Sugar Pine Point State Park Beach
Tahoma, CA
Sugar Pine Point State Park Beach lies below the lawn of the Hellman-Ehrman Mansion, a 1903 summer estate on the West Shore near Tahoma. The beach grows and shrinks with the lake level, and there's often room to spread out even in August. It's one of the calmer state park beaches on the lake.
History, room to spread out, and fewer people than D.L. Bliss, though the beach narrows a lot in high-water years.
How we score beachesTake the mansion tour, then carry lunch down to the pier. Afternoon light on the old boathouse is worth the wait.
A state park day-use fee lot; check posted rates.
Paved paths cross the mansion grounds, then a short sandy section reaches the water.
Mansion tours and swimming both peak in summer. Unlike most West Shore parks, Sugar Pine Point stays open in winter for cross-country skiing and snowshoeing.
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