Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit · California, Nevada

Bayview Trail

2.6 mi of trail, end to end · native material surface · trail No. 17E04 · trail class 2 · typical grade 20-30% · tread 18-24 inches wide

Begins at the forest's mile 0, 38.9434, -120.1001 - no trailhead mapped Drive to where the trail begins

Bayview Trailhead and Day-Use Area the Forest Service's write-up

This area can be extremely crowded on weekends. Please consider visiting in the early morning or late afternoon for a more relaxing experience.

Bayview Trailhead and Day-Use Area is located near Emerald Bay on the south shore of beautiful Lake Tahoe. The trailhead is located in a shaded area at approximately 7,100 feet in elevation. Opening and closing dates are dependent on weather, but the area is typically open from mid-May through mid-October. Bayview serves as a trailhead for Desolation Wilderness . Campfires (wood, charcoal or any other solid fuels) are not permitted.

Restrictions <ul><li>&nbsp;</li></ul>

This trailhead on fs.usda.gov

Cascade Falls the Forest Service's write-up

The trail starts at the Bayview Trailhead on the back side of Bayview Campground. The round-trip to the falls is not in Desolation Wilderness, so no permit is needed. The trail is public, but Cascade Lake itself is a private lake. The trail is approximately one-mile each way, for a total of a two-mile round-trip. The trail is easy and mostly level, but rocky. Sturdy hiking shoes are recommended.

This hike on fs.usda.gov

Every trail in Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit

All 152 trails in Lake Tahoe Basin Management UnitFind a trailForest on fs.usda.gov

About this trail's facts

The lines are the US Forest Service's National Forest System trails layer (public domain), read 2026-10-16 and simplified for the map; the length is the line's, end to end, and the class, surface, grade and tread width are the forest's own entries where it publishes them - a forest that publishes the centreline alone has none. The trailheads and the points along the way are the Service's recreation points, and the write-ups its own recarea text, unedited. Heights come from USGS 3DEP through Terrain Tiles on AWS (Mapzen/Tilezen), read along each line and rounded; a short trail on steep ground can be off by a few tens of feet. Closures change: check the forest's own site before you go.