Chimney Beach and Secret Cove

Boulder Coves On Lake Tahoe'S Nevada Shore Reached By Steep Trails From State Route 28, In The Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit (US Forest Service) · Glenbrook, Nevada

Chimney Beach and Secret Cove are small, boulder-framed beaches on the Nevada shore of Lake Tahoe, a few miles south of Sand Harbor, reached only on foot by steep, sandy trails that drop from State Route 28 through pine forest to the water. They sit on Forest Service land in the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit, with no lifeguards, no concessions and few facilities. Chimney Beach takes its name from a free-standing stone chimney near the shore, said to be the remains of an old cabin. A short scramble along the shore leads to Whale Beach and to Secret Cove, which is widely known as a clothing-optional beach, so families should know that before they go. The appeal is the classic east shore scene without Sand Harbor's crowds: clear, turquoise water over pale sand, smooth granite boulders to lie on and a view across the lake to the Sierra. The catches are tiny, often full parking, a hard climb back up at altitude and water that stays cold all summer, with rocks people jump from.

State Route 28 (Chimney Beach trailhead), Glenbrook, Nevada, 89413, United States

NO OPENING TIME HERE WAS CHECKED. The typical pattern: the coves are Forest Service land with no gate and no fixed hours at the water, used from early morning to dusk, while the trailhead lot and roadside parking follow day-use rules and signs that can ban parking at night; check the signs. The traps that ruin a day are arriving after about 9 am on a summer weekend when every legal space is full, parking illegally on the NV 28 shoulder and returning to a ticket or a towed car, starting the climb back up late in the afternoon without water, staying in the water too long in the cold, and planning a beach day in late autumn or spring when the trail is icy and the water frigid. Confirm current times before relying on them.

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