Backpack Trail Guide

Trails / Nevada / Lake Tahoe

Tahoe Rim Trail: Tahoe Meadows to Spooner Summit (Marlette Peak)

Lake Tahoe Nevada State Park and national forest land in the Carson Range (Mount Rose Highway to U.S. 50, east shore of Lake Tahoe)

This is the Tahoe Rim Trail’s Nevada high country: 24.1 miles from Tahoe Meadows on the Mount Rose Highway to Spooner Summit on U.S. 50, mostly above the east shore of Lake Tahoe. The Tahoe Rim Trail Association lists an overlook of Sand Harbor and views of Marlette Lake among its highlights.

It is also one of the more regulated stretches of the trail. For most of the second half, the only place you can legally camp on the trail is Marlette Peak Campground.

The hike

Hiking Project describes the segment from the Mt. Rose Summit Trailhead, passing through Mt. Rose Campground into the Tahoe Meadows depression. The Tahoe Rim Trail Association (TRTA) also lists a trailhead at Tahoe Meadows on the east side of the highway, with limited parking and vault toilets.

Heading south, the trail passes the Ophir Creek Trail junction, then follows a broad sandy track below Chickadee Ridge, which Hiking Project says is named for the birds often seen there. A long, gradual descent through rolling woods follows, with views of the Tahoe Basin and Washoe Valley through gaps in the trees. TRTA’s map shows the Tunnel Creek Road access, a steep climb of about 3 miles from Highway 28, meeting the TRT 9 miles south of Tahoe Meadows.

Around mile 10, Hiking Project says, switchbacks climb the northeast flank of Herlan Peak and the tread turns rockier. Christopher’s Loop, an optional detour of a little over a mile, follows a cliff edge with views over the basin and Sand Harbor. Bikes aren’t allowed on it.

Marlette Peak Campground sits along the trail in the state park, with a hand pump that TRTA says is usually running from about June to October. Side trips lead to Marlette Lake (about 2 miles off the TRT) and, near the end, Spooner Lake (about 1 mile off). Carson Now reported on Oct. 5, 2026, that the Marlette Lake Dam rebuild was finished, but that the lake had been drawn down about 20 feet and could take “four to six seasons” to recover.

The high point, Hiking Project says, is the bare rock of Snow Valley Peak at about mile 18, with aspen groves in North Canyon below that turn color in fall. From there the trail drops through pines to Spooner Summit. Bikes are banned from Hobart Road to Spooner Summit.

North of Tahoe Meadows, the trail climbs toward Relay Peak and the Mount Rose Wilderness. South of Spooner Summit, it continues to South Camp Peak and Kingsbury. For a California piece of the same trail, see Echo Lakes to Lake Aloha.

Tips

Camping

Nevada State Parks runs three primitive, walk-in backcountry campgrounds: Marlette Peak, Hobart, and North Canyon. Each has a restroom, sites with picnic tables, and bear-resistant food and trash boxes. Only Marlette Peak is on the Tahoe Rim Trail. TRTA says it is free and needs no reservation. The park enforces a limit of 14 days in a 30-day period and says dispersed camping “is not allowed around Marlette Lake or anywhere else within park boundaries.” Leash dogs (six feet or less), pack out all trash, and empty the bear boxes when you leave. Elsewhere on the TRT, TRTA asks hikers to camp within 300 feet of the trail, at least 200 feet from water, and 100 feet from other trails. TRTA also says campfires are prohibited and bear canisters are required trail-wide. Park office: 775-749-5980.

Inside Intel: A thru-hiker writing on Another Long Walk in August 2013 found Marlette Peak “nicer than I expected with picnic tables, bear lockers and even grills at each site,” though fire restrictions kept the grills off-limits. The pump took several strokes to start flowing.

Trail facts

The Lowdown

One campground at Marlette Peak:

Marlette Peak is the only campground on the Tahoe Rim Trail in this stretch of the state park, so you can't shop around for a softer site. Side sleepers can bring comfort along: see fixes from thicker pads to a taller pillow.

See the tips →

Where this comes from

This page draws on the sources below, along with other guides and trip reports. Links go to the original pages.

Before you go: This page is based on published trail guides, trip reports, and reviews, along with official park and agency information where we could find it. It’s meant to help backpackers discover new trails, not to replace current, official information. Conditions, closures, permits, campsites, and water sources change, and some details here may be out of date or wrong. Confirm everything with the managing agency and check current conditions before you head out, and don’t rely on this page alone for safety or navigation. Backcountry travel involves risk.