Segment 4: Spooner Summit to Kingsbury Grade (SR 207)

Mileage sign at Spooner Summit Trail Head.

Segment Length: 14 Miles


Start elevation: 7,150 ft.


End Elevation: 7,920 ft.


High Point: 8,866 ft. (South Camp Peak)

Lake Tahoe with the distant peaks of the Desolation Wilderness.

This segment, from Spooner Summit to Kingsbury Grade, proved to be somewhat of a break compared to the previous three segments. At just over 14 miles, it is significantly shorter and also lacks the brutal elevation gain and loss that I have encountered thus far. Even though this segment is "easier," it still starts off with a gradual six mile climb to the top of the ridge before leveling out. There isn't a whole lot to look at for the first six miles which makes it seem like a longer than it really is, but once you reach the ridge it is all worth it. When you approach the top of the ridge you ascend out of the trees to a view of the entire Tahoe Basin. Looking straight across the south end of the lake you can see all the peaks of the Desolation Wilderness, including Mt. Tallac, Pyramid Peak and Dicks Peak. Looking south you can see Heavenly Ski Resort and Freel Peak, the highest peak in the Tahoe Basin.

Boulder fields along the trail.

The trail winds along the top of the ridge for a mile or two before dipping back into the trees for the remainder of the segment. The final 6 miles or so traverses steep mountainsides and winds through huge boulder fields, but the trail itself is pretty mellow. This is one of the few stretches so far where I have felt like I could afford to bump up my pace and let it fly a little. I cruised at about a 7 minute mile pace for the final 6 miles, and for the first time running the Rim it was nice to not have to worry about running out of energy or water.

View of South Lake from the trail.

 The distance of this run is listed at 12.2 miles, but they recently added an additional 2 miles to avoid having to walk down the road to the trail head for the next segment. I will gladly take an additional 2 miles of trail over having to run on the road any day.


Thanks to Tony for driving me from Kingsbury Grade down to S. Lake, and thanks to Ward for driving me from S. Lake back to my car at Spooner Summit.