SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – Despite a bit of spring rain, spirits were sunny on Thursday, May 28 as the community gathered to celebrate the reopening of D.L. Bliss State Park, a long-standing jewel on the southwest shore of Lake Tahoe.
The park closed in May of 2023 for hefty infrastructure upgrades totaling just over $6 million, including a complete replacement of its original water system, which up until then, had only seen repairs since 1934.
The system has been upgraded from a 4-inch diameter waterline to an 8-inch diameter waterline, providing more water volume and reliability. The upgrades also include 22 brand new, high-flow, freeze-proof fire hydrants which now operate year-round.
In addition, the entrance station was moved from CA-89 to further down into the park to alleviate traffic pressure.
While the park was closed, improvements spanned to repaving all the roads through the park and renovations to the Visitor Center, which brought an increase in the project’s cost from its initial total of $5 million up to $6 million.
$1.1 million in funding support came from the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
The project was originally scheduled to complete in one year, but delays in renovation were caused by issues trying to lay pipe into tough Sierra Nevada granite.
During celebration remarks, Rich Adams, acting Sierra District Superintendent, spoke of his own humble beginnings working at the park in 1995.
“D.L. Bliss State Park is truly home to me,” said Adams. “I lived here in this park in ’95 and ’96 in the Bliss Dorm and it still is home. It’s such a special place and I’m happy to be sharing it with you today.”
Along with explaining the project’s details, Adams took a deep dive into D.L. Bliss State Park history, including its name sake, Duane Leroy Bliss.
“[Duane Leroy Bliss] was bigtime in Lake Tahoe,” said Adams. “It was the Bliss family that wanted this to be a state park after Duane passed away.”
A 49er, Bliss came to California during the gold rush in its peak year of 1849 at just 16 years old. From prospecting to banking in Virginia City, Bliss eventually became an entrepreneur and leading infrastructure pioneer in Lake Tahoe.
In 1929, the Bliss family donated land to become D.L. Bliss State Park, with the purpose of giving back to the community and providing families a place to recreate and enjoy the beauty Lake Tahoe has to offer.
“That’s what we’re carrying on now, his legacy and his vision to have these special places available for families, to build those memories and to enjoy each other,” Adams added.
The park’s infrastructure was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps. (CCC) from 1933 to 1942. Lester Beach Road acted as a service road while the CCC built roads throughout D.L. Bliss State Park using a 1932 Caterpillar bulldozer.
Director of the California Department of Parks and Recreation, Armando Quintero, also spoke during celebration remarks, saying, “Being in this role is the honor of a lifetime.”
“I think it’s true that state parks really are spiritual places extending back to the first people,” said Quintero. “For the indigenous communities of California, the lands where they live are the lands where they are literally from. These lands represent the Eden, the creation of their people, which is a profound idea when you think about belief systems around the world.”
D.L. Bliss State Park sits on the ancestral homeland of the Washoe Tribe, who are operators of the Meek’s Bay Resort and Campground north of the park in addition to being the original stewards of the Lake Tahoe Basin.
The park’s campground boasts 165 campsites, along with its stunning beaches and the Rubicon Trail. With renovations complete and its facilities now open just in time for summer, D.L. Bliss State Park has checked a huge achievement off its list.
“It’s such a great feeling to finally see this through, to open the park, and have everyone back to enjoy it,” Adams told the Tribune. “It’s a beautiful job,” added Quintero.
D.L. Bliss State Park is open from sunrise to sunset. Vehicle day use is $10.
D.L. Bliss State Park is located at 9881 CA-89 in South Lake Tahoe, Calif.
For operations updates or to learn more, visit parks.ca.gov.
