Every summer, thousands of people launch kayaks and paddleboards onto Lake Tahoe. Public agencies encourage non-motorized recreation as a low-impact way to experience the lake, yet the very program that teaches paddlers how to do it safely and responsibly is in need of a sustainable funding source.
As writer David Fenimore put it so eloquently in his July Moonshine piece, The Tahoe Water Trail: Then and Now, “despite decades of development and ever-growing summer crowds, a thoughtfully planned paddle around Lake Tahoe can still feel transcendent.”
But a lot, if not most, of those who paddle Lake Tahoe are first-time or maybe once-a-year paddlers. They likely know little about Tahoe’s rapidly changing winds, cold-water safety, navigation rules, invasive species prevention, and where they should legally and safely launch and land. At Sierra Business Council (SBC), the nonprofit that manages the Lake Tahoe Water Trail program, we’ve seen firsthand how the paddling experience — and the challenges facing the lake — are increasingly in need of a dedicated public education initiative.
With seven public land agencies that manage outdoor recreation and lake access in the Lake Tahoe Basin, more paddlers on the water each year, and the increasing risk of spreading golden mussels and other aquatic invasive species, the Lake Tahoe Water Trail’s public education campaigns provide critical and consistent messaging to visitors and residents alike.
As shared in Fenimore’s piece, the Lake Tahoe Water Trail is a 72-mile circumnavigational route designed for kayaks, paddleboards, and non-motorized watercraft. It features 20 designated launch-and-landing sites equipped with restrooms, wayfinding signage, trash cans, and parking. The water trail includes seven day-trip segments for both out-and-back and point-to-point paddling.
The Lake Tahoe Water Trail is also a nonprofit-led program that produces maps, online resources, and signage along the lake. In addition to managing the water trail, SBC focuses on climate resilience, economic development, energy planning, wildfire mitigation, and rural community capacity building across the Sierra Nevada region.
And the Lake Tahoe Water Trail is, unfortunately, out of funding. Agency funding that makes it possible for SBC to print and sell the popular waterproof water trail map has dried up, which means paddlers and future stewards of Lake Tahoe must resort to our online-only resources this year.
Luckily, the water trail’s website includes GPS launch maps, weather and wind forecasts, paddle route planning, navigation rules, safety information, rental resources, and aquatic invasive species prevention guidance. It helps with trip planning and turning visitors and residents alike into advocates for Lake Tahoe while sharing safety information that leads to a safe return home at the end of their paddle.
As we look to the water trail’s future, SBC is pursuing new partnerships and resources that will ensure its legacy and resources live on — and secure sustainable funding year after year. Balancing recreation, public safety, and environmental stewardship on Lake Tahoe is complicated and finding a permanent, sustainable funding source for the Lake Tahoe Water Trail is an essential piece of this puzzle.
Like the Vernons, the 1911 newlyweds featured in Fenimore’s article, more people will keep coming to Lake Tahoe to circumnavigate its shores and fall in love with its deep, sparkling waters. And with more first-time paddlers, the greater the management needs, the greater the need for multilingual signage, accessible weather and water safety information, and guidance on cleaning, draining, and drying watercraft to prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species.
As visitation increases, the need for the water trail doesn’t diminish — it becomes more important. More people on the lake means more opportunities for preventable accidents, more pressure on fragile shorelines, and greater risk of spreading aquatic invasive species. Education isn’t a luxury added after recreation; it’s what makes recreation sustainable.
Local agencies, philanthropic organizations, businesses that benefit from outdoor recreation, and community members all have a role to play in ensuring the Lake Tahoe Water Trail continues. Sustainable recreation requires sustainable investment. Those who rely on and steward the water trail shouldn’t have to spend each summer wondering how the next season will be funded.
If you’d like to help, contact me at jsanford@sierrabusiness.org.
~ Jill Sanford, SBC’s Truckee-based communications director, is a former outdoor and adventure journalist with a passion for connecting people more deeply with the landscapes and communities they call home. Her writing on ethical business practices, women in the outdoors, and public land policy has appeared in Outside and tetongravityresearch.com.
