Want to experience one of the most pure bodies of water on the planet and be able to see down into those clear waters on an ultimate lake adventure?
These kayaks are really unique. They are totally 100% clear and transparent, so you could see down to the bottom depths of about 55-65 feet during your time on the water.
We're kayaking Lake Tahoe, one of the world's clearest lakes and one of the largest alpine lakes in North America.
Taking on this vast, seemingly bottomless water recreation hub on an insider's tour with local guide Kelsey Weist of Clearly Tahoe.
People will actually paddle the whole way around Lake Tahoe. We actually did it in five days last fall.
Wow, we'll learn about the lake's unique geology, as well as why Tahoe is one of the leaders in sustainable travel and responsible recreation.
So take a deep breath and let's take in nature by adventuring on this lake, strabling California and Nevada in this episode of the Travels of Darley Podcast, where locals guide us through spectacular locations.
One of the best ways to see one of the most clear bodies of water on the planet is to go kayaking in a clear kayak.
It's an experience that I didn't know existed until I traveled to Lake Tahoe in the spring to enjoy mixing spring skiing with lake adventures.
The water temperature in Lake Tahoe does not change much from summer to winter. It always stays pretty chilly. It will warm up in these little coves, but it does generally stay very cold even in summer months.
The water never actually freezes over, with Tahoe being known for so much snow, the water will never freeze over. It may in some of the really shallow coves along the shoreline, but that's about it.
One of the best ways to experience the lake is to get out on the water at Zephyr Coe Resort, a campground located on national forest lands.
Kelsey Weist of Clearly Tahoe is taking me out in their special kayaks. This is a tour that you can book, and for those who want to go to loan, Clearly Tahoe also rents kayaks.
These kayaks are really unique, not just in the sense that they are totally 100% clear and transparent, but they are flat on the bottom.
While they are shaped like a canoe, they are flat on the bottom and it creates a lot more stability. You can see down to the bottom, depths of about 55-65 feet during your time on the water.
That's Kelsey Weist, who co-founded Clearly Tahoe and is passionate about getting out into nature and helping others to do so in a responsible manner.
They also have a backrest, so they are much much more comfortable than a normal canoe, and they are not meant for speed or agility. They are mainly meant to really take in your full surroundings both along the shoreline as well as under the surface.
So we are going to get a chance to explore some really cool stuff today.
We are standing on the sandy beach shoreline of Lake Tahoe, clear waters lapping slowly onto the sands.
We have got on our life-ess and I am wearing my aviator ray bands along with long sleeves and a fleece vest. It is spring in Tahoe and there is a chill in the air, even in the sun.
Green forests line the lake here and all around the lake are beautiful snow cap mountains.
When you are out on a clear kayak, you really do get to see more because what happens is if we look out now, we get to see the color tone of the lake.
And how there is different shades of blue. Now when you are on the clear kayak, what happens is it breaks the surface reflection and allows you to see much more detail.
So we will get to see things such as pyrate in the bottom of the lake.
Kelsey unzips the front of the small backpack on her chest to pull out a golden nugget.
It is in a sand, especially in some of the coves we are going to take you to, and it is fools gold
I was going to say, are you taking me on a wild gold chase out here? No, sort of, but it is actually a fake wild gold chase.
With fool's gold, now you are not going to see pieces like this. It is mostly little tiny flakes that you will see in the sand and be able to actually see that sand glistening like glitter below you.
How cool.
Crossing into two states, California and Nevada. Lake Tahoe is over 22 miles long and 12 miles wide.
This is a circumference of 72 miles.
I would not recommend jumping out of the kayak though and trying to go get any water. Temperature is really cold in Lake Tahoe.
It is only about 54 degrees right now. So glad these are stable.
Yep, they are very stable. You will stay pretty dry during our time out there.
And we have everything that you are going to need in the boats during your time out there.
We have small coolers with complimentary waters and granola bars, dry bags, everything.
Even blankets to keep your toes warm once again.
Of course, our water is provided to us by clearly Tahoe in a reusable bottle.
South Lake Tahoe has implemented a single-use plastic water ban.
It is not just to help the local environment, but it is to show people visiting Lake Tahoe that local residents are serious about keeping Lake Tahoe beautiful and pure.
Alright, do you have any questions? Now I am ready to get on the water.
Perfect. We are all happy you are getting the boat and we will head on north around the Zephyr point.
Not only is Lake Tahoe large, it is deep. In the United States, it is second only to crater lake in Oregon.
In fact, you could sink the entire Empire State Building into the deepest part of the lake and you wouldn't even see its famous antenna sticking out.
The kayaks do magnify a little bit of what we are looking at. Even though it seems really shallow, it is still about 6 to 8 feet deep right here.
People will actually paddle the whole way around Lake Tahoe.
How long does that take?
It takes about 5 days for night. Wow.
We actually did it in 5 days last fall.
Wow. Not in the clear kayaks, but...
Lake Tahoe has been a draw for people for thousands of years, dating back to the Washoe, who camped, hunted and fished on and around the lake, and considered the waters here sacred.
In 1844, explorer John C. Fremont, who is documented as the first European to spot Lake Tahoe.
Called the Pathfinder, Fremont was crossing the Sierra Nevada in winter with little supplies on a mission from Congress to explore the Columbia River region to the Pacific Ocean.
He would write, "The purity and deep blue color of the sky are singularly beautiful."
Later, Lake Tahoe would see an influx of people during the California Gold Rush.
So in the summertime, where we're paddling right now is actually a sand bar, so you'll be able to walk right from the beach over that little island right there.
Nice place for sunbathing, huh?
Beautiful spot for sunbathing. The birds are doing it today, right?
In the spring, all the water is coming off the mountains.
While Lake Tahoe, it's all rain runoff and snow melt.
There's no major rivers or anything that flow into Lake Tahoe.
It's about 63 streams of rivers that will flow in to the lake, all from snow melt.
And there's only one flowing out, which is the Truckee River in Tahoe City.
That river has a natural lava-formed dam that is what kept a lot of the water in Lake Tahoe in the first place.
Tahoe wasn't formed by volcanic activity, but it was formed by fault lines.
And that's actually where the development came from.
What Kelsey is saying is important. As Lake Tahoe's waters provide the majority of drinking water for the Reno Sparks area,
making it even more important for visitors to recreate responsibly here.
The Tahoe region is a national leader for collaboration around sustainability.
Their Destination Stewardship Plan, launched in June of 2023, is a work plan of shared goals that identify 32 actions across four strategic pillars.
Working to foster travel and tourism that gives back and advance a culture of caring for the greater Lake Tahoe region.
Making the place that so many call home, a great place to live and also welcome visitors.
Are you free there? Are you okay? I'm shaking a little bit, but...
I don't think they can talk to me.
We often make people call on our shift.
Can you tell? I'm shaking my mind.
I heard you a second ago, you're like, "Yeah."
Often when we film our PBS series and tape for our podcast,
we come in and we've had a call or a video conference prior to our arrival.
But we haven't met the people we've filmed with before.
And they're not actors. They're truly authentic locals who are not always used to being on camera.
Because we wear wireless microphones that people wear on their body.
They are either stuck to their chest or fastened to their collar, sometimes under their collar, sometimes even in a hat.
Fabrics play a role in the quality of the sound we capture.
And sometimes if our on-camera counterparts arrive, not wearing natural fibers,
those clothing items make too much noise and we have to tell them to take them off or change.
And this little cove that we're heading up to here does have a lot of pyrite in the water.
That means sometimes if there's not a lot of time, just removing a jacket.
So in Kelsey's case, she had to take her jacket off.
And now she's a little cold.
You can actually look down and see some of that pirey I was talking about a little bit earlier.
And a lot of little stones and stuff.
Tahoe is mainly, it's all granite.
So a lot of that runoff doesn't, it settles really quickly on the bottom of the lake.
So it doesn't murk it up, murk up the water.
It stays pretty clear.
It is incredibly clear.
I know.
There are a lot of things that will contribute to the clarity loss in Lake Tahoe, human development, invasive plants and species.
A lot of the road work and runoff from the roads and the gravel will actually contribute greatly to the clarity loss.
So the lead to save Lake Tahoe and a lot of local businesses are trying to change the transportation of Lake Tahoe to promote more walking and public transportation, biking as opposed to driving.
Something for all of us, right?
Right, it's better to be out in the water than driving down the road.
Right, be active, ride a bike, walk.
Many people who visit Lake Tahoe don't even run a car.
The South Tahoe Airport is a shuttle service between Reno Tahoe International Airport and many South Shore properties.
Where travelers can bike, walk, or take public transportation or the Lake Link Free on-demand Micro Transit Service.
Allowing for a car-free vacation for people interested in sustainable travel.
Now we're out here today if you see anything floating around on the surface that kind of resembles a seaweed.
You might not want to lean over and pick it up out of the fear of tipping over but let me know and I will.
Because what we do is we'll pull that into the boat and I'll look at it and see if it's a Eurasian water and mollfoil or a curly leaf pondweed.
I have little samples back on the beach I'll show you when we get back.
We have a book that we will actually use to compare those plants and determine if it is an invasive plant.
All of our guides will record all that data and submit it back to the Lake Tahoe Lake through a Citizen Science app and they help monitor the spread and help keep Tahoe blue.
Kelsey is part of the League to Save Lake Tahoe who has been working to keep Tahoe blue and combat things like invasive species since 1957.
Today I don't see anything that would mar the natural beauty of the lake. The sky and the mountains are beautiful as we paddle along.
I'm glad that places like this exist and people like Kelsey are around to guide us but also play a stewardship role in keeping Tahoe beautiful.
As we paddle up here we have the National Forest land off to our right and then the beautiful sear and a mountain range off to the left there.
The highest peak you see is actually going to be Mount Tallac, it's at about 9,000 feet and then we have Zephyr Cove Resort off behind us and of course a crystal clear water and just a great day to be out here paddle.
It's so clear.
Couldn't be better weather out on the water so if you're traveling to Lake Tahoe play your role by learning about recreating responsibly.
Lake Tahoe visitors authority has published rules to live by which share ways to leave no trace and pack in what you bring to your lake vacation and other tips to enjoy Lake Tahoe and leave it blue for generations to come.
And while I'm definitely enjoying my short paddling adventure with Kelsey, I'm eager to now view the lake from above which is why our next podcast will take you on a hiking adventure with another cool local who came to Lake Tahoe on a vacation and decided to stay.
I can't imagine why.
I'm Darley Newman and if you enjoy traveling and learning new things please subscribe to this Travels with Darley podcast where locals guide us on adventures that share more about culture history adventure and what makes life on the planet earth just so unique.
Thanks for joining me in Tahoe see you next week.
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