Commons Beach is a public lakefront park of a little over four acres in downtown Tahoe City, on the northwest shore of Lake Tahoe in Placer County. The Tahoe City Public Utility District (TCPUD) runs it. The land has been public since the 1800s, when roughly 900 feet of shoreline was set aside as a town commons. Rail yards, a wharf and private businesses later took over much of it, and the California Tahoe Conservancy and TCPUD rebuilt it as a park between 2002 and 2003. Today it is a strip of sand and lawn below the shops along North Lake Boulevard (State Route 28).

The park address is 400 North Lake Blvd, in the middle of the Tahoe City business district. A small lot sits at the bottom of Commons Beach Road, and metered spaces line the surrounding streets, but parking runs short on summer weekends and on Thursday mornings when the farmers market fills the lot. From the street, stone stairways drop down the bluff to the lawn. The side stairs are gentler than the main set. TART buses from Truckee, Incline Village and the West Shore stop in Tahoe City close to the entrance, and the paved shoreline bike paths along Highways 89 and 28 lead directly into the park, so leaving the car behind is often easier.

The swim area is a long, narrow beach of imported sand backed by a grassy lawn and shade trees. Under the water the bottom turns to cobbles and rocks, so water shoes help. Lake Tahoe is cold even in midsummer. Surface water near shore usually peaks somewhere in the 60s Fahrenheit in August, and it is much colder in June. TCPUD does not list lifeguards here, so swimming is at your own risk. Boats sit on moorings just offshore, and paddlers launch from the beach, so stay close to shore and keep clear of the mooring field. A summer concession rents kayaks and paddleboards.

Entry is free. The Tahoe Conservancy describes the park as free to the public and open year-round, and beach listings give the hours as dawn to dusk. Dogs are not allowed on the beach or lawn, though leashed dogs may use the paved multi-use trail that runs through the park. Fires are never allowed on Tahoe beaches, and the group barbecue can be shut down without notice when North Tahoe Fire imposes restrictions. Any canoe, kayak or paddleboard must be clean, drained and dry before it goes in the lake, to keep aquatic invasive species out.

Afternoon wind can raise chop on this side of the lake quickly, and summer thunderstorms build over the Sierra crest with little warning. Harmful algal blooms have been confirmed at some Tahoe beaches in recent summers. Commons Beach has tested negative for cyanobacteria toxins when state water quality staff checked it, but conditions change, so check California's harmful algal bloom portal before a trip.

The park has six heated restrooms, a playground with separate areas for younger and older kids, three picnic areas, a small amphitheater, a bike repair station and the town's historic jail. In summer TCPUD hosts free Concerts at Commons Beach on Sunday afternoons, and the Tahoe City Farmers Market runs Thursday mornings from May to October. The group barbecue (up to 75 people) and the amphitheater can be reserved through TCPUD. Shops and restaurants are a short walk up the stairs, and the Truckee River outlet dam and the Gatekeeper's Museum are about a quarter mile southwest.