1 of 6

Kiva Beach

Leashed dogs are welcome at the wonderful dog-friendly Kiva Beach in South Lake Tahoe. East of Tallac Point, dogs are permitted on a leash (an El Dorado Country ordinance). Dogs are not permitted on the federally protected wetlands west of Tallac Point (where the Lake of the Sky trail concludes).This is for the protection of wildlife in this fragile ecosystem. Visit Website

Or call (530) 543-2674 or email sm.fs.paltbmu@usda.gov for more information.

Reviews

BringFido Guest Rating
TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

Kiva Beach has received a rating of 4.4 out of 5 bones by 13 canine critics on BringFido and 4.5 out of 5 by 53 guests on TripAdvisor.


Visitors describe Kiva Beach as a picturesque, dog-friendly beach with beautiful views and a generally well-behaved group of dogs. Some reviewers note issues with unleashed dogs, crowding, and occasional odors, but most find the beach a wonderful spot to bring their pets.

AI-generated from the text of reviews

  • Jerrod
    Jun 17, 2024
    Clean, fun, decent owners

    We’ve stopped by twice on our visit to South Lake Tahoe. First on the weekend where yes it was busy but everyone was cleaning up after dogs and keeping them well behaved. When we returned on a weekday we basically had the park to ourselves. About 10-15 minutes drive from most places in Tahoe, we’d visit again when traveling thru Tahoe area.

  • Samantha
    Jun 9, 2024
    Max Visits Kiva Beach

    Second time going to this very dog friendly beach. Lots of unleashed well behaved dogs. I knew this going in and have no problem with it. Everyone is super respectful and all the dogs we interacted with had great manners.

  • Sydney
    Feb 8, 2024
    We love Kiva!

    I was a regular at Kiva when I lived in S lake and still have yet to find a spot nearly as fun and beautiful to bring my pup. Always such a great group of people and dogs. King loves the water and I enjoy the walk to the beach from the parking lot or even on the busier days from the main road. Looking forward to my next trip up north so I can go back to Kiva!

  • Kristina
    Oct 5, 2023
    Picturesque

    Had a great time running around on the beach with my dog- Beautiful views too!

  • Haley
    May 2, 2022
    Clean, dog friendly beach

    this beach is not completely dog friendly. look for signs that permit dogs. east of Tallac point is dog friendly. the beach was clean and most dogs were off leash but everyone was very friendly.

  • Deirdre
    Jul 21, 2021
    Beautiful Area

    We love Tahoe, this was our first time bringing our dog. This was the nicest dog beach we visited and were able to put her in a day camp to visit even nicer beaches during our trip. Everything I did not like about this beach is why dogs are not allowed on all beaches. The sand had a poo/pee smell in some areas and almost all dogs are off leash - not all well behaved. Overall we would return here when we are in Tahoe again. For being a dog beach it was good.

  • Sandra
    Jun 24, 2021
    Great for Dogs

    This is one of the few beaches at Lake Tahoe you can bring your dog to. It is beautiful and easy to get into the water. If you come during the summer, arrive early because the parking lot fills up quickly. I would have given it 5 bones, but no one seems to obey the leash requirement here, so there are tons of dogs running around off-leash.

  • Heather
    Apr 3, 2021
    Great beach!

    This fairly narrow but beautiful lake side beach is gorgeous! The day we visited, the parking lot was closed so we found parking on the road and walked the half mile (or so) in but I am glad because otherwise it would have been too crowded and no one seemed to obey the leash laws here, this is the main reason I cannot give 5 bones.

  • Yvonne
    Jul 14, 2020
    Lovely beach

    Perfect mix of water kids dog and sand.

  • Jessie
    Oct 23, 2018
    Awesome Spot!

    Loved finding this spot! As a previous reviewer said, the best access is by turning on Heritage and then making an immediate left to the parking area that has direct access to a short and scenic trail to the beach. You can go to the beach itself, or continue walking a trail the opposite direction along side the lake.

    I'm sure it's busy on-season, but when we went (on a weekday in mid October at noon) there was plenty of parking, only a handful of people, and just a few dogs. Awesome experience and my dog was stoked to run alongside the beach and in the gorgeous clear water of Tahoe; the backdrop of the mountains made for some awesome pictures too!

  • Jamie
    Aug 9, 2018
    Pros and cons

    Kiva beach is best accessed by turning on to Heritage and then making an immediate left. Pros: lots of space, cool peninsula. Cons: bit of a walk from the nearest parking lot, no restrooms, no shade, up against a marsh with stagnant water, lake water isn't as inviting as it is at other beaches, lots of branches and plants in the water.

  • Dominic
    More than a year ago
    Awesome Beach

    Kiva beach is an awesome place to bring the dog. Highly recommend arriving early, as the parking closest to the beach front is small. We arrived at 8am, and there were only a few others for close to 2hrs, it began getting packed around 11:30am, so we decided to leave and go have lunch. Only reason I did not give a 5 none review, is because I wish everyone would respect the rules and keep their dogs on leash, even if it’s 30ft long. By 11:30 many dogs that were not very well socialized began shaking up and off leash. Again if you arrive early, you will have no issues.

  • Stacey
    More than a year ago
    nice beach for the pups

    The only thing keeping this from a 5 is there were a lot of bees at this beach.

Post a Review

Traveler Photos

We dug up 19 pictures of dogs at Kiva Beach.

Want to feature your creature? Upload a photo of your pet at Kiva Beach! You can also share by using the hashtag #bringfido on FacebookTwitter or Instagram.

Add a Photo

Area Info

Kiva Beach