Join guided kayak tours for intimate views of quiet coves and lakefront mansions.

Lake Tahoe is the Sierra Nevada’s sapphire jewel, and one of the coolest ways to see it is by skimming across the cerulean surface on a kayak, buoyed by water so clear it’s as if only the thinnest film is keeping you suspended above the sandy bottom. Then of course there are the surroundings--hidden bays and sandy beaches, merganser families perched on granite boulders, shorelines trimmed with pine forests (or mansions)—the whole thing rimmed by sky-scraping peaks.

Tahoe City Kayak offers everything from tours of only a few hours up to customized multiday trips, and the outfitters know the lake’s every nook and cranny. You might drift past the lakefront palaces around Tahoe City or go picnicking on Fannette Island (part of the Emerald Bay tour). If a rigorous day isn’t what you’re after, combine kayaking with other, more leisurely activities—like eating. The Sunnyside Brunch tour opens with a short paddle and concludes with a lakeside brunch (and a ride back to Tahoe City). The Sunset tour may be most likely to leave a lifetime impression. To watch the sun drop behind the peaks of the Sierra and see the lake’s colors morph through every shade of darkening blue (with pinks and oranges tossed into the mix) is to witness the magic of nature’s palette.