Van Sickle Bi-State Park

Good for a short hike and less strenuous. The views are breathtaking as you hike up higher and higher. I can only imagine dieing the winter with snow, how it would look like

This is a beautiful spot for a day hike, passive walk, leisurely stroll; or launch point for a more aggressive adventure on the rim trail. Newly constructed facilities that include bathrooms and picnic areas. Plenty of shade or sun and great views of the mountains, lake and casino corridor. Easy access from Stateline makes this park the perfect option for visitors that want to have a Tahoe outdoor experience reachable by foot from their hotel.

Beautiful place to go for a run! I loved it. I pretty much had the place to myself, no others there. Awesome

Go early really early! Gets super busy. And DOG OWNERS DON’T KNOW THE MEANING OF A LEASH!!! I leash my dog, yet I’m the one feeling bad when dogs run up on mine and he growls.

I wanted to do a hike that would give me a good view of Lake Tahoe while staying in South Lake Tahoe, so I chose Van Sickle Bi-​State Park. The instructions for the hiking trail behind Harrah’s was a bit confusing, as the cab driver was like, where does Park and Montréal intersect? Cab drivers in Lake Tahoe are the nicest that I’ve met anywhere though, because he tried to drive around a bit to help me find the trailhead. You have to turn up the road, but I just decided to get out and walk from the sign. The trail to the Tahoe Rim Trail was probably the most strenuous hike I’ve ever done, and I wasn’t expecting it to be that difficult. Usually 3.4 miles isn’t a problem at all, but this hike was steep and the harsh sun wasn’t helping the situation, so by the time I reached the end of my hike, where there’s a sign for Boulder Bowl, Stagecoach Return, and the Tahoe Rim Trail continuation, I had enough and was ready to take a bus back down the mountain like a passer-​by recommended to me. The trail was well marked, but maps along the way would have been nice— I could have sworn there was a shorter trail I could have taken that looped back down to the trailhead. Plus, looking at google maps, by the time I reached the end of the scenic hiking part of the Tahoe Rim Trail, it had been closer to 5.6 miles than the 3.4 miles I thought it was. It was a nice hike, but more work than I expected!

Great hike and easily accessible ! Very close to the Marriott, hike to the waterfall is about 40 mins both ways. The views are outstanding ! Clear well marked path

This park is directly behind the Raley’s, Heavenly, and Harrahs. It is quite extensive and has many hiking trails. We hiked to the top of the peak or mountain, which was only a couple thousand feet in elevation or so. The views are beautiful and the trail is well marked and in decent shape. It’s a very nice area to hike for just about anyone of any skill or experience level.

I agree with the other Unilocalers — excellent hiking. Good for novices and beginners. Anyone can do this hike (Yes, you too!). Beginners stay on the trail and novices go up the trail underneath the gondola for a full body workout. We stopped in the middle since it was looking dicey and took the normal zigzag trail on the downhill to be safe.
We parked inside near the bathrooms and parking was free. Bring a backpack with your lunch and water, a hat, and sunscreen. Many great view of the lake on this trail! And we saw a lot of baby chipmunks. Lots of boulders and rocks to climb for those silly cliff photos and to get a better view of the lake. I would start earlier in the morning before it gets hot and make sure to dress in layers.

This is a perfect hike if you want to stay close to downtown but still get a taste of nature. It is literally five minutes from Safeway and the hike to the supposed «waterfall» so it was nice. I would say it is 2 miles there with bits of incline all throughout. It’s pretty dry around September so I guess I shouldnt have expected gushes of waterfall. I like that it was such a short drive rather than a 45 minute drive like all other hikes.

Easy to moderate trail hiking for the whole family. Free parking. Great views. Warning — gates open at 7 AM. Don’t go before then unless you plan to park at the bottom of the hill and walk up the lane.
I also saw a number of mountain bikers and equestrian paths. Probably worth checking out if you are into either one of those activities.

Excellent hiking! Left around 8 in the morning on a mid July day when it was still cooler. It was very easy to find and close to out hotel in south tahoe. We took a short hike on the van sickle trail just past the waterfall (nothing to write home about) and we also went to the Lake Tahoe vista. In our short 2 mile hike we were able to see maybe the best views of the Sierra Nevadas and Lake Tahoe.
It is way worth it to see the vista. Make sure to bring the camera for this great photo op. This vista is very close to the parking lot, so a nice moderate hike most people can do. There are some rocks you would need to tackle to get the best views though.
My favorite views were actually after the vista, farther on the trail once you get above the ridge line their are some epic views all along the trail. My husband was getting quite frustrated with me because of how slow I was going, because I couldn’t stop looking and taking photos.
All in all a very great hike and worth checking out if your in the area. I would have liked to go farther, but we didn’t have the time. I will definitely be retuning the next time I’m in south tahoe.

July 12, 2014: 9:00 AM
Yesterday was another great day for a hike from the Van Sickle Bi-​State Park Trailhead.
As I re-​read my initial review it’s hard to say that anything has changed. Yesterday I did note that there were about 15 bikes on the trail, and probably a total of 20 people that were encountered. I didn’t think this was too bad, as it was a Saturday in July at South Lake Tahoe.
If you’re reading this from the comfortable confines of Harrah’s or Montbleu look out your window and focus on the burn zone. You’ll see some folks walking through if you are patient and look hard. That’s the hike, and you need to know that those folks have an awesome view of Lake Tahoe, and it only gets better as they go further on up the trail.
So, I continue to be a big fan. This hike has something for everybody, but I would not recommend it for the very young or the very whiny, as there are some uphills that can be a bit strenuous.

We were looking for an easy family hike for us and our teenage kids. Most of the trails I enjoy around tahoe would be too crowded since this was the Saturday after 4^th of July. The town was mobbed with a long snaking line of traffic down Lake Tahoe blvd. I wasn’t sure where we could go but then I remembered this little park just past raleys next to the heavenly village shopping complex.
We pulled in and there were only a handful of cars in the parking lot, underscoring my intuition that not many people know about this area. They have very clean bathrooms in the parking lot, and there are ample spaces for small or large cars. We set out onto the easily marked trail head, following the signs for van sickle trail. At just over the 1 mile mark we came upon a pretty little stream and waterfall. It’s not a roaring fall especially with a drought summer but it was very picturesque and offerred some shade to rest up. I found the grade to be pleasant and agreeable to people of many abilities.
We continued on the trail for another half mile, taking in the amazing views of the lake and surrounding mountains. The trail continues on to eventually meet up with the tahoe rim trail, which is about 3.2 miles up from the trailhead. A fellows hiker told me that the trail crosses two more streams not he way to the TRT. But for us we were content at a mile and a half so we took the proverbial selfies and then headed back down to the parking lot.
All in all I was very impressed with the facilities and also the trail. It is well marked and the trail is cut at a very reasonable grade making this a doable hike for people of nearly any age or ability.
I hope you enjoy our beloved tahoe area and please treat our forests with the respect they have earned.

A beautiful park to visit in the summer; they have a wide variety of trails and paths to choose from, ranging in difficulties from novice to advanced. What’s most striking about this place is just the serene nature of it all, despite being so close to Tahoe and a nearby resort area. When you climb up into the higher spots, there’s nothing but the sound of birds and squirrels to break the gentle backdrop of the wind rushing through the trees.
Definitely being your hiking boots; even the gentler hills and trails are pretty demanding, and if you try to go in sneakers or skate shoes then you’ll be cursing the entire time. Other than that I so wish there was a bit more of a variety in areas, since all of it is wooded without any real pauses or breaks in the treeline. Also being plenty of water, maybe even extra, because once you’re in the hills, there’s nothing but you and nature.

Last week in South Lake Tahoe, I was looking for a simple little sledding hill for my 2.5 year old to play on safely. We followed a Unilocal tip about sledding to Van Sickle Park but it was closed for the season and had a sign that stated ‘no sledding’.
Booh.
Guess that’s all I know about this park but we were disappointed. We went to Kahle Park instead. It was fun to play in the snow there.
Won’t see ya there.

So, it’s not «Van Sickle Bi» State Park. It’s «Van Sickle» Bi-​State Park, because it’s operated jointly by California and Nevada. Pretty neat.
This is the spot that’s visible as you travel up on the Heavenly Gondola. It’s a totally cute little spot for winter snow play, just a quick walk above the Gondola Village and the mall with Raley’s and the cineplex. Kids will love sledding down the access road, closed to cars during winter, and there’s plenty of snow for playful mayhem.

Good hike with spectacular view of south Lake Tahoe skyline but fairly dried dirt due to the drought does kick up a little dusty. Moderate elevation but even my 5 yo nephew was able to make the 5 mile round trip up to the tiny waterfall and back down to the heavenly village.