Emerald Bay State Park

Last updated

Emerald Bay State Park
Emerald Bay, Lake Tahoe, California. 2015.jpg
Emerald Bay, with Fannette Island
Relief map of California.png
Red pog.svg
Usa edcp relief location map.png
Red pog.svg
Location El Dorado County, California, United States
Nearest city Tahoma, California
Coordinates 38°57′13″N120°5′38″W / 38.95361°N 120.09389°W / 38.95361; -120.09389
Area1,533 acres (6.20 km2)
Established1953
Governing body California Department of Parks and Recreation
Designated1968

Emerald Bay State Park is a state park of California in the United States, centered on Lake Tahoe's Emerald Bay, a National Natural Landmark. [1] Park features include Eagle Falls and Vikingsholm, a 38-room mansion that is considered one of the finest examples of Scandinavian architecture in the United States. [2] The architect was Leonard Palme, who was hired by his aunt Laura Knight to design and build Vikingsholm. The park contains the only island in Lake Tahoe, Fannette Island. The park is accessible by California State Route 89 near the southwest shore of the lake. Emerald Bay is one of Lake Tahoe's most photographed and popular locations.

Contents

In 1969 Emerald Bay was recognized as a National Natural Landmark by the federal Department of the Interior. In 1994 California State Parks included the surrounding water of the bay as a part of the park, making Emerald Bay one of the first underwater parks of its type in the state, protecting the various wrecks and other items on the bay's bottom.

The 1,533-acre (620 ha) park was established in 1953. [3] It is located directly south of D. L. Bliss State Park.

Summer temperatures at the park range from the low 40 °F (4 °C) at night to mid-70 °F (21 °C) during the day, and during the winter visitors will usually experience temperatures between 20 and 40 °F (−7 and 4 °C). During harsh winters the bay freezes over. The bay is about 1.7 miles (2.7 km) in length, and about two-thirds of a mile (1 km) wide at its widest point.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sierra Nevada</span> Mountain range in the Western United States

The Sierra Nevada is a mountain range in the Western United States, between the Central Valley of California and the Great Basin. The vast majority of the range lies in the state of California, although the Carson Range spur lies primarily in Nevada. The Sierra Nevada is part of the American Cordillera, an almost continuous chain of mountain ranges that forms the western "backbone" of the Americas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geography of California</span>

California is a U.S. state on the western coast of North America. Covering an area of 163,696 sq mi (423,970 km2), California is among the most geographically diverse states. The Sierra Nevada, the fertile farmlands of the Central Valley, and the arid Mojave Desert of the south are some of the major geographic features of this U.S. state. It is home to some of the world's most exceptional trees: the tallest, most massive, and oldest. It is also home to both the highest and lowest points in the 48 contiguous states. The state is generally divided into Northern and Southern California, although the boundary between the two is not well defined. San Francisco is decidedly a Northern California city and Los Angeles likewise a Southern California one, but areas in between do not often share their confidence in geographic identity. The US Geological Survey defines the geographic center of the state at a point near North Fork, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Truckee, California</span> Town in Nevada County, California, United States

Truckee is an incorporated town in Nevada County, California, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 16,180, reflecting an increase of 2,316 from the 13,864 counted in the 2000 Census and having the 316th highest population in California and 2114th in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Lake Tahoe, California</span> City in California, United States

South Lake Tahoe is the most populous city in El Dorado County, California, United States, in the Sierra Nevada mountains. The city's population was 21,330 at the 2020 census, down from 21,403 at the 2010 census. The city, along the southern edge of Lake Tahoe, extends about 5 miles (8 km) west-southwest along U.S. Route 50, also known as Lake Tahoe Boulevard. The east end of the city, on the California–Nevada state line right next to the town of Stateline, Nevada, is mainly geared towards tourism, with T-shirt shops, restaurants, hotels, and Heavenly Mountain Resort with the Nevada casinos just across the state line in Stateline. The western end of town is mainly residential, and clusters around "The Y", the X-shaped intersection of US 50, State Route 89, and the continuation of Lake Tahoe Boulevard after it loses its federal highway designation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lake Tahoe</span> Lake in California and Nevada, United States

Lake Tahoe is a freshwater lake in the Sierra Nevada of the Western United States, straddling the border between California and Nevada. Lying at 6,225 ft (1,897 m) above sea level, Lake Tahoe is the largest alpine lake in North America, and at 122,160,280 acre⋅ft (150.7 km3) it trails only the five Great Lakes as the largest by volume in the United States. Its depth is 1,645 ft (501 m), making it the second deepest in the United States after Crater Lake in Oregon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bruce Peninsula National Park</span> National park in Ontario, Canada

Bruce Peninsula National Park is a national park on the Bruce Peninsula in Ontario, Canada. Located on a part of the Niagara Escarpment, the park comprises 156 square kilometres and is one of the largest protected areas in southern Ontario, forming the core of UNESCO's Niagara Escarpment World Biosphere Reserve. It was established in 1987 to protect the rock formations and shoreline of the Niagara Escarpment. The park offers opportunities for many outdoor activities, including hiking, camping, and bird watching. The park has trails ranging in difficulty from easy to expert, and connects to the Bruce Trail. Bruce Peninsula National Park is known for its crystal clear blue waters, cobblestone beaches, rocky cliffs and karst formations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Virgin Islands National Park</span> 14,700 acres in St. John, Virgin Islands (US) managed by the National Park Service

The Virgin Islands National Park is an American national park preserving about 60% of the land area of Saint John in the United States Virgin Islands, as well as more than 5,500 acres of adjacent ocean, and nearly all of Hassel Island, just off the Charlotte Amalie, Saint Thomas harbor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Donner Lake</span> Freshwater lake in California, United States

Donner Lake is a freshwater lake in Northeast California on the eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada and about 20 miles (32 km) northwest of the much larger Lake Tahoe. A moraine serves as a natural dam for the lake. The lake is located in the town of Truckee, between Interstate 80 to the north and Schallenberger Ridge to the south. The tracks of the Union Pacific Railroad run along Schallenberger Ridge and closely follow the route of the original transcontinental railroad. The historic route of the Lincoln Highway, the first automobile road across America and US 40 follows the northern shoreline, then climbs to Donner Pass from where the entire lake may be viewed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rock Island State Park (Wisconsin)</span> State park on Rock Island in Door County, Wisconsin

Rock Island State Park is a state park of Wisconsin located on Rock Island off the tip of the Door Peninsula at the eastern edge of Green Bay and Lake Michigan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Donner Memorial State Park</span> State park in California, United States

Donner Memorial State Park is a state park of California, US, preserving the site of the Donner Camp, where members of the ill-fated Donner Party were trapped by weather during the winter of 1846–1847. Caught without shelter or adequate supplies, members of the group resorted to cannibalism to survive. The Sierra Nevada site has been designated a National Historic Landmark. The state park contains the Emigrant Trail Museum and the Pioneer Monument dedicated to the travelers of the Emigrant Trail.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vikingsholm</span> Historic house in California, United States

Vikingsholm is a 38-room mansion on the shore of Emerald Bay at Lake Tahoe, in El Dorado County, California, U.S., and on the National Register of Historic Places. It has been called "one of the finest examples of Scandinavian architecture in North America."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lake Tahoe–Nevada State Park</span> State park on Lake Tahoe in Nevada, United States

Lake Tahoe–Nevada State Park is a state park comprising multiple management units and public recreation areas on the northeast shores of Lake Tahoe in the U.S. state of Nevada. The park covers approximately 14,301 acres (5,787 ha). The Marlette Lake Water System, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and as a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark, lies within park boundaries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Big Pocono State Park</span> State park in Pennsylvania, United States

Big Pocono State Park is a 1,305.6-acre (528.4 ha) Pennsylvania state park in Jackson and Pocono townships in Monroe County, Pennsylvania in Northeastern Pennsylvania. The park is located on Camelback Mountain and is maintained jointly by the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and Camelback Ski Corporation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peninsula State Park</span> State park in Door County, Wisconsin

Peninsula State Park is a 3,776-acre (1,528 ha) Wisconsin state park with eight miles (13 km) of Green Bay shoreline in Door County. Peninsula is the third largest state park in Wisconsin and is visited by an estimated one million visitors annually.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Newport State Park</span> State Park in Wisconsin, United States

Newport State Park is a 2,373-acre (960 ha) Wisconsin state park at the tip of Door Peninsula near Europe Lake. Protecting 11 miles (18 km) of shoreline on Lake Michigan, Newport is Wisconsin's only wilderness-designated state park. The park is open year-round and can be accessed via WIS 42.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thunderbird Lodge (Lake Tahoe, Nevada)</span> Historic house in Nevada, United States

The Thunderbird Lodge, also known as the Whittell Estate, is a historic 6.51-acre (2.63 ha) waterfront estate located on the east shore of Lake Tahoe, in western Washoe County, Nevada. It is now within Lake Tahoe – Nevada State Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ed Z'berg Sugar Pine Point State Park</span> Place in California listed on National Register of Historic Places

Ed Z'berg Sugar Pine Point State Park is a state park in California in the United States. It occupies nearly two miles of the western shore of Lake Tahoe and a total of about 1,000 hectares of forested mountains in El Dorado County. Originally called Sugar Pine Point State Park, its name was changed in 2003 to honor Edwin L. Z'berg, a California state assemblyman who specialized in environmental legislation and worked to develop state parks and other natural areas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dicks Peak</span> Mountain in the state of California

Dicks Peak is a 9,974-foot-elevation (3,040 meter) mountain summit located in the Sierra Nevada mountain range in El Dorado County, California, United States. It is the third-highest peak in the Desolation Wilderness, and is set on land managed by Eldorado National Forest. It is situated six miles (9.7 km) south of Lake Tahoe, and approximately eight miles (13 km) west of the community of South Lake Tahoe. Topographic relief is significant as the west aspect rises over 2,300 feet above Rockbound Valley in approximately one mile. One-half mile east of the peak the Pacific Crest Trail and Tahoe Rim Trail traverse Dicks Pass, which provides an approach option for those climbing the peak. Inclusion on the Sierra Peaks Section peakbagging list generates climbing interest.

Lora Josephine Knight was a philanthropist from California who was at one time one of the wealthiest women in America according to newspaper reports. She was a major promoter and financial backer of Charles Lindbergh's flight across the Atlantic in the Spirit of St. Louis; and donated to a number of other causes and funded various building projects including her own summer retreat Vikingsholm, for which she is most known.

References

  1. "Emerald Bay". National Natural Landmarks Program. National Park Service. Retrieved December 15, 2011.
  2. "History of Emerald Bay". Vikingsholm Foundation. Archived from the original on December 6, 2011. Retrieved December 15, 2011.
  3. "California State Park System Statistical Report: Fiscal Year 2009/10" (PDF). California State Parks: 32. Retrieved December 15, 2011.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)