We instead climbed up Tunnel Creek Road, and then rode the Flume around Marlette Lake to the Marlette Creek Trail, a super fun 2.7 mile descent back to the car. My friend and I opted for something totally different. They either ride it one way, descending via Tunnel Creek Road and catching a shuttle back, or do it as an out and back ride, retracing their tracks. Most people start from Lake Tahoe Nevada State Park, taking the trail out to Marlette Lake and along the singletrack that overlooks the lake. There are a couple of ways to access the Flume Trail, and the surrounding trail network, which includes sections of the Tahoe Rim Trail, means that you can include it in a longer ride. But the views are definitely worth it! Not a mountain biker? The Flume is also open to hikers. While not a super technical trail, it should be noted that the Flume does have some exposure and crosses a few steep sections. The trail, ranging between 70 feet in elevation, boast some truly amazing panoramas of the lake and the surrounding mountains. The Flume Trail sits on the east shore of Lake Tahoe, in Lake Tahoe Nevada State Park. So last weekend was a perfect time to do some recon on the Flume Trail, one of Tahoe’s mountain biking gems that also happens to be one of my favorite rides.

Amazingly, parts of the Marlette Water System are still in use to this day.An early start to spring means that many of the Lake Tahoe mountain bike trails are melting out faster than they typically do. No other engineering feat of its kind was ever imagined. Back then, timbers arrived via a 4,000-foot tunnel through the mountains, which were then siphoned up a pipeline in Washoe Valley and carried up into Virginia City.

Today, you can hike or bike from the Tahoe Side to Hobart Reservoir in Carson City. For example, while the Marlette Flume Trail is now legendary among hikers, trail runners, and especially mountain bikers for its unparalleled Big Blue views, it is named for an innovative and intricate system of chutes through which water moved cut timbers-yep, theme park log ride-style-ultimately to Virginia City, the site of the largest silver strike the planet had ever seen. Many of the lakes and trails that make this Nevada State Park a modern-day recreational playground played integral parts in the Silver State story. Even though Spooner Lake and the Marlette-Hobart Backcountry have been part of the Nevada State Parks system since 1969, the new Spooner Lake Park Improvement Project will introduce all kinds of new amenities, including a brand new Visitor Center & Amphitheater, which will showcase more than a century of Silver State history, serve as HQ for ranger-led hikes and tours, and create a jumping-off point to more than 60 miles of multi-use trails throughout this spectacular 13,000 acres worth of Nevada’s Lake Tahoe Basin wilderness.įrom hiking and mountain biking to fishing and camping-including in a historic, primitive cabin-and more, a world of unblemished outdoor recreation is the name of the game at this Lake Tahoe Nevada State Park, situated within easy reach Reno, Carson City, and every corner of Lake Tahoe. One of the four units that make up Lake Tahoe Nevada State Park (which also includes Sand Harbor, Cave Rock, and Van Sickle), Spooner Lake promises unrivaled Lake Tahoe hiking, with trails to jewel-esque Marlette Lake, sweeping views from Marlette Peak-all along a section of the famed 165-mile Tahoe Rim Trail. Situated along Lake Tahoe’s eastern edge, you’ll find a world of wilderness access at what is known as Spooner Lake and Backcountry State Park.

Flume trail tahoe