A new, 3-mile long bicycle and pedestrian trail hugging the northeast shore of Lake Tahoe is providing new access to hidden beaches and a bird's-eye view of the cobalt waters never available before.
The Tahoe East Shore Trail that opened in June of 2019 includes an 810-foot-long bridge overhanging the lakeshore between Incline Village and Sand Harbor.
The $40.5 million highway project was designed to improve safety on a dangerous, congested stretch of State Highway 28 while providing hikers and bikers better access to the lake. It's also designed to prevent runoff from the road that reduces lake clarity.
The 10-foot wide, paved trail includes 17 designated vista points and 11 designated shoreline access points. It also has eight bear-proof trash stations, three dog waste bag stations, five bathrooms and more than 30 bike racks.
The trail stretches from the popular Tunnel Creek Café in Incline Village to Sand Harbor in Lake Tahoe Nevada State Park. Most of the trail runs between State Route 28 and the lakeshore. After the first climb, the trail descends to an underpass that loops walkers or riders beneath Highway 28 without exposing them to traffic.
The 810-foot bridge, the longest in the Tahoe Basin, and others on the trail were made in Ohio from a combination of steel and fiberglass to maximize strength and minimize weight. They were shipped to Nevada in separate pieces that were dropped into place on concrete supports called "micro-piles," which were designed to minimized ground disturbance. The longest span came in 18 pieces.
The highway project and trail should also make it easier for people to access the beautiful but notoriously crowded, beach at Sand Harbor, which is part of Lake Tahoe Nevada State Park. The park attracts more than 1 million visitors annually, and about 700,000 of them go to Sand Harbor.