Zephyr Cove Day Use Area

Zephyr Cove Day Use Area sits on the eastern shore of Lake Tahoe, a few miles north of Stateline along Highway 50. Granite boulders worn smooth by the water run along the shoreline, with pines standing behind them and the Sierra Nevada stretching out on the far side of the lake. The water here is very clear. The boulders make an amazing foreground if you set your camera low beside one, letting the rock fill the bottom of the frame, with lake and mountains stacked behind it. The shallow water paired with pale sand turns a rich turquoise, then drops to deep blue where the bottom falls away, and that colour break is worth experimenting with. A polarizer is fun to play around with here. You can turn it one way and the glare lifts off, showing the rocks below the surface. Or ease it back and the reflection of the peaks returns. You're facing west here, so the sun sets behind the mountains on the far side of the lake giving amazing colours late in the day. Mornings usually bring calm water and the surface flattens right out. Snow on the far peaks makes winter the quieter season to work. Parking is usually paid during the summer and the rules change throughout the year, so check before you drive up. Forest Service parking lots usually close outside of the summer months, but you can still walk in. (No fires are allowed on the beach.) (Zephyr Cove, Nevada, USA)