USFS: Fireworks, alcohol and parking rules for Tahoe
Possession of fireworks of any kind, including sparklers, is illegal in the Lake Tahoe Basin. Campfires are not permitted on U.S. Forest Service beaches or in the general forest.
For July 4 only, personal barbecues are allowed at Nevada, Pope and Baldwin beaches but are not permitted on any other Forest Service beaches or in the general forest.
The annual alcohol ban will be in effect on Nevada Beach and within Zephyr Cove Resort and Zephyr Shoals (the former Dreyfus Estate).
In addition, county and state laws also ban the possession or consumption of alcohol on the Truckee River from Tahoe City to Alpine Meadows and Chamber’s Landing Beach on the West Shore July 1-6. These areas will be patrolled by law enforcement personnel from the Forest Service, Douglas County, Placer County and Carson City sheriff departments, and by private security staff.
If you’re parking on the side of the road to access Forest Service facilities, make sure you’re parked completely on gravel or dirt, not on vegetation. Parking on vegetation may result in a citation for resource damage, plus there’s a chance your car’s catalytic converter could spark a fire. Consider public transportation if you’re going to the beach that day. The Nifty Fifty Trolley stops at Forest Service beaches along the south and west shores.
Keep in mind that in developed recreation sites, such as Kiva, Tallac and the Taylor Creek Visitor Center, parking is allowed only in designated parking spaces, not along the roadway.
Day-use fees for the Fourth of July at Pope, Baldwin, and Nevada beaches are $20 and at Zephyr Cove Beach $25 to cover increased security and facility maintenance costs of the holiday.
Respect the rules on where dogs are allowed. Dogs are not allowed at designated swim beaches, including Nevada, Pope, Baldwin, Meeks and William Kent. If you are looking for a place to take your leashed dog, try Kiva Picnic Area from Valhalla Boathouse/Pier to Tallac Point in South Lake Tahoe, Echo Lakes on Echo Summit, Zephyr Shoals on the East Shore (the old Dreyfus Estate located north of Zephyr Cove Resort), Hidden and Chimney beaches on the East Shore, Coon Street Beach (at the boat launch) in King’s Beach, Kaspian and 64 Acres in Tahoe City.
For more information, visit the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit website or call (530) 543.2694.
For Get Th over blown 4Th, wait till the 5Th or the 3Th, stay home on the 4Th.NO BIG DEAL ,let the flat lander turkeys have it,they be gone by the weekend then the jock golf morons be here for week then it’s pretty much over,only music shows with smoke ,tight shorts,be labor day before the blink of an EYE.
ENJOY,IT GOES TOO FAST WHEN YOU’RE HAVING FUN.
Why is it that the NUMBER ONE cause of preventable forest fires is not mentioned? According to the U.S. Forest Service, SMOKING is not allowed during high fire season other than in paved parking areas and inside of cars, yet this is not mentioned. How much money is being spent by the tobacco companies this year to pay off the Forest Service and environmental agencies to ignore this? How many more toxic cigarette butts will end up in our lake and our drinking water from the fireworks event, alone? Each one of those butts contains arsenic (rat poison), formaldehyde, cadmium (battery acid) polonium 210 (radioactive), acetone (nail polish remover), ammonium hydroxide (toilet bowl cleaner), nicotine (highly toxic POISON), and Drano! Aside from breathing secondhand tobacco smoke on every beach (2nd hand smoke kills 63,000 Americans each year), over 1,000 people die in cigarette caused fires each year in the U.S. alone. What ever happened to Smoky Bear? Has the U.S. Forest Service turned into yet another whore for the tobacco industry?
Tobaccodeath, you’re right. They discuss fireworks, sparklers, no parking on vegetation, barbecues, and even family pets. Nothing about the fire hazard or toxic litter caused by negligent smokers. That’s like forgetting to mention locks when discussing home security or staying silent on hygiene standards when writing about food safety.
When something that screamingly obvious and basic is omitted, it really does look as though someone was paid off by the tobacco industry. Or maybe the writer is a smoker who thinks the destructiveness of toxic litter or a major forest fire is preferable to ruffling the fuzzy feelings of even one more smoker with tiresome facts about common sense, courtesy, and personal responsibility.
The smoker who dropped a cigarette out of the Heavenly gondola was never caught even though he/she set the mountain on fire (glance behind you from south shore beaches at the big scar.)
It’s crazy to be so casual about people walking in the meadows and forests while smoking, crazy and potentially terrifying.
Bear up, Smoky, get serious about the fire starters!
Smackey The Frog is the forest fire spokesperson in the UK. Frog up, Smackey.