A Day-by-Day Itinerary for Circumnavigating Lake Tahoe by Paddleboard
People planning their own Lake Tahoe SUP circumnavigation ask me for a day-by-day breakdown more than almost anything else about 72 Miles of Blue. Here's exactly how our five days and seventy-two miles with my best friend Michael Whalen actually broke down, launch to finish, including what went right and what forced us to adapt along the way.
Day One: Ski Run Marina to Fannette Island, Twelve Miles
We launched ahead of schedule from the public beach near Ski Run Marina, paddled through calm morning conditions along the western shore, and hit a stalled headwind at the mouth of Emerald Bay that forced a twenty-minute wait before we could continue in. We camped that first night on Fannette Island, the only island in Lake Tahoe, inside the roofless stone tea house at its peak, watching the Milky Way move across the open sky above us.
Day Two: Emerald Bay to Eagle Rock Area, Roughly Ten Miles
Up at five, off the island by ten, we found an undeveloped beach north of Emerald Bay that felt discovered even though it wasn't, jumped off Rooster Rock on the western shore, and pushed through Rubicon Beach and Meeks Bay before catching a tailwind into Homewood. It was here, over food at West Shore Market, that we realized our pace wasn't matching our timeline, forcing the conversation about whether Michael would need to leave the trip early. We camped that night near Eagle Rock on private property, where the owners let us stay by their river after we explained our situation.
Day Three: Eagle Rock Area to Banzai Rock, Seventeen Miles
Our biggest mileage day. We launched south, picked up breakfast at West Shore Market, pushed past Dollar Point ahead of schedule, and made the call to continue all the way to Banzai Rock on the Nevada shore. A tailwind that had been generous for most of the crossing built dangerous swell near Sand Harbor, nearly knocking both of us off our boards multiple times before we made it safely to camp. That night, just the two of us at Banzai Rock, we talked until we couldn't anymore, three days in and further into the trip than either of us had originally planned to go solo.
Day Four: Banzai Rock to Zephyr Cove
The morning brought good news. Michael's schedule had opened back up, and the plan for him to leave early quietly dissolved. We paddled south past beaches near Deadman's Point that felt almost tropical, got forced into Cave Rock Marina by hard wind for an hour, and pushed through building swell to reach Zephyr Cove around seven thirty that evening, where Kristin met us with pizza, sparkling water, and our dog Chestnut.
Day Five: Zephyr Cove to Ski Run Marina, Closing the Loop
A slow, joyful morning, dancing on the beach to music from a phone, watching an old college favorite short film together before heading out. We paddled north past the American Century Championship celebrity golf tournament, then turned south for the final stretch back to Ski Run Marina, the same beach we'd launched from five days earlier. Michael tripped and went face-first into the shallows in the final twenty feet, the only fall of the entire trip, saved for a moment that made for the funniest possible ending.
What This Itinerary Actually Teaches About Planning Your Own
Notice how much changed between what we originally planned and what actually happened. The route itself stayed consistent, but the plan around Michael's participation shifted twice, our daily mileage varied significantly day to day, and at least one crossing turned far more demanding than the morning's conditions suggested it would be. If you're building your own itinerary from this one, treat it as a realistic reference point rather than a guarantee, since conditions, schedules, and unexpected discoveries shaped nearly every day of our own trip in ways no amount of advance planning could have fully predicted.
What I'd Change About This Itinerary Knowing What I Know Now
I'd build in one additional buffer day, positioned specifically after the crossing near Sand Harbor, giving more room to recover from what turned out to be the most physically and mentally demanding stretch of the entire route. I'd also plan our resupply stops with slightly more margin, since we came closer to running short on water than felt entirely comfortable by our fourth day on the water.
What Time of Day We Typically Launched and Camped
Across all five days, our mornings started early, generally between five and six, taking advantage of calmer conditions before afternoon wind had a chance to build. We aimed to be settled at camp or a resupply point by early evening, giving enough daylight margin to handle any unexpected delays without racing darkness to reach a safe stopping point. That rhythm, early starts and early finishes, held consistent even as our specific daily mileage varied considerably based on conditions.
How Weather Actually Shaped Each Day's Outcome
Looking back across the full itinerary, weather touched nearly every single day in some way, the headwind at Emerald Bay, the tailwind that turned dangerous near Sand Harbor, the wind delay at Cave Rock. If you're building your own itinerary from this one, understand that weather isn't a variable to plan around once and forget, it's a factor that deserves fresh attention every single morning of a multi-day trip like this.
What Total Time on the Water Actually Looked Like
Across the full five days, we spent somewhere between five and seven hours actually paddling on most days, with the seventeen-mile day to Banzai Rock running toward the higher end of that range. That's a useful benchmark for anyone estimating their own daily time commitment, since raw mileage alone doesn't tell you how many hours of your day will actually be spent paddling versus resting at camp or handling breaks and resupply along the way.
What This Itinerary Doesn't Capture
A day-by-day breakdown like this one inevitably flattens some of what actually made each day distinct, the specific quality of light on a particular morning, a conversation that shifted something between Michael and me, the taste of a specific meal after a demanding stretch. Use this itinerary as a practical planning tool, but understand that your own version of these same days will carry its own texture that no breakdown, including this one, can fully anticipate.
Before You Close This Tab
What does an actual five-day, seventy-two-mile SUP itinerary around Lake Tahoe look like in practice, and how would you adapt this one for your own experience level?
Which single day of this itinerary would you want to build extra buffer time around for your own attempt?
How much does knowing a real itinerary changed twice help you plan for flexibility in your own route?
What resupply or camping stop from this breakdown would you most want to build your own trip around?
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.