What to Do If You Need to Camp on Private Property During a Lake Tahoe SUP Trip
On our second night circumnavigating Lake Tahoe by paddleboard, my best friend Michael Whalen and I pulled ashore near Eagle Rock only to discover the spot we'd planned to camp was private property, a river access point belonging to a family who happened to be home. Here's how we actually approached that situation, and what I'd recommend to any paddler who finds themselves needing shoreline access that isn't clearly public.
Why This Situation Happens More Than You'd Expect
Lake Tahoe's shoreline includes a mix of public and private land, and not every stretch is clearly marked one way or another, especially from the water where signage isn't always visible or where darkness, as it was in our case, makes it hard to fully assess a property's boundaries before you've already committed to pulling ashore. Multi-day paddlers covering long distances each day, arriving at camp spots later than ideal, are especially likely to encounter this situation at some point along a route like ours.
What We Actually Did
We pulled our boards ashore and heard voices on the porch above us, and rather than trying to quietly set up camp and hope not to be noticed, we approached directly and explained our situation honestly, two paddlers on a multi-day trip who needed somewhere to sleep for the night. That direct, honest approach mattered more than anything else in how the interaction went.
Why Direct Communication Worked in Our Favor
The owners, once we'd explained who we were and what we needed, were generous, allowing us to camp by the river with the simple condition that we stay off their actual property and leave no mess. That generosity wasn't guaranteed, but approaching the situation transparently rather than trying to avoid detection gave us the best possible chance at a positive outcome, and it meant the interaction started from a position of honesty rather than one that could have escalated if we'd been discovered trying to camp without asking.
What to Do If the Answer Is No
Not every property owner will say yes, and paddlers in this situation need a real backup plan rather than assuming permission will always be granted. Before you're in this exact scenario, know your route well enough to identify nearby public land or alternative stopping points you could reach if a private property owner declines your request, since asking politely only works as a strategy if you have somewhere else to go if the answer doesn't go your way.
How to Minimize the Chances of This Happening
Research your planned camping stops in advance where possible, identifying clearly public land or established camping areas rather than assuming any convenient-looking shoreline spot will work out. Build in enough daily mileage buffer that you're not forced into an unplanned late-evening stop at an unresearched location, the exact situation that put us in this position in the first place.
What This Taught Us About Approaching Strangers Respectfully
Beyond the specific logistics of this situation, the interaction reinforced something worth remembering on any trip that might require unplanned interactions with property owners or strangers, approach with genuine respect, explain your situation honestly, and accept whatever answer you receive gracefully. The family who let us stay by their river that night did so because we approached them as people asking for a reasonable favor, not as trespassers hoping to avoid a confrontation.
What This Interaction Taught Me About Trust Between Strangers
Beyond the specific outcome, this interaction reminded me how much genuine trust can build quickly between strangers when one party approaches the other with real honesty rather than any attempt to manipulate or avoid the situation. The family who let us stay didn't owe us anything, and their generosity reflected a kind of trust in our sincerity that I don't think we would have earned through any other approach.
How This Experience Shaped Later Interactions on the Trip
The confidence we gained from this positive interaction carried into how we approached other unplanned situations later in the trip, treating unexpected problems as things to solve through direct, honest communication rather than avoidance or anxiety. That mindset shift, built from one successful interaction early in the trip, made later challenges feel more manageable than they might have otherwise.
What This Family's Generosity Taught Me About Lake Tahoe Locals
Beyond the specific logistics of this situation, the willingness of strangers to help two exhausted paddlers reflects something about the character of people who live around this lake, a generosity that showed up more than once across our five days, and that I've tried to carry forward in how I treat visitors passing through my own community since.
The Bottom Line on Private Property Situations
Approach directly and honestly, respect whatever answer you receive, and have a real backup plan ready in case the answer is no, since asking politely only works as a strategy when you have somewhere else to go.
What I'd Tell Someone Nervous About This Kind of Interaction
If the idea of approaching a stranger's property and asking for a favor makes you nervous, remember that most people respond well to genuine, respectful honesty, even when the request itself is unusual. The nervousness before the conversation almost always outweighs how the actual interaction goes once you commit to being straightforward about your situation.
What I'd Do Differently About This Specific Interaction
Knowing how the interaction actually went, I'd approach with slightly more confidence next time rather than the uncertainty we carried into it, since the outcome reinforced that most people respond well to genuine honesty. That said, I wouldn't want to lose the genuine humility we brought to the conversation, since that humility likely contributed to how receptive the owners were to our request in the first place.
What I'd Want Someone in the Owner's Position to Know
If you ever find paddlers asking to camp near your own property, know that most people in this situation are genuinely respectful and grateful, not looking to take advantage of your generosity. The family who helped us treated the interaction as an easy, low-stakes decision, and that framing is probably closer to reality than the more cautious instinct many property owners might understandably start with.
Before You Close This Tab
What is the right way to approach landowners if you need emergency shoreline access during your own multi-day paddle?
What backup plan would you have ready if a property owner declined your request for a place to camp?
How would you research your own planned route in advance to minimize the chance of this situation arising?
What would honest, direct communication look like for you in an unplanned interaction like this one?
Dalton Johnson is a photographer, filmmaker, and brand storyteller based in South Lake Tahoe, California. Over the past decade he has worked with brands including Patagonia, GoPro, Arc'teryx, Four Seasons, Nike, Rivian, and Ford Bronco across all seven continents. He is the creator of the Follow The Journey distribution framework, which has produced over one million organic views per 30-day cycle without paid media. His work includes two published books, an award-winning documentary that aired on PBS, and more than fifty commercial spots directed. He runs Stories by Dalton on Substack, read by more than 34,000 subscribers.