We are open for the 2025 season

Tahoe City Kayak & Paddleboard rentals and tours

tahoe city kayak and paddleboard logo

Rentals

Car

Free Parking Lot

Commons Beach, 400 North Lake Blvd, Tahoe City, CA, 96145, 

Free on-street parking in front of the retail store on North Lake Blvd

On Water Rental

Phone: (530) 581-4336
Commons Beach, 400 North Lake Blvd, Tahoe City, CA, 96145, 

Open Daily: 9:30am - 5:30pm Weather Permitting

Commons Beach Rentals

Our rental tent/kiosk is conveniently located on Tahoe City's Commons Beach, and operates 7 days a week (during the summer months) with beach-front rentals and guided tours. Commons Beach offers easy access to Lake Tahoe with free parking, and a location that's very close to most of the major hotels in North Lake Tahoe. Additionally, Commons Beach hosts a weekly Farmer's Market and free concerts on Sunday afternoons.

Paddle with Confidence

While we have a selection of both beginner-oriented and advanced kayaks in our rental fleet, the majority of our watercraft are wide, stable, and confidence-inspiring. Customers with little to no kayak experience, and families with kids, find our kayaks are easy to succeed on.

Family-Friendly Fun on the Lake

Kids need to be at least 5 years old to paddle in a double kayak with an adult, and 10 years old to paddle their own single kayak or paddle board. All minors need to be under the supervision of an adult while using our equipment. This means that their parent or guardian needs to paddle with them, or keep them close to shore (and within view) of the beach where the parent is hanging out. If parents need a break from the kids, our guides can paddle with kids 10 yrs old + on our Sunset Kayak Tour or Historic West Shore Tour.

Our location on Tahoe City's Commons Beach makes it easy for parents to watch their kids as they paddle in the large, shallow bay in front of a sandy beach. With free parking, a playground, BBQ grills, restaurants, shops, and ice cream stands close to the beach, Tahoe City makes having a day at the lake easy and convenient

Calm Shores & Shallow Waters

Our location on Commons Beach offers one of the safest areas on Lake Tahoe for beginner paddlers. Commons Beach, and the adjacent Northwest shore of Lake Tahoe, is one of the most wind-protected areas of the lake, offering fewer waves to navigate than the rest of the lake. Also, Commons Beach has a large, shallow area that extends hundreds of feet out from shore, making it easy to hop back on your kayak or paddleboard in the (extremely unlikely) event that you capsize.

Your Adventure Starts Here

While we do have a retail kayak store on Tahoe City's main street, customers doing rentals or tours should show up directly to our rental tent at Commons Beach. You can reserve rentals on our website, over the phone, or in person as a walk-up customer.

Frequently Asked Questions about getting out on the waterBOOK NOW
Water Texture
sand on the beach of Lake Tahoe
kayaker paddling on Lake Tahoe

Rental Rates

1 Hour

3 Hours

Full Day

Single Kayak

32

64

96

Double Kayak

48

96

110

Paddle board

32

64

96

Demo Single

40

70

100

Demo Double

65

110

130

Additional Rates

Pedal Drive

Single +$10

Double +$20

Paddle Board +10

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Truckee River rentals

The Truckee River from Tahoe City to River Ranch restaurant is a pretty mellow (and beautiful) stretch of water. There are a few rapids, but they likely wouldn't even classify as a class 1 rapid (the easiest rating for rapids). Most people float this stretch of river without a guide or any whitewater experience. The float takes approximately 3 hours.

Tahoe City Kayak has durable float tubes and inflatable kayaks for rent for use on the Truckee River. While these options are more affordable than most other services in town, you will need to transport yourself and your rented tube or kayak to and from the river.

We Rent:

  1. Float Tubes - $25 per day
  2. Single Inflatable Kayaks - $60 per day
  3. Double Inflatable Kayaks - $90 per day

We also sell inexpensive tubes and rafts, ranging from $20 to $65 in price.

Call our shop to reserve your tubes or kayaks.

Parking for the Put In:
Tahoe City has a large, free, public parking area with a small boat ramp into the river. The parking area is called "64 Acres" and it's located just behind the Tahoe City Transit Center at 180 West Lake Blvd in Tahoe City. You'll pull into the entrance for the Transit Center, and keep driving straight past the bus stop building, and the driveway/road will take you to this large parking lot and boat ramp.

Getting Back to your car:
It will be quite obvious when you reach River Ranch Restaurant and Lodge, as there is a large dock and a restaurant deck out over the water. There's a marked public pull-out area where you can take your tube or inflatable kayak back up to the parking area. Getting back to your vehicle at 64 Acres, where you started your river journey, can be done a few different ways:

  1. If you have two vehicles available, you can leave one of these vehicles in the public parking area near the River Ranch docks before you begin your river float. If you're driving away from Tahoe City, toward River Ranch, you'll see a left turn into a gravel driveway about 100 yards (meters) before the parking lot for River Ranch. This is a free public parking area where you can leave your vehicle while you float.
  2. If you don't have a second car, but you have a bike and a bike lock, you can lock your bike to a bike rack at River Ranch or a tree in the public parking area described above. There is a bike path that follows the Truckee River that can take you right back to where you started. One person can ride back to get the car and return to retrieve the rest of your party , and your river tubes.
  3. The TART (Tahoe Area Rapid Transit) has buses that stop by the River Ranch once per hour. They also have a shuttle van service called "TART Connect," which allows you to schedule a pickup using their App. You can download the app at TART Connect – TART. During busy vacation periods, the TART service can be very popular/busy, so be patient. We recommend our river tubes, not our inflatable kayaks, when using this service (due to carry on size when deflated).
  4. Uber is available in Tahoe, although wait times can be a fair bit longer than you may have experienced in cities. We recommend our river tubes, not our inflatable kayaks, when using this service (due to carry on size when deflated).
river tube float
river raft float