Kings Beach State Recreation Area is the flagship beach site in the North Tahoe area. Kings Beach 1,700 feet of lakefront is the largest public access sandy beach on the North Shore of Lake Tahoe. The wide stretch of white sand is a favorite of visitors and residents alike. Its south facing aspect and a lake floor that gradually deepens makes this one of the warmest swimming areas on the Lake.

A beautiful playground area overlooks the water and gives the kids a place to play after they have tired of playing in the Lake. Barbecue and picnic areas are available on a first come, first served basis. The beach is adjacent to shops, restaurants and the North Tahoe Event Center, where tourist activities information is available. Currently, there are no charges to use any of the North Tahoe beaches.

Joe King, the man the beach is named after, was as colorful a character as the turquoise Lake Tahoe waters. Joe was a burly Texan who wore a patch over one eye that he probably lost in a fight. Rumors swirled that he had fled Texas after killing a man, but the story could never be confirmed.

Joe settled in the Truckee-Tahoe area during the Roaring 20s and began to earn the reputation of being a wily card player and astute businessman. He gambled hard, ran a speakeasy, and made bootleg whiskey.

How Joe acquired the beach sounds like something from a Hollywood movie. Being a shrewd businessman and cunning card player, Joe won the shore and surrounding acreage (or the money to buy it) in a poker game.

Joe King, rolled into Truckee by train in 1922. The 32-year-old King was quickly spotted by Dick Joseph, owner of the Pastime Club on Truckee’s Commercial Row. King, an itinerant gambler, was big and burly but friendly and intelligent. Joseph was looking to hire a bodyguard and bouncer for his saloon due to the town’s high crime rate caused by transients and riffraff.

The two men liked each other and Joseph offered King a deal he couldn’t refuse: an immediate full partnership in the Pastime Club, with King paying back the initial loan from profits over time.

Like many saloons and clubs operating illegally in the 1920s and early 30s during the nationwide Prohibition Era, the Pastime Club offered cigars and snacks when you walked in but sported a speakeasy in the basement where banned alcohol was served. Dick Joseph installed slot machines in the cellar and hosted unlawful card games like poker. King had considerable experience in the bootleg liquor and barroom business, so he fit right in.

Despite his reputation as a brawler, King was smart, respected and well-liked by many in the Truckee-Tahoe community. He was also a sharp businessman, active real–estate developer and shrewd investor, using both legitimate and illicitly gained cash to bankroll property development, first in Truckee, then Tahoe City and finally Kings Beach.

But how did Joe King become the namesake of Kings Beach? That’s where the story gets good.

It started with Dick Joseph making a bold move: he took out a loan (without telling King) to buy a hefty chunk of lakeshore property near the Nevada border. Back then, it was mostly towering sand dunes—hardly the picturesque paradise we think of today. When Joseph finally confessed, King was less than impressed, calling the land “a worthless pile of sand.” But Joseph had vision. He knew lakefront property wouldn’t stay cheap forever.

The night after the purchase, the two men sat down at a poker game and, incredibly, won back most of the money Joseph had spent. Talk about doubling down. They remained partners until 1933, when Joseph’s health forced him to relocate to Arizona.

Before he left, he sold all his Truckee-Tahoe investments to King, including his share of the Kings Beach property. What King once dismissed as a bad bet turned into the foundation of his legacy.

Fast forward to the 1950s, and Joe King wasn’t just building towns; he was helping build businesses. Enter Jim and Margaret Knudson, a couple from Grass Valley with a taco recipe and a dream. After King tried their food, he encouraged them to bring their mobile taco kitchen to Kings Beach. It was a slow start, but by 1958, King had built them a permanent location on North Tahoe Boulevard. That little spot became the first Jimboy’s Tacos, attracting celebrities and locals alike. Even Frank Sinatra’s Rat Pack and the stars of “Bonanza” couldn’t resist.

Kings Beach also found itself at the center of the rock ‘n’ roll universe in the late 1960s. By then, a portion of King’s properties had been converted into a bowling alley. It became the Kings Beach Bowl, a low-ceilinged venue that hosted some of the era’s biggest bands. We’re talking Creedence Clearwater Revival, Janis Joplin, Buffalo Springfield, and even the Grateful Dead.



Holding a raucous rock concert in a small bowling alley with 10-foot-high ceilings seems ludicrous today, but local Tahoe hippies and music lovers packed the venue each weekend.

In August 1967, the Grateful Dead band arrived to play “Lake Tahoe Tour.” They enjoyed themselves so much that the following winter in February 1968 they traveled to Tahoe for their “Trip and Ski Tour.” The band then played again later that summer.

In 2001, the Grateful Dead released a two-disc set of their February 1968 concert at the Kings Beach Bowl.

The music venue closed down at the end of 1968, and 20 years later the North Tahoe Event Center was established.

Ultimately, Kings Beach has blossomed into a flourishing community. The neighborhood has a long, storied history, with many colorful characters and events.

The Grateful Dead said it best: “What a long strange trip it’s been.”