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Tahoe Rim Trail
Mt. Rose Highway to Spooner Lake section

This is the plateau above Marlette Lake, where you can see both lakes.

Vital information:

Our shuttle from Spooner Lake Day use area to the Tahoe Rim Trail on the Mt. Rose Highway is available on even days only leaving Spooner Lake at 9:30am & 11:00am.
$20 per person.

Mt. Rose Highway to Spooner Lake via the Rim trail: 20.4 mi, 2062' of climbing

Starting elevation: 8700"
First climb: 265' total climbing 2 miles
Tunnel Creek road: 613' total climbing 8.77 miles
Marlette Overlook: 1531' total climbing 12 miles
Spooner Lake: 2062' total climbing 20.4 miles
Finish elevation: 7080'

Mt. Rose to Spooner via the Flume Trail:

950 feet of climbing. 20 miles

The beginning of this beautiful section of the Tahoe Rim Trail is at 8700' above the Sheep Flats (aka Tahoe Meadows) on the Mt. Rose Highway above Incline Village.

It is often quite cool in the morning at the shuttle drop off site so bring a wind shell to start the ride. The first part of the trail parallels the highway and then descends through the meadows and briefly joins the Ophir Creek trail. Look for Rim trail signs directing you onto then after a quarter mile up and to the right of the Ophir Creek trail. If you stay on the Ophir creek trail you will end up at Davis Creek park in Washoe Valley. It is a very rough, rocky trail and a long way back to your car.

After a 300' climb out of the meadows (the biggest climb until you reach the Tunnel Creek road) you begin to contour your way to the Tunnel Creek road. There are many great vistas of Lake Tahoe as well as Washoe Lake in Nevada. The contrast between the Tahoe basin and the Great basin is startling. There are many small climbs and descents along the route toward the Tunnel Creek road in the Lake Tahoe Nevada State Park. This section is moderately technical due to the many solo rock steps. Lofting your front wheel over the steps is a very useful skill to have in your quiver.

At about nine miles you will come to the Tunnel Creek Road (8000'). Down this road to the right a half a mile brings you to the North end of the Flume Trail. Continue straight ahead on the rim trail and you are in for a big (800')switch backing climb. Near the top of the climb consider taking the vista trail to the Sand Harbor overlook. Same view as on the Flume trail but another thousand feet higher. It is truly on of the best vistas of Tahoe.

Once at the top the trail winds down past the Marlette Peak campground to the Hobart Road. The Rim trail past this point is closed to bikes so your only path back to Spooner is along this road to the right and down to Marlette Lake. A short but for some reason tough climb leads out of the Marlette basin and then it is downhill back to Spooner Lake (7000'). Mind the speed limits on this descent. If horse contacts cyclist, guess who will win. Please smile and say hi to all trail users.

Do your part to make "no bike" signs a memory.