Spooner Lake and Backcountry

Spooner Lake is the quiet, high-country part of Lake Tahoe Nevada State Park, the same park as Sand Harbor, but set in the mountains above the East Shore near the junction of Highway 28 and Highway 50 at Spooner Summit. The lake is small and ringed by aspens, and the easy loop trail around it (about two miles, mostly flat) is one of the best family walks on the Nevada side. In late September and October, the aspens turn gold and the meadow fills with color. Spooner is also the trailhead for the park's backcountry. The North Canyon road climbs to Marlette Lake, and from there the famous Flume Trail follows an old logging flume high above the East Shore, with lake views that mountain bikers travel from far away to ride. The Tahoe Rim Trail passes through the park as well. Winter brings a different scene. When there is enough snow, Nevada Nordic, a nonprofit, grooms cross-country ski and snowshoe trails around Spooner Meadow and up North Canyon toward Marlette Lake, and the grooming is free to the public (funded by donations), though the park day-use fee still applies. Two rustic cabins in the backcountry are rented from May through mid-October. There are current issues to know about. A dam repair project at Hobart and Marlette is closing some trails on a set schedule, water levels at Spooner Lake are low, a harmful algal bloom watch advisory is posted, and the Tahoe Rim Trail sections in the park have bike restrictions (closed to bikes between Hobart Road and Spooner Summit). Check the park page for the trail closure schedule before you go. There is a per-vehicle day-use fee (higher for non-Nevada vehicles) and a small fee per bike. It suits families who want an easy walk, mountain bikers heading for the Flume Trail, fall color seekers, and cross-country skiers.

The backcountry has a history. In the late 1800s, flumes and ditches carried water and timber from these mountains down to Virginia City and the Comstock mines, and the Flume Trail follows one of those old routes. Marlette Lake was dammed as a reservoir for the same system, and the Hobart and Marlette dams are still part of Nevada's water infrastructure, which is why the current repair work is happening. The forest has regrown since the logging era, and the aspen groves around Spooner Lake are among the best on the Nevada side.