Lake Forest Beach
Tahoe City, CA
Lake Forest Beach sits at the end of Bristlecone Avenue off Lake Forest Road, a couple of miles east of Tahoe City. It's a neighborhood beach, the kind of place locals windsurf, launch kayaks, and swim without much fuss. A marshy stretch of shoreline next door pulls in birders with binoculars early in the day.
Low-key and uncrowded with good wind for sailing, but there's almost nowhere to park.
How we score beachesBirders come at dawn for the marsh edge. If you're here to swim, late afternoon is emptier.
Very limited parking at the end of Bristlecone Avenue; it's mostly a walk-or-bike beach for the neighborhood.
A short, flat walk from the street end to the sand.
Windsurfers like the steady summer afternoon breeze here. Spring and fall migration are the best months for birds.
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