Emerald Bay and the West Shore

CA 89 leaves the Y in South Lake Tahoe past Camp Richardson, climbs on switchbacks to a ridge high above Emerald Bay, then follows the lake’s west shore through Meeks Bay and Homewood to Tahoe City.

CA 89 splits from US 50 at the Y in South Lake Tahoe and follows Emerald Bay Road north past Camp Richardson. A series of sweeping switchbacks takes it well above the lake, and at the top of the grade it enters Emerald Bay State Park and follows a narrow ridge that barely fits two lanes, with a vista point looking down on the bay and Fannette Island, the only island in Lake Tahoe. The road was first built in 1913 and was among the hardest stretches of highway to build around the lake, with granite blasted away for a surface. Beyond the Eagle Falls and Vikingsholm turnoffs it runs on along the west shore through Meeks Bay, Tahoma and Homewood, crossing into Placer County, and ends at the CA 28 junction in Tahoe City. It is narrow with limited shoulders, so expect cyclists in summer and rockslides after snowmelt or heavy rain.