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

"This was my first time in Lake Tahoe in the winter, and I was excited to do every kind of activity to enjoy what the area has to offer. Snowshoeing came highly recommended, particularly with the option to do a sunset tour, where you could see the sunset from a ridge on the Castle Peak mountain. The whole experience was great. Eric was a terrific guide who got everybody set up in their snowshoes, and with the poles. Took us up the mountain giving us tidbits of information all along the way, and providing emotional support when it got exhausting due to the elevation." -Trip Advisor Review

Winter Adventures

"Registration was easy, and the people on the phone were very friendly and helpful. With less than 24 hours notice, they set up a customized bike ride for my brother and me. We told them we had no previous mountain biking experience but are very athletic teens and would only be a group of two instead of the supposed minimum of four. They let us sign up for a lengthier and more advanced trail (the Flume Trail) than the usual beginner options and even upgraded our bikes for free! Our guide was very nice but not "too nice" (she obviously had experience dealing with teens). She knew the trail extremely well and took some great pictures of us (with our camera, so the pictures were free). We stopped for snacks and lunch (great sandwiches from Safeway), and the guide even showed us a fish restocking station. The biking itself was incredibly fun, but does require a fair bit of athleticism for both uphill and downhill sections (parents, be warned). We rode the shuttle back to the meeting point to get picked up in the afternoon. Fantastic experience overall." -Vincent W.

Mountain Biking

"Booking process was seamless, and received good comms after booking. The kayak tour was in the a.m., followed by a delicious lunch under the pines and an afternoon sail that they booked for us thru a third party. Our kayak tour was the absolute highlight of our visit, and our guide Tim was awesome. Tim was incredibly knowledgable, but also a very fun guy to hang out with for a few hours...wish we could have hung out with him longer! Tim also went so far as to give us some advice on a driving tour around the lake the following day that turned out great! Thanks Tim!!" Barry A.

Kayak Sail Package

SF Chronicle Features Tahoe Adventure Co.

Visitors Love To Adventure With Us

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