Over the past decade, Sand Harbor State Park has seen a dramatic increase in visitors, with numbers rising from 365,000 in 2012 to 1.3 million in 2023. To manage this surge, the park will require reservations for entry on weekends and holidays starting August 17th through October.

Currently, the park reaches capacity minutes after opening, causing significant traffic congestion on Highway 28. The new system aims to alleviate this issue by requiring reservations, which will cost $5 in addition to the entrance fee and be required until 10:30 a.m. After that, entry will be on a first-come, first-served basis. The online reservation system goes live on July 1st.

This move is part of a broader effort to update the park’s master plan, designed to handle the dramatic increase in visitors. Parking reservations, already successful at Palisades Tahoe, are being adopted across Lake Tahoe to manage traffic and over-tourism. With Tahoe averaging 15 million visitor days annually, such strategies are crucial for sustainable tourism.