Home | About Us | News | SF Chronicle Features Tahoe Adventure Co.

SF Chronicle Features Tahoe Adventure Co.

Any season is fine for Tahoe Adventure Co.
Mark S. Bacon, Special to The Chronicle
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Article

Tahoe Adventure Co. is an all-weather tour business. When spring arrives in the Sierra, there'll be biking, rock climbing, hiking and kayaking trips, including a four-day paddle around the northern half of Lake Tahoe with overnight stays in hotels. Right now, it's snowshoeing.

A variety of guided snowshoe trips are available: crunching past Donner Lake, tramping along Truckee trails in search of stars or the full moon at night or wildlife and vistas during the day. Formed seven years ago, the company offers many trips on an open schedule, says owner Kevin Hickey - just about anytime you want to go, the company can have a guide ready. Full-moon snowshoe trips are scheduled for April 30 and May 1; meanwhile, other types of snowshoeing tours can be scheduled for a minimum of two people.

Adventure company guides, Hickey says, are mainly longtime locals with backgrounds in education, travel, mountaineering and other outdoor disciplines.

As visitors trek through the snow, guides discuss the natural and human history of the area. The price of the full-moon tour - like all adventure company tours - includes equipment. Full-moon tours usually begin at sunset and average three to four hours depending on the group's speed.

"There's no learning curve whatsoever," Hickey says. "If you can walk, you can snowshoe. It takes about five minutes to get going."

When the weather warms up, the company's offerings include both daily scheduled outings, such as kayaking instruction at Tahoe Vista Recreation Area, and small-group guided tours bicycling, kayaking or hiking - or sometimes a combination. While you're floating in a kayak or moving along a trail, guides may discuss forest management, ecology, wildlife, history and other topics. Guides tailor programs to the interests of the guests. Mountain bike trips also feature information on biking techniques.

Hickey's company can provide tours and other activities for groups. One recent team-building exercise for corporate employees began with an orienteering scavenger hunt on foot in the Sierra. The hikers later became bikers and finished the day in kayaks.

Recently the company started offering two- to four-day kayaking trips. Paddlers cover 7 to 10 miles per day, have dinner in restaurants and sleep in hotels. Baggage is forwarded each day. The full, four-day trip begins at Meek's Bay on the southwestern shore, includes a stay at the Hyatt Regency in Incline Village and ends at Sand Harbor on the northeast shore, the Nevada side of the lake.

These trips will begin in May, Hickey says. Snowshoe season will soon melt into kayak time.

Tahoe Adventure Co.: Full moon snowshoe tour. $70 includes equipment, hot drinks and snacks. Locations depend on snowpack condition. (866) 830-6125. tahoeadventurecompany.com.

Visitors Love To Adventure With Us

"Great people to work with. Our company partnered with the Tahoe Adventure Company on a promotion, and Katie & Kevin (owners) are extremely professional and have a rock solid reputation in the community. When our vacation rental guests want a guided adventure tour we sent them to the Tahoe Adventure Company!" -Jeff S.

Our Adventures

We visited Lake Tahoe a few weeks ago and got very lucky because Tahoe Adventure Company had reopened for the season the same day we decided to rent kayaks! They're located in North Lake Tahoe. The process of renting kayaks from them was very easy. They took the time to make sure we got on the kayaks safely which I appreciated. You do sign a liability waiver when you rent. Also they provide life jackets. Make sure to bring a ziplock bag or something to keep your phone in! They provide waterproof bags for a fee. The guys working that day were friendly. They also have several lessons/tours which would be fun to try out in the future since some of them take you to cool coves, etc. Their pricing for renting kayaks is reasonable for the area: $27 for a single and $39 for a double per hour, including all fees. Also if you rent for 2 hours, they offer the 3rd hour free. I also want to give a shout-out to Courtney who answers the phone when you call the company and is THE NICEST person I have ever spoken to over the phone. She's extremely helpful and seemed so great! Thank you Courtney!! -Vidhi S.

Rentals

"My family of 6 visited in July and booked a multi sport tour. We kayaked for about two hours in the am. Our guide Joel was great. Knowledgeable about the lake and it’s history. He set a good pace with breaks as we needed them. We ate a basic lunch of turkey sandwiches and then headed to Squaw valley for hiking. Very nice scenic hike at the right level for our group. Lots of wild flowers. It would have been hard to follow the trail without a guide. The company was great about answering all my questions and returning phone calls. One suggestion would be to provide a wider variety of snacks and drinks. Some gourmet touches to lunch like local homemade cookies would have been nice. We have had this with other tour companies. We would definitely book another trip." Larry F.

Multisport Adventures

SF Chronicle Features Tahoe Adventure Co.

Visitors Love To Adventure With Us

About Us

Blog

News

Contact Us