Originally established in 1992, Lake Tahoe Balloons has successfully operated balloon flights over Lake Tahoe for well over two decades. We are the only balloon ride operation in the world where the entire ballooning process begins and ends on the deck of a boat! Our one of a kind hot air balloon recovery vessel, the Tahoe Flyer was built specifically for the purpose of recovering hot air balloons.
Lake Tahoe Balloons was founded by Robert Allen (Bob) in 1992. Having flown in the growing Napa Valley wine region for several years, and being familiar with the challenges of a land based ballooning operation, Bob decided it was time to reinvent hot air ballooning. By flying over water and landing on a boat, Bob realized he could eliminate the hazards of power lines and other land based obstacles, rough landings in high winds and nearly all the navigational challengers of trying to steer a balloon to a fixed landing location. Having a landing platform that could match the speed and direction of the balloon eliminated the risks that a traditional land based operation faces.