Spooner Lake & Backcountry - Lake Tahoe Nevada State Park

Camping: Camping is allowed in three primitive, walk-in campgrounds: Marlette Peak, Hobart and North Canyon. Each campground has a restroom and camp sites with picnic tables and bear resistant food and trash storage boxes. While camping, store food and trash in these boxes. Pack it in, pack it out: when you depart, remove all food and trash from the boxes so they are available for use by other campers. Dispersed camping is not allowed around Marlette Lake or anywhere else within park boundaries. A camping limit of 14 days in a 30-day period is enforced.

Cabin Rentals: The Park also manages two backcountry cabins. The Spooner Lake Cabin (available May 1 - October 15) is located just north of Spooner Lake and sleeps four people comfortably. If you’re looking for a more intimate experience, the Wildcat Cabin (available May 1 - October 15) is approximately 2.5 miles up North Canyon (several hundred yards east of the road) and sleeps two. Both cabins have basic amenities such as composting toilets, beds, cook stoves and wood burning stoves, but other items such as sleeping bags, food and utensils will need to be packed in. Please contact the park for more information.

Hiking: The 5-mile trail to Marlette Lake via North Canyon Road is the most popular backcountry trail. A hiker and horse trail parallels this road for four miles. Access is from Spooner Lake, which is surrounded by a flat 2-mile trail that offers excellent opportunities for nature study.

The famous and historic 4.4-mile Marlette Flume Trail is accessed from the south via North Canyon or from the north via the steeper Tunnel Creek Road. Thirteen miles of the 165-mile Tahoe Rim Trail wind in and out of the park. The Tahoe Rim Trail is closed to bikes between Hobart Road and Spooner Summit. The segment north of the park, between Tunnel Creek and the Mount Rose Highway, is open to bikes even days only

Fishing: Fishing is a favorite backcountry activity. A Nevada fishing license is required and can be purchased online at ndow.org. At Spooner Lake, the limit is five and bait is allowed. The Marlette Lake season runs July 15 through September 30 and is catch-and-release only. Use only artificial lures and single barbless hooks in this catch-and-release lake. The Hobart Reservoir season runs May 1 through September 30. The limit is five, and only one may be longer than 14 inches. Only artificial lures and single barbless hooks are allowed.

Occasionally you will encounter State Parks, fire, wildlife and other official vehicles in the backcountry on water system, ecological restoration or park business. Nevada’s Tahoe Resource Team implements environmental improvement projects in the park. These projects are designed to improve water quality, control erosion, enhance wildlife habitat, restore forest health and improve recreation opportunities. Environmental projects mean that there may be vehicle traffic, chainsaw and tree chipper noise, trail crews and construction. Please excuse any inconvenience.

Equestrian: You can learn about equestrian use at Nevada Horse Trails

Fishing: Fishing is a favorite backcountry activity. A Nevada fishing license is required and can be purchased online at ndow.org. At Spooner Lake, the limit is five and bait is allowed. The Marlette Lake season runs July 15 through September 30 and is catch-and-release only. Use only artificial lures and single barbless hooks in this catch-and-release lake. The Hobart Reservoir season runs May 1 through September 30. The limit is five, and only one may be longer than 14 inches. Only artificial lures and single barbless hooks are allowed.

The backcountry is managed as a non-motorized area to preserve the area’s ecological and recreational attributes. Only motorized vehicles displaying official agency designations or a State Parks motorized vehicle permit are allowed in the backcountry.

Occasionally you will encounter State Parks, fire, wildlife and other official vehicles in the backcountry on water system, ecological restoration or park business. Nevada’s Tahoe Resource Team implements environmental improvement projects in the park. These projects are designed to improve water quality, control erosion, enhance wildlife habitat, restore forest health and improve recreation opportunities. Environmental projects mean that there may be vehicle traffic, chainsaw and tree chipper noise, trail crews and construction. Please excuse any inconvenience.