes getting up close to beachgoers, but also minding their own business. The view of the clear blue-green water with the snow-capped mountains in the background was mesmerizing, and my bf went swimming in the lake and noted the pleasant temperature of the water as well. Kayak rentals were available on the beach, and lots of boats could be seen in the water (kayaks, motorboats, and even sailboats in the distance). The $10 parking fee was totally worth the convenience of parking right along the beach, and the day parking pass can also be used at other nearby beaches. With so much space, plenty of shade, and other amenities, this is a pretty ideal beach for families, couples, or anyone (except dogs, cuz they're not allowed here). read more

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Such a nice beach. We got here around 9 and it was already getting busy. It does cost $10 to get in but it's totally worth it since the parking lot is near the beach. Lots of trees for possible shade. Bathroom was near the parking lot as well. Water was chilly but not bad. The sand was a bit rocky so it did hurt when the sand scraped my skin. As we were leaving there were so many cars parked along the road outside the entrance so I would recommend getting there early. read more

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Nice uncrowded beach on a weekday, unsure how it would be on the weekend. I would highly recommend going down beyond the "roundabout" for less populated areas. If you claim one of the picnic tables underneath the pine trees, expect a bunch of baby spiders to be dropping on you. lol! read more

We went here on a Saturday morning in July. It's $10 to get in they accept cash and cards. We arrived at 8:27am and their was already a line to get in. The parking is right next to the lake so theirs no long walk. We got a nice parking spot and a great place to sit. If you're coming on the weekend, I'd definitely get their as soon as they open at 8 am. Especially if you want to secure a nice spot or have a big group. The lake was so pristine! The water was beautiful and clear. The pictures dont do it justice. Even when your swimming deep in the lake you could see all the way down to your feet. The water wasn't too cold, at least not as cold as half moon bay ocean water. Their are trees close to the lake if you want to sit in a more shady area. The restrooms were single restrooms so their was always a line to use it. They had Kyak Rentals for about $150 for all day. They don't allow charcoal BBQ but they do allow propane grills. I've been to four lake locations in Tahoe, and this has to be my new favorite spot. I'd definitely recommend checking it out. read more

Pope Beach Day Use Area - Beaches Near Me - Camp Richardson, California

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One of my favorite beaches in South Lake Tahoe. Bathrooms are clean, the beach itself is clean. Love how the parking lot is literally right by the beach so you don't have to walk so far when taking all your beach items with you. Parking is $10 per vehicle. No pets allowed. You are allowed to bring your own mini bbq grills. Tip: make sure to get there early. I believe they open at 8am. I got there at 7:30am and a line was forming at the gate entrance. read more

Nice sandy beach with lots of parking & shade. Clean bathrooms. Recommend getting there early, filled up pretty quickly!

This place is beautiful. $10 per vehicle. Pope Beach. Everyone stayed their 6 feet apart, due to COVID19. People were friendly. We ran into 1 Karen on the beach, but ignored her. She's not worth our time ruining our vacation. Sand is soft, but has pieces of pine cones that pokes your feet. It hurts. Pros: 1) There's paddle board, kayak, etc rentals here. I believe it was $30/hr. 2) Trees everywhere for shade. We still used our umbrella for shade as the sun sets. 3) sand is soft. 4) bathrooms were close by. 5) parking close by. 6) water clear and cold. But your body adjusts to it once you get in. 7) the cool breeze feels good. Cons: 1) the pieces of pine cone in the sand can hurt your feet while walking. 2) the ducks are not afraid of you. They'll try to come right up to you to look for food. I must say, I like this beach. It's nice for a mini vacation get away to de-stress. read more

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Great way to relax! tree lined beach. clean sparkling water and refreshing view! Kayak welcome.

Beautiful Long Beach with parking along the beach. Shade bathrooms and nice environment. Only thing is there are a lot of twigs and things in the sand to poke your feet but that's nature with all the pine trees around. Close to shore easy walking not close need sandals. read more

There are signs to get here from the main road. We paid $10 for parking. There are lots of picnic tables if you don't want to sit on the sand. The water is clear. You share your swimming experience with ducks and wild birds. There are shady parts where there are trees. There is a public restroom. Great views and serene atmosphere. read more

Went to swim in the water, and it did not disappoint I was able to find a parking spot with ease after 4pm as well as a spot on a bench. Bring sandals for the bathrooms, they get wet and sandy. Did not see any showers, but not an issue for us. Will definitely come back again! read more

I've been to this beach years ago with a friend. Remembered this spot and had to bring my boyfriend and it was super quiet. Not too many people. When we arrived the parking lot was pretty empty. By the time we left around like two the parking lot was starting to fill up. read more

Pope Beach Day Use Area - Beaches Near Me - Camp Richardson, California

After reading some online reviews I was hesitant to visit this beach but decided to give it a go on our last night in Lake Tahoe. We were pleasantly surprised at the beauty of this area and while we did visit it in what may be considered the off season (mid September) there were still folks swimming and it was just mesmerizing watching the water and hearing the small waves crash on the shoreline. I will definitely visit this beach again on future Tahoe trips and would love to spend a whole day here just enjoying the beauty. There are restrooms located along the beach and plenty of picnic tables as well. The cost was $10 per vehicle, and there was a 7pm closing time when we visited. read more

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Water is so nice heree, it is clear and has light waves unlike some other beaches that has stronger waves. It also doesnt have rocks and is JUST sand so it IS swimmable. Do come early if you want parking and a spot on the beach like around 10am. There arent many tables but you can always sit on the sand so dont forget to bring towels and blankets. When I came here they also had a kayaking booth where people can rent some for an hour or two. Overall, one of the best beaches in lake tahoe. read more

Pope Beach Day Use Area - Pope beach - Beaches Near Me - Camp Richardson, California

Great beach, perfect for us and our toddler. We got here at around 9am and the beach was pretty empty. Most people started to get here at around noon. Beware we did have a bear encounter! read more

Pope Beach Day Use Area - Hungry bear - Beaches Near Me - Camp Richardson, California

Great beach, more space than Zephur Cove. Loved getting the gentle waves from the boats passing by! The shallow end goes so far out, i love it, it makes me feel at ease giving my 4 year old a little more freedom to play! read more

Pope Beach Day Use Area - Beaches Near Me - Camp Richardson, California

Water is very clear but cold. We went on a weekday but Kayak rentals were closed. I guess they are there only on weekends. Pros :- - The beach is very close to the parking lot - only about 0.4 miles. - There were even picnic tables and clean bathrooms. - There are trees everywhere for shade No cons as such. But you have to pay $10 an hour for parking. A very clean beach and less crowded. Must go. And lots and lots of ducks so kids will love it. read more

Pros: ample bathrooms. Bring your own soap/antibacterial/wet naps though! And toilet seat covers, unless you can pop a squat you good! If you got kiddos, toilet seat covers! The sand is pretty close to the lake and parking lot, so you won't have to walk far from the parking lot. And you get a close view of the lake without a lot of people blocking your view. The texture of the sand is grainy, so don't expect soft powdery sand. The water is clear. I can see my toes in the water. The water was cold during my visit. Cons: Parking is $8 (cheaper than round hill beach). It is a family type lake. With that, you have kids running around making alot of noises while you try to nap. If you decide to pick a spot near the bathroom, it's a good thing BUT expect the doors to be constantly shutting. read more

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Get here early or if will sell out. The beach is beautiful (and so is the view of the lake and surrounding mountains, including Mt. Tallac), but keep in mind that the $10/vehicle you're paying to access the parking lot give you just that: access. Restrooms are dirty, no fountains to rinse, trash is visible on the beach. It's a great beach for toddlers, as it's probably the shallowest place in the lake. read more

Pretty good beach. Has lots of parking. As long as you get here before 10am, parking shouldn't be a problem. It's also a convenient distance from the beach to unload and load your stuff. It's the first weekend of September and there's still quite a lot of people. The water isn't too cold at all. Love that there are trees to provide plenty of shade. There are a lot of tables so as long as you get here before 10am, you should be able to get one. Bathrooms are nice and clean! The weather during this time is a little chili here as there are some wind. read more

Pope Beach Day Use Area - Beaches Near Me - Camp Richardson, California

The first time I came to Pope beach I was unhappy. The water was murky and it had a strange smell. The beach was extremely overcrowded and I was unhappy. My cousin raves about it so I thought I would give it a second shot. I did and wow what a different experience. First of all I went on a week day. There were few families out and so much space to walk around; the water was clear but cold. The kids enjoyed themselves and I was relaxed. Kayak rentals only open during the weekends so plan on getting rentals outside the beach if you plan to go week days read more

Love this beach spent a few days close by and made sure we went a couple times to this beach it is pretty calm and not to crowded during the week but on the weekends it can definitely get packed so make sure you arrive early with your beach set up to enjoy the beautiful waters and fresh crisp air. Definitely going in the spring and summer months to follow. read more

Pope Beach Day Use Area - Kayak rentals offered at pope beach - Beaches Near Me - Camp Richardson, California

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It cost $10 to park (CASH ONLY). You might want to get their early. We got there around 9:30am and as we were leaving at about 1:00 they closed the entrance. People were parking on the street and walking up, which was pretty far. They have bathrooms, which were clean. The beach was beautiful and the view was amazing. The water was really cold. There was so many geese. You can't have food out at all. The geese come up to anyone with food. read more

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Nice little beach parking is $10 but right at the beach. There are kayak and board rentals available. Also picnic tables and BBQ grills. read more

Pope Beach Day Use Area - Beaches Near Me - Camp Richardson, California

our fav spot in the summer, except on the 4th of july because it's too busy. plenty of real bathrooms, a safe swim zone and trees for shade. no doggos allowed. sometimes we take take a walk to visit in the winter too read more

Pope Beach Day Use Area - pope beach in the winter - Beaches Near Me - Camp Richardson, California

Enjoyed our afternoon here. Overall, way more positives than negatives. Upside- Found parking easily, gorgeous water, beaches were pretty clean, public restrooms, and pleasant people along the beaches. Downsides- pretty crowded, $10 for parking, no dogs aloud. We would visit this beach again. read more

Pope Beach Day Use Area - View from Pope Beach - Beaches Near Me - Camp Richardson, California

This beach was incredible. We got there early in the morning, around 9, and had the entire beach almost to ourselves for hours. Even at the peak time (around 1pm), it wasn't too crowded where it was unenjoyable. The lot did get full though, so if you go later in the day you'll likely need to plan on parking further away. For us, we got there early enough to park right at the front. read more

Drove all the way out from the bay area not knowing what to expect, when i got there the lady upfront was super nice and friendly she made me feel welcomed. Drove out to the beach parking lot area and it was conveniently close to the shore. There are picnic tables there but they are first come first serve so if you go later in the day make sure to pack your own. Would recommend 10/10 the water is nice and cold with gives you a relaxed atmosphere. read more

Pope Beach Day Use Area - Beach area - Beaches Near Me - Camp Richardson, California

Good beach for kids. It's shallow and not covered in rocks like it is near Camp Richardson Marina just down the street. The day pass is $10 per car and the woman in the booth was very friendly both times we visited. The parking lot is a good size and close by. There are picnic benches on the sand, some decent shade trees, and multiple bathrooms along the beach. I wish there were foot hoses to rinse off but I didn't see any. The water is clear and chilly though you get used to it pretty quickly. Our sand castle was destroyed by a flock of geese chasing a goose with a tortilla but the memory was worth the repairs. read more

There was a beach within walking distance of our house but my older brother suggested this beach instead. At first, I was finally lazy because we had 7 adults and 5 kids to bring with us - so, naturally it would be easier to walk 2 mins across than to pack up into 3 separate cars. 100% glad we went to pope beach! There is an entrance that includes a parking fee of $8; some wrote $5 on their yelp review. I'm not too sure myself but the actual website indicates a few of $8. There is also parking along the main road if you're lucky to find it. All three of our drivers found street parking which is way im not too certain on the parking fee. We heading over to the beach at 11am (16 mins away) on a Saturday and there was heavy traffic towards that directions Know that you will have to walk about 10 -15 mins from the road to the beach; so, if you have a ton of things to bring i would recommend a pushing cart. Going anywhere with 12 people is hard. Especially when there are four kids under the age of 6, we have to consider multiple factors to make the time spent more valuable. Three reasons make this beach perfect: (1) decent amount of space. (2) the water was quite clean. (3) plenty of shade from trees. (1) we were worried the beach would be packed because the weather was about 83 degrees. But luckily we found a spot under two trees and the family next to us happened to be leaving at the same time so there was PLENTY of space for us to settle on the beach. (2) the lake water was clear. That is, I could still see my feet visibly as i walked into the water. It makes me feel better going into water when i can see through it. The main thing i will say is there is a lot of tree bark in the water and on the sand. this is definitely not like a hawaii beach where the sand is soft. You might have to wear footwear. For kids, I highly recommend scandals. (3) another great thing about this beach is the amount of trees. So many trees that provide natural shade! For 2/3rds of the day there, the trees helped a lot but as the sun shifted we had to set up covering or we would feel the sun rays hit us. Highly advise visiting this beach. I can't speak for how crowded it can get but the time I had spent there was perfect. read more