Tahoe Family Adventures - Truckee, California

Samantha Martinez

Our experience with this UTV tour was frustrating, marked by long delays, poor communication, and unexpected charges. Here’s our experience:

Red Flag #1: Confusing and Inconsistent Payment Requests

We booked a $500, 1.5-hour UTV tour for October 24th, and the owner initially requested that I send my credit card information via text. This made me uncomfortable, so I asked if we could pay in person instead. She seemed hesitant, stating she usually charges in advance. I finally agreed to pay in person to resolve any issues, but then she changed her preference to cash payment before the tour. This left me wondering – if she preferred cash, why insist on upfront payment over text? Clearly, cash can't be sent that way. This inconsistency and lack of transparency in the payment process created a strong sense of mistrust right from the start.

Red Flag #2: Delay and Misinformation

On the day of the tour, the owner texted us at 11:26 AM, saying the guides were unavailable and that she'd update us when they arrived. Despite promising ample availability the day before, we ended up waiting from 12 PM to 3 PM before a guide was finally “found” – who, as we later learned, was her son. It was disappointing to see a lack of transparency and professionalism, especially as she seemed to rely on family members for staffing without disclosing it upfront.

Red Flag #3: Questionable Charging Process

When we were ready to pay, the owner took our card to her car, citing her phone's low battery, and charged us there. At the time, I didn't verify the amount charged, assuming she would bill correctly. In hindsight, this should have been a red flag. I later discovered a $600 charge instead of the agreed-upon $500, with an unexplained $100 “automatic tip.” She admitted to forgetting to inform me about this charge, blaming the oversight on “craziness.” This disorganization was unsettling, especially considering we were her only customers at the time.

The Uninformed “Tip” Charge

When I saw the extra $100, I immediately reached out. The owner explained it was a 20% automatic tip for the guide – something she never disclosed prior. A tip is generally reserved for good service and, at the very least, should not be applied before the experience. Her attempt to justify it by guilt-tripping felt inappropriate and unprofessional.

As of 10/28, five days after the tour, the owner has yet to issue a refund, though I’m open to updating this review should that change. It’s disappointing that our first visit to Lake Tahoe was marred by such an experience. For anyone considering this tour, ask explicitly about tip policies and verify all details beforehand. Your vacation time is valuable, and this experience wasted a significant part of ours.

Positive Note

The son, who acted as our guide, was friendly and conducted the tour as promised for 1.5 hours. He even offered us an additional hour to make up for the delay. Though it ended up being an extra 30 minutes solo with the UTV rather than a full hour, we appreciated that part of the experience.

Brandi Bryan

We had such an amazing time on our ride! Everything was easy and organized, and Jill and Dave were great. We can’t wait to come back in the summer to try out the UTV’s!

Daniel Krantz

We were really looking forward to our experience with Tahoe Family Adventures, but unfortunately, it fell short of expectations. To start, we were sent to the wrong location and had to call to figure out where we were actually supposed to go. This added unnecessary stress to the day.

When we finally arrived, the equipment provided was old and wet—not what you’d expect for the price we paid. However, the snowmobile itself was new, which was a positive. On top of that, we had to wait an hour past our reservation time before getting on the snowmobiles, which was frustrating.

The guide was fantastic and really the highlight of the experience, which is why I’m giving two stars instead of one. However, there wasn’t enough snow on the trails, which made the conditions feel unsafe. This concern was unfortunately validated when, on our way back, we saw that another rider had already gotten into an accident.

Overall, while the guide and new snowmobile were positives, the lack of organization, outdated additional equipment, and unsafe conditions made this an experience I wouldn’t recommend.

Midhun HK

Had a great time with my family and friends. Jill the owner was very understanding and accommodating with our requests. The only place in the area which was suitable for snow mobile activities with kids and family. They allowed us to switch out passengers and drivers and go for multiple smaller loops which everyone a chance to experience the fun of riding a snow mobile. There was a fire place and s’mores and hot chocolate which was great. There was a small snow place area with a small snow mount and some snow toys for smaller kids to stay engaged. Overall a good experience.

Alex K

Great snowmobiling experience. Our guide Dave took our family group of 6 adults and 4 kids out on a beautiful trail on the day before christmas. Sleds were brand new Polaris, double seats with heated handlebars in both the front and back made it especially enjoyable.

communications about meeting point where a little challenged but not a deal breaker by any means. Would take another trip on our next Tahoe visit.

Amy Reichenberg

DO NOT RENT FROM THIS COMPANY!!!!!! We booked a boat for half a day. Jill was very helpful up until we received the text from her on where to meet. We are not from this area so we are not familiar with the piers. We asked her if she could send us directions and yes replied yes but then never send directions. The night before we went out looking for the pier she has named in the text. Lucky after asking a few people on the street we were able to find it. We were able excited and didn’t want to be late the next morning for our boating adventure. We were there 45 minutes early. We waited and wait but no one ever showed up. We tried to call but she would not answer. She replied with a text and said she was busy so we decided we would go to the business location to find out what was going on. We went to the address on their website but it took us to an empty house. We sent her a text asking where the business was at and that her website lists her business location as an empty house. I told her that this is theft and that we were going to file a police report. About 15 minutes later she replied that she refunded the our money

BJ Baker

Jill was great to work with and Baird was great as he showed us the boat and all the ins and outs oh, and was always on time to meet us going out and coming in and answered my texts and calls even after we loaded and were out on the lake. There was a big group of us of all ages for a team event and we had a blast. the weather was perfect, water was a bit cold but refreshing. We were out for 3 hrs and everyone loved the experience on the Pontoon water park. Only negative was a non working paddle board. Wished we would have brought some floaties and a tube would have been great for pulling behind. Otherwise good time had by all.

María Casey

1000% RECOMMEND!! We booked this for my birthday and it was the best birthday activity ever!!! Jill, the owner, and her family are amazing. We had a group of 6 on 3 snowmobiles, none of us with experience… she went over how to drive with each one of us! She’s very knowledgeable, great tour guide… The tour was great. The most fun we’ve had!!!!