D.L. Bliss State Park
D.L. Bliss State Park
4.5
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This state park in the Lake Tahoe region features one of the finest beaches in the area and several popular hiking trails.
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4.5
154 reviews
Excellent
106
Very good
31
Average
8
Poor
7
Terrible
2
Melissa H
12 contributions
July 2022 • Family
Decided to check out Lester Beach on our last day and it did not disappoint. I enjoyed it more than Sand Harbor because it’s more laid back. More quiet. The sand is a little rough on the feet though, but just wear sandals and you’ll be fine. I’m not sure if I’d recommend it for young children, unless they can swim, it gets deep pretty quick right off the beach, and there’s no lifeguard. If you’re wanting a pretty, laid back place to hang for the day, I’d check out DL Bliss and Lester Beach.
Written 15 July 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Balasubramanian R
Chennai (Madras), India808 contributions
Oct 2022
D.L.Bliss state park is one of the tourist attraction situated on the western side of Lake Tahoe. Beaches are there in the park. The highest elevation light house is there in this state park
Written 15 October 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Brian Vo
San Jose, CA14 contributions
Aug 2020
Actual Rating: 4.25
We was unlucky to find out that the beach loop was unavailable. We booked camp 24, the last one available. We still had a great experience.
We enjoyed hiking on the trails and taking pictures of Lake Tahoe's only island. There was a lot of things to do here. We saw the old lighthouse after hiking a few miles.
There is a problem, which is that bathrooms aren't sanantized properly. During the coronavirus pandemic, park employees failed to properly sanitize and clean the park.
Overall, I'd recommend you to go to D.L. Bliss State Park.
We was unlucky to find out that the beach loop was unavailable. We booked camp 24, the last one available. We still had a great experience.
We enjoyed hiking on the trails and taking pictures of Lake Tahoe's only island. There was a lot of things to do here. We saw the old lighthouse after hiking a few miles.
There is a problem, which is that bathrooms aren't sanantized properly. During the coronavirus pandemic, park employees failed to properly sanitize and clean the park.
Overall, I'd recommend you to go to D.L. Bliss State Park.
Written 14 November 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dale R
Stateline, NV325 contributions
Sept 2019
A great place to start your hike on the Rubicon Trail is from the road by the beach area. If you are going all the way to Emerald Bay make sure you have a car shuttle to bring you back. Then enjoy a refreshing swim in Lake Tahoe
Written 7 June 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Marilyn
352 contributions
Aug 2020 • Solo
The state park was beautiful. The trails were amazing. Both maps I got were terrible. That is the only reason for it being 4 stars. People were very kind there. The walks were beautiful. Some of the trails that were told didn’t exist. The parking lots are not clearly marked with their purpose.
These photos are from 7am. When I left at 9am on a Thursday it was pretty full.
These photos are from 7am. When I left at 9am on a Thursday it was pretty full.
Written 30 August 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
CHMac🎉
California184 contributions
July 2020 • Family
We were lucky to snag a site on the “beach” loop. Not sure I’d stay here again unless I could get a beach site. The campsites are not on the beach, but a close walk down some stairs. All other sites are up a hill. Too far to walk. Some sites were pretty small. Ours #142 was a decent size and fit 7 people just fine. The campground was a mix of family & a few party kids. The bathrooms are flush and are ok clean.
Written 19 July 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Anzura
Ca8 contributions
Aug 2011
I grew up in Tahoe. Yes, it's the most beautiful lake I have ever seen. But this review is about the campground, not the lake or the views.
I camped at DL Bliss a few years ago. We had one of the coveted beach front sites, we left after the first night. It was like Disneyland there. The sites are crammed on top of eachother, not much privacy trees separating the sites, and it's just jammed packed full of people all the time.
Our favorite campground ever is Plumas Eureka State Park, but it's closed this year and is on the list of campgrounds to close for good in 2012 due to budget cuts. So this year we went back to DL Bliss hoping a different loop would be better.
We stayed in the West Ridge Loop. Sites 101-102. We toured the other loops, and this one is best by far. There is space between sites, and there seemed to be more privacy.
Here are some negatives:
*Any loop besides the beach loop is a serious trek to the beach/lake. You really have to drive there.
*If you don't get to the parking lot before 10am, you are pretty much screwed. It get's very crowded down there.
*There are no views of the lake from any sites except the beach sites.
*On the map, there is a ridge called the "impassable ridge", it really is impassable. Don't think you can walk to the lake from here. You have to take the roads.
*The showers are not free they are .50c for 5 mins.
*There aren't enough dumpsters in the loop, there was only ONE in our entire loop.
* The bear lockers are not big enough. You have to put EVERYTHING in the lockers. We were with 3 families and had 4 coolers and tons of dry goods. It really is a buzz kill to pack everything in and out day and night. The bears get into the lockers anyway, I think the coolers would be better in cars. Yes, there are bears!
*There is a $1000 fine if you are caught with a cooler in your car!!
If you still want to stay in this overcrowded campground, don't forget your bikes! A bike with a trailer might be a good idea to tote your stuff down to the beach. It's a very hilly campground too. So be prepared to get a good workout if you aren't driving. Also, leave the pooch at home. They are very strict about dogs. They can't be anywhere except on the roads and your site. I hate dog discrimination!
Also, you have to be ready to book your camping trip to DL Bliss 6 months in advance. The sites go in a matter of minutes.
We aren't coming back to this campground again. 2 times is enough.
I camped at DL Bliss a few years ago. We had one of the coveted beach front sites, we left after the first night. It was like Disneyland there. The sites are crammed on top of eachother, not much privacy trees separating the sites, and it's just jammed packed full of people all the time.
Our favorite campground ever is Plumas Eureka State Park, but it's closed this year and is on the list of campgrounds to close for good in 2012 due to budget cuts. So this year we went back to DL Bliss hoping a different loop would be better.
We stayed in the West Ridge Loop. Sites 101-102. We toured the other loops, and this one is best by far. There is space between sites, and there seemed to be more privacy.
Here are some negatives:
*Any loop besides the beach loop is a serious trek to the beach/lake. You really have to drive there.
*If you don't get to the parking lot before 10am, you are pretty much screwed. It get's very crowded down there.
*There are no views of the lake from any sites except the beach sites.
*On the map, there is a ridge called the "impassable ridge", it really is impassable. Don't think you can walk to the lake from here. You have to take the roads.
*The showers are not free they are .50c for 5 mins.
*There aren't enough dumpsters in the loop, there was only ONE in our entire loop.
* The bear lockers are not big enough. You have to put EVERYTHING in the lockers. We were with 3 families and had 4 coolers and tons of dry goods. It really is a buzz kill to pack everything in and out day and night. The bears get into the lockers anyway, I think the coolers would be better in cars. Yes, there are bears!
*There is a $1000 fine if you are caught with a cooler in your car!!
If you still want to stay in this overcrowded campground, don't forget your bikes! A bike with a trailer might be a good idea to tote your stuff down to the beach. It's a very hilly campground too. So be prepared to get a good workout if you aren't driving. Also, leave the pooch at home. They are very strict about dogs. They can't be anywhere except on the roads and your site. I hate dog discrimination!
Also, you have to be ready to book your camping trip to DL Bliss 6 months in advance. The sites go in a matter of minutes.
We aren't coming back to this campground again. 2 times is enough.
Written 9 August 2011
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
johnchb
Portland4 contributions
We are from Oregon and, despite the great campgrounds in our state, have been coming to D.L. Bliss for five years. The campsites are, with few exceptions, beautiful. The upper campgrounds are roomier and nicer than the beach sites, and you are much less likely to be near a noisy group, who are few and far between to begin with. The bear lockers are a great place to store food and are convenient. The sites with old (wooden) bear lockers are great, as you can use these to store non-food items. Each site has a nice fire pit and fires are always allowed. In case you are unfamiliar with the weather during the summer at Tahoe, it is unbeatable, with sunny days and cool nights almost without exception. The beach at the campground, which is a short drive from most sites, is one of the nicest on the lake, with a roped off, gradually sloped and safe swimming area. There are a number of great hiking trails that originate in the campground, as well as ranger activities for the kids. There are always many kids at the campground, and often families from other countries. While not far (10 miles or so) from restaraunts and other activities, the campground has a true feeling of wilderness (your campsite will be visited by a bear one or more nights, even if you sleep through it), though has showers and fush toilets. Assuming you like camping to begin with, D.L. Bliss will not dissappoint.
Written 9 September 2006
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
burdette9
California13 contributions
We camped here for 2 nights during the last weekend of May, 2009.
DL Bliss has 3 campgrounds, "Pines," "Ridge," and "Beach." Pines is located right next to the ranger check-in station, which is located about a mile from the beach. Ridge is located about halfway between Pines and the beach. The Beach campground is located very close to the beach, but not actually on the beach.
We stayed in Pines. Half the campsites were not open because it was early in the season. The campground was clean and beautiful; it had a lot of trees and granite boulders that the kids liked to play on. Some of the trees were large, but most of the forest around Tahoe is 2nd growth timber, logged out decades ago by (ironically) D.L. Bliss himself.
Most of the Pines campsites were spacious and located a nice distance from neighboring sites for privacy. Campsites located inside the loop were closer to each other than campsites located outside the loop. If you have a group and want two or more sites to be together, then choose sites inside the loop. Otherwise you're better off taking a site outside the loop. Also, some sites were steep and suitable only for a small tent, so if you have a large tent or a trailer, pay attention when reserving the site online, and don't reserve a site labelled "Tent Only Site."
The Beach campground has a great location, but the actual sites themselves were not as nice as the sites at Pines. They were less wooded and more closely crowded together.
Ridge campground looked nice, although probably not as nice as Pines. I'd definitely stay there if I couldn't return to Pines.
There were no bears and very few insect pests, except a few ants and an occasional yellow-jacket-like thing. Later in the season I'm sure there'll be more of both, but in very late may there were neither. The weather was beautiful, neither too hot nor too cold, even at night. An evening thunderstorm tried to work up steam, but didn't quite make it.
In all, this is a nice campground. It's expensive because it's at Tahoe, and the State of California seems to be trying to balance its budget on the sale of firewood alone ($8 for a miserable little bundle), but you're paying for access to nice beach on a beautiful lake, and easy access to a pretty trail to Emerald Bay, so for me it was well worth the price.
DL Bliss has 3 campgrounds, "Pines," "Ridge," and "Beach." Pines is located right next to the ranger check-in station, which is located about a mile from the beach. Ridge is located about halfway between Pines and the beach. The Beach campground is located very close to the beach, but not actually on the beach.
We stayed in Pines. Half the campsites were not open because it was early in the season. The campground was clean and beautiful; it had a lot of trees and granite boulders that the kids liked to play on. Some of the trees were large, but most of the forest around Tahoe is 2nd growth timber, logged out decades ago by (ironically) D.L. Bliss himself.
Most of the Pines campsites were spacious and located a nice distance from neighboring sites for privacy. Campsites located inside the loop were closer to each other than campsites located outside the loop. If you have a group and want two or more sites to be together, then choose sites inside the loop. Otherwise you're better off taking a site outside the loop. Also, some sites were steep and suitable only for a small tent, so if you have a large tent or a trailer, pay attention when reserving the site online, and don't reserve a site labelled "Tent Only Site."
The Beach campground has a great location, but the actual sites themselves were not as nice as the sites at Pines. They were less wooded and more closely crowded together.
Ridge campground looked nice, although probably not as nice as Pines. I'd definitely stay there if I couldn't return to Pines.
There were no bears and very few insect pests, except a few ants and an occasional yellow-jacket-like thing. Later in the season I'm sure there'll be more of both, but in very late may there were neither. The weather was beautiful, neither too hot nor too cold, even at night. An evening thunderstorm tried to work up steam, but didn't quite make it.
In all, this is a nice campground. It's expensive because it's at Tahoe, and the State of California seems to be trying to balance its budget on the sale of firewood alone ($8 for a miserable little bundle), but you're paying for access to nice beach on a beautiful lake, and easy access to a pretty trail to Emerald Bay, so for me it was well worth the price.
Written 11 June 2009
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
1jerseygurl
Burlingame, CA1 contribution
We stayed at the Ridge campsite July 23-25 and had a great time and I would definitely stay there again. The campsites are clean and well-maintained. Each site (at least in our area) had 2 firepits (round metal and stone hearth type), close access to water faucet, and restrooms/showers. Our site fit 1 large tent and 1 medium tent with plenty of room to spare. Some sites are sloped or on a stone-walled plateau and may not fit 2 large tents. Recommend placing the tent with some shade as it can get hot inside the tent during the summer. Our camp area was pleasantly quiet by 8pm (quiet time 10pm-6am).
After reading reviews (prior to packing), we packed very efficientlyand were fully prepared to deal with the hassle of bear boxes. To our surprise/relief we saw no bears but also managed to fit 2 (35-40 gal. coolers) in the bear boxes with plenty of room to spare.
The Ridge is a reasonable walk to the Lester) beach. We did it with kids ages 4-7. Bring umbrellas or a canopy tent as there is very little shade at the beach and the sun is strong. We brought floaties and toys to the beach too. Water shoes is a big help as the sand is rough and can get hot.
Bring quarters for the showers: 50 cents = 5 mins. 75 cents = 7.5 mins, etc.
Camping doesn't get much better than this, especially since it's Lake Tahoe.
After reading reviews (prior to packing), we packed very efficientlyand were fully prepared to deal with the hassle of bear boxes. To our surprise/relief we saw no bears but also managed to fit 2 (35-40 gal. coolers) in the bear boxes with plenty of room to spare.
The Ridge is a reasonable walk to the Lester) beach. We did it with kids ages 4-7. Bring umbrellas or a canopy tent as there is very little shade at the beach and the sun is strong. We brought floaties and toys to the beach too. Water shoes is a big help as the sand is rough and can get hot.
Bring quarters for the showers: 50 cents = 5 mins. 75 cents = 7.5 mins, etc.
Camping doesn't get much better than this, especially since it's Lake Tahoe.
Written 26 July 2010
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
The campground just opened this week. Are showers at the campgrounds also open?
Due to Covid-19 is picnicing and sunbathing at Lester Beach allowed? Or it open for active recreation (walking, swimming, etc).
Written 14 June 2020
Greetings Kayakers,
I'm planning to visit Lake Tahoe mid-September and would like to kayak for roughly 4 hours paddle time. I hope to find an area that is undeveloped yet has easy access. I'm wondering whether Emerald Bay would still be pretty busy in September and what the shore there is like. (I'm looking for rugged, rocky, cove intensive, and undeveloped.) The kayak rental on the beach of Emerald Bay is appealing given I do need to rent. Mostly I'm wondering if the shoreline to the North and South of Emerald Bay would be more what I'm interested in and how long it would take to access these areas if I rent at Emerald Bay. Alternatively, I could rent a kayak and transport it to a desired location north or south of Emerald Bay and skip the bay kayaking. (Due to the off season there are fewer locations where rentals will be operating.) If anyone can make a recommendation as to paddling location on that part of the lake given the above factors, I'd be grateful. THANK YOU!!!
Written 27 August 2019
Are July 4th fireworks visible from the beach?
Written 23 June 2019
Miracletrinity
El Sobrante, California
Can you BBQ? Can you camp out on the beach and bonfire over night?
Written 24 April 2019
Which is a closer walk to the beach, the west ridge or east ridge sites?
Written 11 February 2019
We reserved site 105 in the East Ridge loop. How far of a walk to the beach is it and is there any view of the lake from the campsite?
Written 30 January 2019
No view of the lake. About 1.5 mile walk to the beach....downhill...
I would drop off the family and beach stuff or get to the beach by 9:30 to get a parking space. The beachside spots are the best, but the hardest to get.
Written 4 February 2019
We reserved site 105 in the East Ridge loop. How far of a walk to the beach is it and is there any view of the lake from the campsite?
Written 30 January 2019
Can anybody recommend a lake view site in the upper ridge of DL Bliss Campground.
Written 17 December 2017
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