Ed Z'berg - Sugar Pine Point State Park, located ten miles south of Tahoe City on Highway 89, contains one of the finest remaining natural areas on Lake Tahoe. With nearly two miles of lake frontage, the park has dense forests of pine, fir, aspen and juniper.
Another attraction is the Hellman-Ehrman Mansion (also known as Pine Lodge), a summer home built in 1903 in a grove of pine and cedar. From the turn of the century until 1965, the lands of what is now Ed Z'berg - Sugar Pine Point State Park were owned by financier Isaias W. Hellman, and later by his daughter Florence Hellman Ehrman. The mansion provides an interesting view into the lifestyles of the wealthy on Lake Tahoe.
Facilities - Activities
Hiking & Swimming
Many miles of hiking trails within the park and a swimming beach provide visitors with a variety of relaxing summer activities.
Fishing
Ed Z'berg - Sugar Pine Point State Park is comprised of conifer forests in the General Creek drainage. The waters of General Creek are among the clearest waters flowing into Lake Tahoe and the stream is open to fishing from mid July to mid September. A fishing license is required.
Cross-Country Skiing and Snowshoeing
Winter visitors to the park will find over 20 kilometers of marked cross country ski trails and a heated restroom in the General Creek campground. The Olympic Biathlon Trail allows visitors to ski the historic trail from the 1960 Olympics! Interpretive presentations on a variety of winter related subjects are presented most weekends, from January through March.
Grooming schedule: Mondays & Fridays. Open all day. $10 parking fee. The Sierra State Parks Foundation supports these trails-making for FREE snowshoe and nordic skiing!
Visit the website for full moon snowshoe tour schedules. Join Park Rangers for moonlight adventures around the Hellman-Ehrman Mansion and along Lake Tahoe’s magical West Shore. Few experiences compare to snowshoeing under the light of a full moon along the snow covered Tahoe shoreline! For those new to snowshoeing, there are also beginners’ clinics.
Trails are open to hikers and snowshoers, however snowshoers and hikers, should not walk in the ski tracks. No dogs on snow trails.
Nature Center
When you're at Ed Z'berg - Sugar Pine Point State Park, be sure to stop at the Nature Center located in the day use area by the Ehrman Mansion. We now have a bird display, where visitors can view several species of bird life that occur in the Tahoe Basin. In addition to birds, visitors can see most of the mammals and the four major game fish that occur here. Other exhibits include: Biology, Lake Ecology, Wildflowers, Trees, and a "Touchy-feely" table for the kids (adults also!).
About the area...
Lake Tahoe lay at the heart of the Washoe Indian territory, and Ed Z'berg - Sugar Pine Point State Park was the summer home for generations of Washoe Indians who came to these peaceful shores to hunt and fish. Evidence of their occupation can still be seen today in the form of bedrock mortars or grinding rocks just offshore from the Ehrman Mansion.
In 1860, the first permanent settler of record on Lake Tahoe's west shore built a cabin at the mouth of General Creek. This was the trapper and fisherman William "General" Phipps, and his cabin can still be seen today just north of the Ed Z'berg - Sugar Pine Point State Park pier. In 1884, a resort called Bellevue Hotel was constructed just north of what is now the South Boathouse, and remained a popular summer destination for Lake Tahoe visitors for nine years.