There is no better place than Lake Tahoe during summer. Clear skies, warm sand, and clean, blue water greet hundreds of thousands of fun-seekers. But Tahoe’s beaches don’t stay that way by themselves. Large crowds can leave impacts. That’s where Tahoe Blue Beaches comes in. It makes the right choice—enjoying the beach responsibly—the easy choice.
Tahoe Blue Beaches is a collaborative program between the League, USDA Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit (USFS) and permitted beach concessionaires to “raise the bar for beach management in Tahoe” by improving the facilities, staffing, signage, and enforcement at USFS beaches around the Lake.
EARLY SUCCESS: As a result of Tahoe Blue Beaches, volunteers found 97% less trash during the League’s July 5 cleanup in 2024 than they did in 2023 at Zephyr Cove and Shoals. Learn more here.
Signs and maps help beachgoers recreate responsibly at Tahoe Blue Beaches.
A Customized Approach for Each Beach’s Needs
Since 2014, the League has organized litter cleanup events where volunteers gather not just trash but also data about what they find and how much. You can explore that data here. The compiled data from more than 2,000 cleanup events revealed that each beach faces its own challenges during the busy season – from parking constraints and too few permanent bathrooms to litter. So, each beach needs a customized solution.
In the summer of 2024, the League and USFS rolled out a new program built around a flexible approach to upgrading beach management, with solutions tailor-made to each Tahoe Blue Beach’s unique location and challenges. The pilot program dubbed Tahoe Blue Beaches hit the sand at Zephyr Cove and Shoals in partnership with the Forest Service site’s concessionaire, Aramark Destinations after several years of planning. Several other beaches are also participating in the pilot program with more in the pipeline to join.
“With millions of visitors per year, it’s increasingly important that people do their part in practicing sustainable recreation while enjoying their public lands. The Tahoe Blue Beaches program will help people do just that.
This goal is one of the core pillars of the Lake Tahoe Destination Stewardship Plan, and one way we’ll reach our shared vision for Tahoe as a healthy, thriving, and welcoming place.”
– USFS Forest Supervisor Erick Walker
Tahoe Blue Beaches was debuted in 2024 at Zephyr Cove and Shoals, managed by Aramark Destinations. Some of the management changes implemented included a ban on outside alcohol, temporary fencing, managed parking, extra staffing, maps and informational signs, and dozens of added trash receptacles and portable restrooms.