I'm currently in Tahoe on a short vacation and had intended to shoot either sunrise or sunset at Sand Harbor State Park. However, upon staking it out today I noticed that there is no vehicle access until 8:00 am, and the park closes at 5:00 pm. To top it off, there is no parking along the highway in either direction for a mile, which means I can't walk in.
I've seen some fantastic shots from this location, but I'm wondering how people are gaining access during sunrise and sunset. I know it's a long shot, but any help would be appreciated.
I recall being able to find a place to park along the road, and taking some pretty steep path down to the lake. But you are right - there is no civilized access for sunrise/ sunset. In this picture, taken from location I found, Sand Harbor is seen far to the right.
You might consider driving south of Sand Harbor about a mile near Bonsai Rock and parking alongside the road, You have to hike down a bit of an incline, but there's some nice rock formations there.
There is also a viewpoint with parking spaces and restrooms about a mile beyond Sand Harbor that has trails going down to the rocks. Also just at Cal-Neva there is an old forest lookout above About a 1 mile hike up. These are on the visitor maps. Ask some of the locals about the hidden swimming beaches on the Nevada side.
Paul Gardner wrote:
There is also a viewpoint with parking spaces and restrooms about a mile beyond Sand Harbor that has trails going down to the rocks. Also just at Cal-Neva there is an old forest lookout above About a 1 mile hike up. These are on the visitor maps. Ask some of the locals about the hidden swimming beaches on the Nevada side.
