Lake Tahoe Nevada State Park
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Tunnel Creek Trail Lake Tahoe Nevada State Park |
November 11, 2023
I have been invited to spend a couple of days with hiker friends Lori, Eileen, and Sue, at Lori's 'cabin' near a Lake Tahoe beach. Lori's choice of trail is one that I have not done previously; this is good.
Our trek begins right at Lori's front porch. What a deal
Today's weather is surprisingly accommodating for this time of year; in fact, it might
get up to 50 degrees or so!
Neighborhood 'attractions'
Ten minutes of walking gets us across the main highway and over to the trailhead.
Approaching the Tunnel Creek Cafe
This place really buzzes in the summertime, because the planned route doubles as a
premier recreational-biking area.
This shortcut saves us about two minutes
Starting up Tunnel Creek Road
The trail (road) is a relentless gradient of about 10-12% — easy going if one isn't in a hurry.
That looks like fog, but it actually is smoke
Prescribed burns have been conducted all year long — whenever weather permits. After ages of neglect and some debilitating forest fires, local officials finally are taking seriously the issue of fire prevention. This is good, although it would be nice actually to see the lake sometimes.
Just past this point I opt to stash my walking stick in a bush, confident that I will remember the nearby landmarks. I really don't know why I brought it along in the first place.
The composition mats aid cyclists in muddy conditions
The southward view is compromised
A Boy Scout Troop did a lot of work on this trail about ten years ago, installing trailhead mileage signposts from here up to Spooner Lake; but the program's engineer miscalculated severely.
This "zero" marker actually is a mile and a half from nowhere
The easiest walking of any trail in my recollection
Presently, we encounter a nice bench and a bit of Old West history:
There is more to the story (see Addendum) ⇔
The haze below does make for some interesting photographic opportunities
Lori has promised us a colorful aspen grove up ahead; but I have had my doubts about that, and surely enough:
Most of the leaves already have dropped
There is a bit of snow, however, and some more historical data
This grandiose endeavor was based solely upon greed ⇔
This is what remains of the old tunnel
The youngster Lori has forged well ahead now, while Sue and Eileen are somewhat behind me. A bike route cuts off from the roadway, so I opt for that.
This looks more interesting than the roadway
Eventually, my detour loops back toward a junction, where Lori is waiting. I enjoy surprising her by approaching from the 'wrong' direction. The others show up within a couple of minutes.
The spur route heads up to the Tahoe Rim Trail, but that is not in today's plan. It is but a short distance now to the anticipated Flume Trail, and Lori is determined to acquaint us with it; so we continue.
Crossing Tunnel Creek
A signpost warns of a narrow route ahead, with steep dropoffs; but those conditions
should be of concern only if one were riding a bike at high speed. Sue asks,
"Where's the flume?", whereupon Lori responds, "You're standing on it". After
the waterway was abandoned, the V-shaped trough was simply filled with sand and
groomed so as to accomodate bicycles.
The fallen 'tunnel tree' still has needles on it
That promontory hosts the Crystal Bay casinos and the Nevada-California state line
This is the terminus of the planned exploration, so we head back to the road junction to a pile of rocks that should serve as a good lunch spot.
The turquiose backpack belongs to a young couple from Reno who are sitting behind
the big boulder
After a pleasant snack in perfect hiking weather, it is time to head back. The remaining four miles will be all downhill. Having learned something from my earlier detour, I guide the group down below the rock pile to the bike trail.
Lori's cabin is right in the middle of the picture
Crystal Bay is the deepest part of the 2nd-deepest lake in the country
At 1,645 feet, Tahoe also happens to be the 2nd-deepest lake in the world above 6,220 feet elevation, and it is ranked among the 20 oldest of all lakes as well; but who's counting?
Winter is approaching
End of the bike detour
The Reno couple has passed us by, remaining on the roadway.
The aspens are lovely even without the leaves
A handy posted map details the entirety of the Spooner Backcountry trails. Our route shows only as the litte squiggly line labeled "TUNNEL CREEK RD".
⇔
Presently I am treated to one of my all-time favorite photo-ops — an ethereal portrait of Big Blue.
This is why I go hiking
Lori forges ahead again
A long line of ducks near the little boat
Tahoe Basin sand is whiter than in most other places
About twenty others are approaching
I believe that my walking stick is nearby, but recognizing the landmarks from the opposite direction proves not as easy as was anticipated. Of course, if I had a brain I would have marked a convenient waypoint on my GPS. After some trial and error I do manage to locate the thing, not that it would have been a big loss at its advanced age.
Getting closer
Near the trailhead
Back in the neighborhood
§: Well, that was a fun outing, to a new area that has been relatively
near my home for much of my life. In truth, I might never have ventured up here
so late in the year without an invitation from a resident. Thanks, Lori.
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ADDENDUM
Originally known to white settlers only by a mapped designation of
'Mountain Lake', the "fairest picture the whole world affords" was officially named in
honor of John Bigler, the first man ever to be reelected Governor of California.
Subsequently, however, shady dealings and an extremist support of slavery caused the
voters to kick him out of politics. Soon after that, the folks in charge realized
that naming beautiful places after fifth-rate politicians was not the answer;
this prompted a renaming of the lake as 'Tahoe', a mispronunciation of the Washoe
Indian name 'da ow a ga', or "edge of the lake".
Mark Twain, however, was highly displeased. Albeit fully supportive of a native designation, he hated the selection of 'Tahoe' because he didn't like the way it sounded. Twain published a scathing criticism of the new choice; but his will did not prevail, and today the mere mention of "Tahoe" is recognized around the globe for what it represents.
In fact, can you imagine a modern-day person suggesting something such as, "Honey, let's do our honeymoon at Bigler"? Or perhaps a European ski buff saying, "Pack your bags, m'dear; we're going to Bigler for the holidays"? Ughh.
