Beach guide
Beals Point (Folsom Lake)
Folsom, Placer County, CA
Overview
Beals Point is a day-use swim beach and campground on Folsom Lake, part of Folsom Lake State Recreation Area. It sits off Auburn-Folsom Road in Folsom, and California State Parks runs it. The area has a swimming beach, a large picnic area, a snack bar, restrooms and a campground with tent and RV loops.
Who goes here
It's a popular summer swim spot for families and campers. State Parks keeps a Lifeguard Headquarters here, where you can borrow a beach wheelchair year-round with a photo ID.
Swimming and boats
Folsom Lake is a reservoir, so the shoreline moves as the water level changes. State Parks advises swimming only at designated beaches and, where available, where a lifeguard is on duty. Motorized boats must stay at 5 mph within 200 feet of shore, and skim boarding isn't allowed on designated swim beaches. State Parks' golden mussel program, in place since April 2025 and still enforced in August 2026, requires trailered and motorized boats to carry a 30-day quarantine seal or a decontamination seal before launching; hand-launched kayaks and paddleboards are exempt. Beals Point hosted the inspections when the program began.
Before you go
Day-use hours follow daylight saving time: 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. in summer and 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. in winter. No alcohol is allowed in day-use areas, and dogs aren't allowed in the swim area.
Getting there & access
Driving and parking
Enter from Auburn-Folsom Road. There's day-use parking past the entrance kiosk, with accessible spaces at the entrance and in the overflow lot in the RV camping loop. Gates lock at closing time, and inbound gates may close 30 minutes earlier.
Beach wheelchair
A beach wheelchair is available year-round. Check it out at the entrance kiosk or the Lifeguard Headquarters with a valid photo ID and a completed form.
Paddlecraft
Hand-launched kayaks, canoes and paddleboards are exempt from the golden mussel inspection, quarantine and decontamination requirements. Arrive with any watercraft clean, drained and dry, and keep clear of designated swim areas.
Trailered boats
Beals Point isn't a launch ramp. Trailered and motorized boats need an intact quarantine or decontamination seal before launching at Folsom Lake. Inspections were held at Beals Point when the program began in April 2025; check current inspection locations and hours with Folsom Lake SRA before you tow.
Amenities
- Swim beach — Designated swimming area on Folsom Lake
- Lifeguard Headquarters — State Parks lifeguard base; beach wheelchair checkout
- Picnic area — Large area with paved and firm-dirt accessible picnic sites
- Restrooms — Accessible day-use restrooms; showers in the campground loops
- Snack bar — Listed in the state boating facilities directory for Beals Point
- Campground — Tent and RV loops, including accessible sites
Rules & official resources
- Dogs aren't allowed in the swim area at Beals Point; elsewhere they must be on a 6-foot maximum leash
- No alcohol in any day-use or lake-surface area of Folsom Lake (registered campers in the Beals Point campground and registered vessels excepted)
- Day-use hours: 6 a.m.-9 p.m. in summer, 7 a.m.-7 p.m. in winter; closed to entry and parking outside these hours
- Skim boarding is prohibited on all designated swim beaches and within 50 feet of any swimmer
- Motorized craft limited to 5 mph within 200 feet of any shore, launch facility or mooring area
- Trailered and motorized vessels must have a 30-day quarantine seal or a decontamination seal, intact and verified, before launching at Folsom Lake (golden mussel program, in place since 2025)
Common boat service needs here
Boat transport for inspections
Folsom Lake's mussel inspection rules have meant extra trips to Beals Point for trailer boaters. Owners without a tow vehicle sometimes hire boat transport for inspections and launch days.
Find Boat Transport, Towing & Delivery providers →Cleaning hulls and trailers
Boats have to arrive clean, drained and dry, so many owners book a thorough wash of the hull, bilge and trailer before inspection.
Find Boat Detailing & Washing providers →Guides & FAQs
Nearby providers
No providers listed near this location yet — check back soon.
Sources
- parks.ca.gov
- dbw.parks.ca.gov
- parks.ca.gov
- parks.ca.gov
- parks.ca.gov
- parks.ca.gov
- hoodline.com
- parks.ca.gov
Last verified October 8, 2026