Patton Beach in Carnelian Bay Lake Tahoe, is a small stony beach with picnic tables and a nature walk.

Alpengroup is the concessionaire at the site and plans to open a new cafe in the small building in 2010.

During the summertime, non-motorized (kayaks, paddle boards…) beach rentals are available.

Patton Beach is located next to the Sierra Boat Co. Marina.

Boating is to Carnelian Bay what blue is to Lake Tahoe. In summer, it is life.

The Sierra Boat Company, considered a premier US wooden boat builder, opened here in 1952. Annually boat fanatics from around the country trailer their classic woodies to the Concours d’Elegance wooden boat show for a weekend of nostalgic cruising.

Leading up to and following this Gatsby-esque gathering, Carnelian’s two state beaches belong again to dogs, kayakers and sunset seekers. In winter, Carnelian Bay’s central location puts you in decision-making mode; regardless of whether you turn right or left, you’ll be aimed toward the North Shore’s 12 Lake Tahoe ski resorts.

The town was christened Carnelian Bay in 1860 because of the semi-precious red and yellow stones peppering the shoreline. Today, a hearty treasure of vacation rentals line the beach as well. In addition to Jeanette McDonald and Nelson Eddy filming the movie “Rose Marie” in 1930s, Carnelian Bay is considered a place where big, big Mackinaw trout can be found lurking in the depths.

Source: GoTahoeNorth

Kiva Beach is one of the harder to find beaches, just because of the lack of signs. It’s located just north of Camp Richardson in Lake Tahoe.

Turn right at the Forest Service Visitor Center turnoff and follow the road past the Visitor’s Center (this is also the parking for the stream profile chamber) to the beach parking lot.

There is a short walk to the beach, but the parking is free. You can also park at the Visitor’s Center and enjoy a longer walk (not quite a hike) along the meadow to Kiva Beach (no dogs on this trail though).

The beach itself is a huge flat sandy plain that lies at the mouth of Taylor Creek. The water however, is a bit rocky until you get a little ways out. You can go out a long way, though.

There are fantastic views of the surrounding mountains, especially Mount Tallac. mid summer you will find large blooms of Blue Pod Lupine among other wildflowers.  Source: AboutLakeTahoe.com

The Lakeside Beach is a members only beach with the memberships going out to those living (or staying) in the immediate area. This includes the Park Avenue area hotels, motels, and the casinos.

The area can be reached by turning off Highway 50 onto Park Avenue at either the state line or the Crescent V Shopping Center (yes, the same road hits both spots).

The beach also features a state of the art playground and swing set as well as an old style giant metal slide. The beach surrounds The Lakeside Beach Grill, an al fresco eatery that also has a beachside walk up window.

The swimming is decent here, but not spectacular. It is just beginning to get to the silty part of the lake resulting from the Upper Truckee River, so the water is not as clear as it is elsewhere.

As with other beaches in this area and to the east, the sand is rather coarse so bring beach shoes of some sort.