Commons Beach
Tahoe City, CA
Commons Beach is downtown Tahoe City's lakefront park, a little over four acres of sand, lawn, playgrounds, and group picnic sites right behind the shops on North Lake Boulevard. Summer brings a free concert series on the grass. It's where Tahoe City families end up after the farmers market or a bike ride on the lakeside path.
The heart of summer in Tahoe City with playgrounds and free music, but parking downtown is a headache on event days.
How we score beachesOn concert days, stake out lawn space an hour early and walk to dinner in town afterward instead of moving the car.
Paid public lots and street parking in downtown Tahoe City; spaces are hard to find during concerts and events.
Paved paths run through the lawn to the playgrounds and down to the sand.
The lawn stays busy from late June through Labor Day. Snow covers the park in winter, but the lakefront walk is still open.
More Pacific Coast beaches
Zuma Beach
Malibu, CA · Pacific Coast
A wide stretch of sand backed by the Santa Monica Mountains, with reliable swells that draw surfers year-round and plenty of room to spread out even on busy weekends.
Huntington City Beach
Huntington Beach, CA · Pacific Coast
Known as Surf City USA, with a mile-long municipal pier, consistent breaks for surfers of every level, and a laid-back boardwalk scene along Pacific Coast Highway.
Main Beach
Laguna Beach, CA · Pacific Coast
Tucked between rocky headlands, with tidepools to explore at low tide, calmer coves for swimming, and an arts-town backdrop of galleries and cafes just steps from the sand.