Chimney Beach, a little off the beaten path on the east shore of Lake Tahoe, is a favorite for locals. Usually less crowded than the more commercial beaches, Chimney has a curving shoreline and large boulders that form a peninsula out into the water creating a small cove. Besides the main beach, featuring its namesake chimney (all that remains of a long-gone cabin), Chimney Beach has several smaller pockets of sand, a small lagoon and some large flat boulders you can sun on. If you hike a ways to the south, you’ll come to the more secluded Secret Cove, a popular clothing-optional beach. The Forest Service provides a parking lot with 30 spaces, rest rooms and a couple of picnic tables, but the beaches have no amenities. From Incline Village, the parking lot is 2.5 miles south of Sand Harbor on Highway 28. If you’re coming from the south, it’s 4.5 miles north of Highway 50. Chimney is a half-mile hike down from the parking lot, and Secret Cove is about a mile. Both are dog friendly, and parking is free.
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