Winter Camping Update

Dogs

Dogs on a 6' leash are allowed on paved areas, in the campground, and in the historic zone of the day use area. Dogs are not allowed on beaches, unpaved trails, or in undeveloped areas.  Leashed dogs are allowed on the General Creek Fire Road during the summer.  Dogs are not allowed on ski trails in the winter. Dog regulations are enforced YEAR-ROUND.

Celebrate Winter With Us!

The ski trails are being groomed at this time! Grooming will occur on Fridays and Mondays AS CONDITIONS allow. Grooming updates will be posted on this website as well as on the snow phone. Please be advised that dogs are NOT allowed on snow trails or any other undeveloped areas in the park.

All grooming is sponsored by the Sierra State Parks Foundation, and donations for the ski trails are appreciated. For information on special events, guided snow shoe tours or donations, visit the Sierra State Parks Foundation located on the related pages link to the right. 
On Monday, Feb 18th, the blue trail was groomed and parking available.

For up to date conditions, call the snow phone at 530-525-9528. See the day use and camping sections for more information.

Cross Country Skiing

In the winter, visitors to the park can enjoy 11 miles of cross country ski and snowshoe trails. Follow the path of the Nordic events of the 1960 Winter Olympics that occurred in what is now Sugar Pine Point State Park. Starting at the Blue Trailhead, located at the day use parking on the campground (west) side of the highway, you will come across a series of interpretive panels that share our Olympic and Nordic skiing history. Free snow trail maps are available at the park entrance stations.

The cross country ski trails on the Day Use side of the park (lake side, east of Hwy 89), including the Yellow and Orange trails, are not machine-groomed. Snowshoers and hikers, please do not walk on the ski tracks. Be prepared for changing weather conditions.  $5 parking fee.

2019 Winter Events

Full Moon Snowshoe Tours
Saturdays: Jan. 19th - was a great snow hike
February 16th - cancelled  - twillight hike Feb 23rd 4:30,
and March 16th - Hoping for the best
Beginners’ clinic: 6:30 PM   Tour:  7:00 PM-9:00
Adults $35; Children 12 and under $25. 
Price includes parking, snowshoes and guided tour.

Explore the natural and cultural history around the Hellman-Ehrman estate and Lake Tahoe in this California State Park Interpreter or Ranger led tour.  Few experiences are as enchanting as snowshoeing by the light of a full moon along the snow-covered Tahoe shore!. The program lasts approximately 90 minutes. Wear warm, layered clothing and winter boots. This event is generously sponsored by West Shore Sports, and all proceeds benefit the Sierra State Parks Foundation's educational programming. Space is limited, and tickets may be purchased at sierrastateparks.org. To check availability on the day of the event only, call West Shore Sports at 530-525-9920.

 

Camping

ON-SEASON: 
 
The campground (Sugar Pine Point SP) will be on reservations starting Wednesday, May 22nd through Sept 1, 2019.  For information on SUMMER camping reservations, call Reserve California at 1-800-444-PARK (7275) or visit www.reservecalifornia.com. Reservations can be made 6 months in advance of the date you would like to arrive. The Lake Tahoe area is a popular destination and reservations are recommended.

During on-season, there are 10 group campsites and 120 family campsites.  Fees for on-season camping are $35 per night.  Fees include one vehicle.  Extra vehicles are $10 per night. Group sites are $165 a night and include 10 vehicles in the fees. The campground does not have hook-ups, but there are showers and a dump station for registered campers. 

Quiet Hours           10pm - 6am                         Check In     - 2 pm   
Generator Hours   10am - 8pm                         Check Out   - Noon       
2 Vehicles allowed per campsite                       Children must have helmets for bicycles/scooters/skateboards
8 people allowed per campsite                         Dogs must be leashed and never unattended
Vehicles must be parked on pavement            Amplified music is only allowed with a permit

Food Storage Locker Information - Important and required.

All food, beverages, and toiletries are required by law to be stored in provided food lockers except when food is being prepared or eaten. Black bears are currently very active at Sugar Pine as they are just waking from a long winter and are very interested in ALL items that smell like food.  Metal bear-resistant food lockers are provided in each campsite.  Ice chests may NOT be stored in vehicles. The inside dimensions of the food lockers 36" deep, 43" wide, and 22" high.  Violators will be cited.

Day Use

Hellman-Ehrman Estate

Day Use facilities, including the historic Hellman-Ehrman Estate, picnic area, beach and pier are 3/4 mile south from the campground. Day Use parking is $10 per vehicle during the peak season, $5 per vehicle in the winter, or free if you are camping at Sugar Pine Point. Fees are required year round and due by self-payment when the kiosk is unstaffed. There is a separate fee for historic tours of the Hellman-Ehrman Estate.  Please contact the Sierra State Parks Foundation for tour schedule information. The tours are available from Memorial Day Weekend (late May) to September 30th.

About the Park

Ed Z'berg - Sugar Pine Point State Park contains one of the finest remaining natural areas on Lake Tahoe. With nearly two miles of lake frontage, the park has dense forests of pine, fir, aspen and juniper.

Another attraction is the Hellman-Ehrman Mansion (also known as Pine Lodge), a summer home built in 1903 in a grove of pine and cedar. From the turn of the century until 1965, the lands of what is now Ed Z'berg - Sugar Pine Point State Park were owned by financier Isaias W. Hellman, and later by his daughter Florence Hellman Ehrman. The mansion provides an interesting view into the lifestyles of the wealthy on Lake Tahoe.

Location/Directions
The park is located on the west shore of Lake Tahoe, ten miles south of Tahoe City on Highway 89.

Seasons/Climate/Recommended clothing
Summer temperatures range from about 75-80 degrees during the day to the low 40s at night, and winter temperatures average from a high of 40 to lows in the teens or 20s. Winter temperatures may drop below 0. High Sierra weather is varied and can change abruptly. It is recommended to bring layered clothing and check weather updates.  The weather forecast is available from NOAA.gov. 
Chains and/ or 4 wheel drive are frequently required during the winter season.  For up to date road conditions, call the Caltrans road hotline at 1800-427-ROAD, or visit the Caltrans website.  

Facilities - Activities
Hiking & Swimming
Many miles of hiking trails within the park and a swimming beach provide visitors with a variety of relaxing summer activities.

Fishing
Ed Z'berg - Sugar Pine Point State Park is comprised of conifer forests in the General Creek drainage. The waters of General Creek are among the clearest waters flowing into Lake Tahoe and the stream is open to fishing from mid July to mid September.A fishing license is required.

Cross-Country Skiing
Winter visitors to the park will find over 20 kilometers of marked cross country ski trails and a heated restroom in the General Creek campground. Interpretive presentations on a variety of winter related subjects are presented most weekends, from January through March.

Nature Center
When you're at Ed Z'berg - Sugar Pine Point State Park, be sure to stop at the Nature Center located in the day use area by the Ehrman Mansion. We now have a bird display, where visitors can view several species of bird life that occur in the Tahoe Basin. In addition to birds, visitors can see most of the mammals and the four major game fish that occur here. Other exhibits include: Biology, Lake Ecology, Wildflowers, Trees, and a "Touchy-feely" table for the kids (adults also!).

About the area...
Lake Tahoe lay at the heart of the Washoe Indian territory, and Ed Z'berg - Sugar Pine Point State Park was the summer home for generations of Washoe Indians who came to these peaceful shores to hunt and fish. Evidence of their occupation can still be seen today in the form of bedrock mortars or grinding rocks just offshore from the Ehrman Mansion.

In 1860, the first permanent settler of record on Lake Tahoe's west shore built a cabin at the mouth of General Creek. This was the trapper and fisherman William "General" Phipps, and his cabin can still be seen today just north of the Ed Z'berg - Sugar Pine Point State Park pier. In 1884, a resort called Bellevue Hotel was constructed just north of what is now the South Boathouse, and remained a popular summer destination for Lake Tahoe visitors for nine years.

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