Pope Beach is a day-use beach on the south shore of Lake Tahoe, run by the USDA Forest Service's Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit. It sits about three miles northwest of South Lake Tahoe off State Highway 89, between the Tahoe Keys and Camp Richardson, and covers roughly three-quarters of a mile of sand with tall pines growing right down to the back of the beach. Day-to-day operations are handled by a concessionaire, Vista Recreation, under a Forest Service special use permit, but the land is National Forest and the beach is open to anyone.

From South Lake Tahoe, take Highway 89 northwest for about three miles and watch for the entrance on the right. Coming from Tahoe City, it's roughly 25 miles south on Highway 89 around Emerald Bay, with the entrance on the left. Pope Beach Road runs parallel to the shoreline, and the paved parking lots sit in the trees behind the sand, so the walk from car to water is short. The Pope-Baldwin Bike Path passes the entrance, which makes this one of the easier Tahoe beaches to reach by bicycle.

The swimming is off a long, gently sloping sand beach. The bottom is sand, the water is very clear, and you can wade out a good distance before it gets deep, which is why families use it. Don't let the color fool you, though. Lake Tahoe stays cold through the whole summer, and a swim here is bracing even in August. No lifeguard is listed among the site's services, so you are on your own in the water. Afternoon wind can kick up chop quickly, and summer thunderstorms build over the mountains with little warning. Kayak and paddleboard rentals and a food concession usually operate on site in summer, and the views run from Mount Tallac on the west to the Nevada shore and Heavenly on the east.

Pope Beach is not free if you drive in. The Forest Service lists a day-use parking fee of $10 per vehicle per day, and season passes are sold at the entrance kiosk. Tahoe's public beach guide notes that fees go up over the Fourth of July holiday weekend. People who arrive on foot or by bike don't pay the vehicle fee. The site is day use only with no overnight stays, and the gated entrance is open for the season from about Memorial Day weekend through mid-October (the Forest Service lists the season as May through October).

No pets of any kind are allowed on Pope Beach, which is stricter than some nearby beaches. Wood and charcoal fires are prohibited; portable propane stoves with on/off valves are allowed only with a valid permit. The Forest Service keeps two standing advisories that name Pope Beach. One covers harmful algal blooms, which can appear anywhere in the basin, so check the State of California HAB portal before you go and stay out of water that looks scummy or discolored. The other covers bubonic plague, which occurs naturally in Sierra Nevada rodents, so don't feed or handle squirrels or chipmunks. There are flush toilets, but no drinking water, so bring your own.

Pope Beach is part of a run of Forest Service sites along this stretch of shore. Camp Richardson, the Tallac Historic Site, Kiva and Baldwin Beach, and the Taylor Creek Visitor Center are all a short ride west on the bike path, and picnic tables are spread through the pines behind the sand.