- Trail Location: Spooner Summit Trailhead is located on Hwy.
50 at the top of Spooner Summit, 12 miles west of Caron City and 16
miles east of South Lake Tahoe.
- Trailhead Parking: There is no parking available for horse
trailers in the Spooner North trailhead for hikers. Use
the dirt parking area 1/4 mile east (toward Carson City) next to the
NDOT sand shed (park in the dirt turn out, under the tree). State Parks has instituted
a $2.00 per horse/rider pair parking/entrance fee. Envelopes and pay
tube at the trailhead. This is a connector trail to the Rim Trail.
Up and over the hill, then turn right (north to access the Rim Trail).
- Trail Difficulty: Easy to High Moderate: some wildly exposed
sections. Mostly sandy, excellent footing; some larger rocks that
horses have to negotiate. Tight rock areas to ride through. Your horse
should be comfortable on thin mountain trails with long drop offs.
- Topo Maps: 7.5 Marlette Lake; 7.5 Mount Rose
- Elevation Range: 7,100 - 9,000+ feet elevation
- Trail Photos: Just north of Snow Valley
Peak and along the road at Marlette
Lake.
- Trail Description: Follows on this
page
- Trail Length: 21 miles one way (feels like more!)
Plan on a full day ride.
- Recommended Time to Ride: The best time of year for this
trail is late October, with fall colors at their peak, and mountain
bikes a bit less, or in July when the blue lupine cover whole
hillsides and the Mule Ears glow yellow all about..
- Camping: Limited backcountry camping available. Best for
horses: Twin Lakes, around mid point on the trail. *Note update: Twin Lakes will be waterless from mid-summer, on.
- Water and grazing availability: Water is at a minimum on
the "Rim" trail. Best bet is Twin Lakes about halfway through the
ride. Plan on lunch stop here. Grazing available on razor grass around
the lakes. However, late in the season, or on drought years, these
'holes' may be completely dry! About half way from Twin Lakes to Mt.
Rose there are two small springs that dribble across the trail. Caution:
Filter all water for human consumption! We have used collapsible buckets to get water for the horses here.
- Trail High Points/Low Points: High: The most fantastic views
of this entire area! Low: Lots of mountain bike use; not enough film
in your camera; not enough water for thirsty horses or dogs; a lightening storm!
Trail
Description:
Follow the Tahoe
Rim Trail (home page here) north, following the Rim Trail logo as
shown here:
This trail is gentle enough to trot most of the way, yet it gains
elevation quickly and can be a challenge for unacclimated horses. Take your time, especially in the beginning section, or your horse might not make it!
This is one of the most beautiful single-track trails I've ever ridden
on, and soon it will encircle Lake Tahoe for an entire 150 miles.
*Update: Trail officially finished in September, 2001; and is more like 165 miles!*
The
first part of the trail from the parking area at the top of Spooner
Summit winds its way through forests of Jeffery Pine and Red Fir,
with switchbacks to take out any steep climbs. As you near Snow Valley
Peak, however, the trials juts out into the open and traverses a steep
ridge that falls straight down to North Canyon. The trail, here, is
rocky (big boulders), and some parts of the trail have"slid" down
the slope a bit and is somewhat awkward to manuever. *Update: this section has been rerouted - however, always take caution on this part*. Your horse should
be very comfortable with jumping gingerly around or up and over large
rocks, in a minimum of space. But hang on, because the views just
keep getting better. You'll have a large, expansive view of Lake Tahoe
from this point, throughout most of this ride.
After
you pass the intersection of trails leading down to Marlette Lake
on your left and up to Snow Valley Peak on your right (go straight
at this intersection), you soon see the view in the picture to the
right which shows Marlette Lake in the foreground 1,000 feet below
you, and Lake Tahoe in the background, 1,600 feel below Marlette,
for a total of 2,600 feet of air! The picture shows North Lake Tahoe,
Kings Beach area.
From
here, the trail drops down through the trees again until it comes
together with Forest Road No.506 in a flat, sandy area. There are
signs here pointing to Hobart Resevior, Marlette Lake, and Twin Lakes.
Follow generally north, staying on the Tahoe Rim Trail, towards Twin
Lakes. Shortly you'll come to another intersection of FR No. 504.
Pass straight through this intersection. The next intersection (a
"T") looks tricky, and may confuse you, as there are signs indicating
that the Rim Trail goes both left and right! You can actually take
either way, as this is a loop around Marlette Peak. The
right trail veers more eastward with views of Washoe Valley and Reno,
Nevada in the distance. The left goes more westerly and loops around
Marlette Peak with more incredible views of Marlette Lake and Lake
Tahoe than you could ever imagine! (the sign in this picture says
"Horse and Foot Traffic Only" (big grin) and points back to Spooner
Summit.)
After
your choice of trails above, you wind again through forests until
you come to a "Vista Point" opportunity to your left (west). The sign
says 6 tenths of a mile to a lookout point, but the trail goes sharply
up to a rocky ridge (this is one section I personally helped to build,
back in 1989), then dashes down about a half mile to a rocky outcropping.
You MUST take this side trip with camera in hand! Dismount before
the end of the trail, and cautiously peer over the side! You'll catch
your breath in shock at the incredible view straight down into
Sand Harbor, 2,500 feet below. I've lived here since 1967 and have
never seen a view like that one!
Take the spur trail back to the main trail, and continue a few more
miles to Twin Lakes, and your lunch stop. Depending on the time of
year (July - October), the water levels will vary and the ground around
the lakes may be boggy. I usually stay mounted and walk my horse into
the lake to drink, then back to shore to let him graze while I snack
on lunch. *update: Twin Lakes have been dry in '04-'05.*
After
Twin Lakes, you'll "T" into an old jeep road which runs west-to-east
and eventually winds it's way (west) down Tunnel Creek, or (east)
to Franktown Road in Washoe Valley. Turn west (left) for a nice
lope on sandy soil, looking for the Rim Trail to branch off again,
to the north (right). If you've been running into a lot of mountain
bikes and even hikers on the previous leg of this ride, then the next
section will take you across a huge expanse of lonely miles, with
nary a soul in sight! I rode this section the first time by myself,
before I even knew for sure if the trail was completed all the way
to Mount Rose. Around every corner, I expected to see a construction
barrier and a sign saying, "Trail Ends Here, Turn Around", which was
not an option for me, because I had been dropped off at Spooner
Summit and was getting picked up at Mount Rose. If I turned around,
I would have no trailer ride! Luckily, the trail was completed
all the way -- but I never met a soul. Nowadays, you're sure to meet quite a few folks. If you prefer to avoid mountain bikes on this single-track trail; this next section is closed to bikes on odd numbered days. Check for updates at: Tahoe Rim Trail.org.
Hopefully you and your mount were refreshed at lunch, and now feel
like trotting or loping for an extended time. After awhile, you climb
steeply above Little Valley to the east (right) and gain the top of
the ridge, and the summit of Diamond Peak. This is the top of the
ski area at Incline Village. I even went over to the chair lift and
posed for a self-portrait with me and my pony on the "off-load" ramp!
You'll probably be getting tired by now, and wish you hadn't spent
so much time sightseeing earlier in the ride--but with views like
these, it's impossible not to--so pay attention to the trail and take
a few more short breaks to gander at some of the views that will open
up to the east. On clear days you can see northeast to Reno, east
past several mountain ranges, and southeast to the Sweetwater Mountains.
The contrast from the desert below and alpine setting you are riding
in is refreshing.
The trail is straight forward and continues without intersections
until you are within shouting distance of the Mount Rose Highway.
The last two turns will be to the left to guide you back to the parking
area just below the summit. Hopefully, you arranged to have
a truck and trailer and refreshments waiting for you here!
The Tahoe Rim Trail really is the best for scenery I have ever ridden.
A few words of caution: If there are to be afternoon thundershowers,
plan to be done with the ride by early afternoon as most of this trail
follows ridgelines and is very exposed. It also helps to have a calm,
sure-footed trail horse. It is a narrow single-track trail, and many
people use it; mostly mountain bikes; however, this section has been designated as "Bikes Only on Alternate Days". Contact Lake Tahoe Nevada State Park for current details. Keep alert, and enjoy!
