How to Get to Bonsai Rock in Lake Tahoe

Bonsai Rock in Lake Tahoe is one of those places that sounds made up: a giant rock sitting in the crystal-clear water with a tiny cluster of trees growing right out of the top. And yes, there really is a Bonsai Rock on the east side of Lake Tahoe!

“But Kerry, WHAT? Please explain!” Okay, let me explain.

Lake Tahoe’s Bonsai Rock is literally a large rock sitting in the water, not too far away from the shoreline with a cluster of 3 or 4 small trees growing out of a gap in the top of the rock. The type of trees growing out of Bonsai Rock are pine, fir and a small hardwood shrub.

Dave and I were there for HOURS and we had an absolute blast swimming around and jumping off the Bonsai Rock and soaking up the sun. It ended up being one of our favourite spots to spend a summer day at Lake Tahoe.

The tricky part? Actually finding Bonsai Rock and getting down to it. There is very limited parking and the trail down to the water isn’t particularly well defined. When we visited, we had a bit of trouble figuring out exactly where to go and ended up doing some bush bashing to reach the shoreline.

That’s exactly why I put this guide together! I’ll show you exactly how to find Bonsai Rock in Lake Tahoe, including the GPS coordinates and directions for getting down to the water, so you can spend less time searching and more time swimming, paddle boarding and jumping off the rocks.

I’ve also included tips on where to park, where to stay nearby and other things to do in the area to help you make the most of your Lake Tahoe trip.

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Bonsai Rock – The Most Picturesque Rock in Lake Tahoe

Table of Contents

Quick Tips for visiting Lake Tahoe

📍 Where is Lake Tahoe: California / Nevada USA

✈ Where to Fly into: Reno-Tahoe International Airport – Find FLIGHTS here!

📆 When to Visit: Best time to visit for paddle boarding in Lake Tahoe is late Spring / Summer / early Fall

🛌 Top 3 Hotels in Lake Tahoe:
Desolation Hotel ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 9.4 rating
Marriot Grand Residence Club ⭐⭐⭐⭐9.0 rating
Tahoe Lakeshore Lodge and Spa ⭐⭐⭐ 8.7 rating

🚗 Rental Car: DiscoverCars is our go to for the best rental car prices!
🚐 Rental Campervan: Rent a campervan from Outdoorsy!
🛶 Best Lake Tahoe Tour: Clear Kayak Tour

My Top Pick for Seeing Bonsai Rock

Clear Kayak Tour to Bonsai Rock

See up to 65 feet (20 meters) below the water’s surface
Enjoy the relaxed atmosphere of a small-group tour
Take in 360-degree views from a transparent kayak
Includes round-trip shuttle service from the Village Plaza rental shop

Book your clear kayak tour here!

Where is the Bonsai Rock located

Bonsai Rock is a rock sitting in the water of Lake Tahoe, Nevada on the East shore. From Incline Village, Bonsai Rock is a 10 minute drive and from South Lake Tahoe, it is around a 40 minute drive. It is quite a hard spot to find as you cannot see the rock from the road and there is no official parking lot there.

Some people call this shoreline “Bonsai Beach,” however, there is only a small section of sand there.

Girl sitting on Bonsai Rock in Lake Tahoe

Bonsai Rock GPS Coordinates

The GPS Coordinates to the parking spots along the main rock (aka the pullout), are 39.18339787994893, -119.92671848247245.

How to get to Bonsai Rock Lake Tahoe

To get to Bonsai Rock from South Lake Tahoe, you will need to head towards Sand Harbor. It will be about a 40 minute drive. The Bonsai Rock parking area is about 5 minutes before Sand Harbor. If you are coming from Incline Village, it’s only a 10 minute drive and you will need to drive past Sand Harbor Beach.

Once parked using the GPS coordinates above, you will need to walk back along the sandy part of the side of the road towards Sand Harbor.

There are loads of little trails heading down to the water from here. We took once that was not too far from the parking spots but if you want to sit on Bonsai Beach, then you will need to walk along the road so that you have just past Bonsai Rock. I recommend walking to about here 39.18506631381534, -119.92715751234854 and then finding a trail down to the beach.

👉 Your next read: The Best Ever 2 Day Lake Tahoe Itinerary

Why is it called Bonsai Rock?

Bonsai Rock got its name because there is a mini tree growing out of the rock that makes it look exactly like a Bonsai Tree! Pretty cool right?! And not to mentioned great for photography!

Things to consider before visiting the Bonsai Rock in Lake Tahoe

Wear sunscreen and bring sunscreen – we ended up staying at Bonsai Rock waaay longer than we had planned to and actually ran out of sunscreen so we both got burnt!
Consider bringing some enclosed shoes for the short hike down to the water from the road. I wore Tevas and they weren’t too bad but Dave wore flip flops which made it a bit of a struggle because the “trail” was so sandy and steep.
There isn’t much cell reception at Bonsai Rock so if you are meeting up with friends, do it the old fashioned way and make a plan on where to meet beforehand.
Bring along some water shoes or Tevas if you have them. I found it so helpful for getting in and out of the water as you have to climb over rocks.
Bonsai Rock is one of the best places to paddle board in Lake Tahoe but it is best to start your paddle board from Sand Harbor as it is hard to get down to the water at Bonsai Rock with a paddle board.

Best Time to visit Bonsai Rock

The best time of day to visit Bonsai Rock is early in the morning when the water is most likely at its calmest. The parking situation is also a little nuts so it’s best to get there bright and early to beat the crowds!

Bonsai Rock on a sunny day with Kayakers in the water and people ready to jump off the rock

We were a little late when we visited Bonsai Rock as it was our last day in Lake Tahoe and we were checking out of our hotel. We got REALLY lucky as someone was leaving right as we were arriving. Dave and I visited in Summer which was perfect for jumping into the beautiful cold water.

Surprisingly, the water was not as freezing as I was expecting it to be but I’m sure if we had been in the deeper water, it would have been much colder.

Clear Kayak Tour to Bonsai Rock, Lake Tahoe

Drone Photo of clear kayak tour in lake tahoe. You can see all of the way through the water to the rocks and sand below. — *Credit: Clearly Tahoe (via Viator)*

One of the best ways to see Bonsai Rock is to join a Clear Kayak Tour. This is something that we SO badly wanted to do, but didn’t quite have enough time for so it’s on the list for next time!

The tour starts in Incline Village and leaves from Sand Harbour, which is a gorgeous beach and great for paddle boarding and kayaking. The water of Lake Tahoe is some of the clearest water I have EVER seen so I can only imagine how incredible it must be to paddle on it in a clear kayak!

👉 Check prices and book a Clear Kayak Tour here!

Places to stay near Bonsai Rock that are SO worth it!

If you want to stay as close to Bonsai Rock as possible, I would stay in Incline Village at one of the following hotels / cabins.

Third Creek Comfort Townhouse – Gorgeous wooden townhouse with a pool for cooler off on those super hot Lake Tahoe days!
Hyatt Vacation Club at High Sierra Lodge – Located right in Incline Village with a pool and very good ratings!

When we visited Lake Tahoe, we stayed in South Lake Tahoe at Bally’s Casino Resort which was great because it was affordable for such a nice hotel room and facilities.

Other things to do nearby

Monkey Rock Trail

Distance: 4.2km / 2.6 miles return | Time: 1-1.5 hours | Elevation: 152m / 498ft

Photo of girl sitting on a rock that is shaped like a lounge chair at the end viewpoint at Monkey Rock in Lake Tahoe at sunset. She is looking out at the view of the sun setting over the lake

The Monkey Rock Trail is only a 7 minute drive from Bonsai Rock, making it the perfect thing to do afterwards. We hiked up to Monkey Rock for sunset and it was so worth it!

In a nutsell, Monkey Rock is a viewpoint overlooking Lake Tahoe which you hike up to and where you will also find a monkey shaped rock! Oh! and there’s a really cool lounge shaped rock which I enjoyed watching the sunset from. See photo above.

This is a really fun adventure for both adults and kids and I highly recommend as it is not a huge hike. Also a great activity for working off all that delicious Lake Tahoe restaurant food! haha

Paddle board at Secret Cove Beach

Secret Cove is only a 3 minute drive from Bonsai Rock and it is paradise! The water is crystal clear with tons of rocks and boulders sticking up out of the water. We spent hours paddle boarding and swimming around the cove.

Our Thoughts

Bonsai Rock was a really beautiful place to chill out for the most of the day. The downside was that there wasn’t a lot of shade by the lake. There were a few trees that we used for shade but the shade moved very quickly as the sun moved.

Other than that and the annoying trek down to the water, I highly recommend Bonsai Rock as a place to get away from the crowds and enjoy the water as there are only a few parking spots there.

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