- Nevada County HP: #7
- Difficulty: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
- Summit Elevation: 9,218 feet
- Mountain Range: Carson Range
- Ancestral Lands: Cayuse, Umatilla, and Walla Walla; Washoe
PLANNING DETAILS
Location: Snow Valley Peak is located just east of Lake Tahoe and inside the independent city of Carson City, NV.
When to Visit: June to October. Snow Valley Peak is typically snow-covered until early June.
Fees/Permits Required: No.
Getting There: This hike begins at the Spooner Summit Trailhead on US Highway 50 on the east side of Lake Tahoe.
Directions from Reno: Follow I-580 south for 33 miles to the south end of Carson City, where the highway ends. Use the right two lanes to continue west on US-50 toward Lake Tahoe. Follow US-50 west for 9 miles as the highway climbs into the Carson Mountains. When US-50 crests Spooner Summit, there are two parking areas on either side of the highway. The trailhead for this hike is located on the north side of the highway adjacent to the North Spooner Summit parking lot. There is a second, larger parking lot (with vault toilets) on the opposite side of the highway at the South Spooner Summit summit trailhead.
Directions from Minden: Follow I-395 north for 12.4 miles to the junction with US-50 and I-580 at the south end of Carson City. Turn left onto US-50 and head west for 9 miles as the highway climbs into the Carson Mountains. When US-50 crests Spooner Summit, there are two parking areas on either side of the highway. The trailhead for this hike is located on the north side of the highway adjacent to the North Spooner Summit parking lot. There is a second, larger parking lot (with vault toilets) on the opposite side of the highway at the South Spooner Summit summit trailhead.
Parking: There is space for 10-12 vehicles in the North Spooner Summit parking lot, which is co-located with the trailhead. Additional parking is available on the opposite side of US-50 at the South Spooner Summit trailhead. This southern lot has room for 15-20 additional cars. There are bear-proof trash cans at the northern parking lot and two vault toilets at the southern parking area, but neither parking area has potable water.
Difficulty Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ (Challenging) — The route to Snow Valley Peak is 12.2 miles round-trip. This hike follows the Tahoe Rim Trail with a 0.5-mile short detour up to the summit. The trail is well-groomed and easy to follow, but the overall distance and higher elevation can make this a challenging day hike for most visitors.
Pets Allowed: Yes.
Kid-friendly: This high point is best suited for ages 12 or older due to the hike’s distance.
The Summit: Snow Valley Peak is covered with small desert shrubs, and dominated by a large cell tower and solar panels. There is a small pile of white cinderblocks with a rock marking the summit.
TRIP SUMMARY
Date Visited: July 1, 2026
Route Used: Tahoe Rim Trail and Snow Valley summit trail – 12.2 miles round-trip
Of the three Nevada CoHPs along the Tahoe Rim Trail, Snow Valley Peak is the one I came closest to on my 2020 thru-hike. This peak is barely 0.5 miles off the Tahoe Rim Trail, just above Marlette Lake.
I spent the night before my hike at Emerald Bay State Park, where I scored a last-minute campsite at one of Lake Tahoe’s most coveted campgrounds. As a result, I had a nearly an hour-long drive around South Lake Tahoe and up to Spooner Summit this morning.
A hotel in Carson City might have allowed for an earlier arrival at the trailhead, but the trade-off would have been forfeiting a fantastic sunset at the water’s edge and sleeping under a full moon.
Even with my hour-long morning drive, I arrived at the Spooner Summit trailhead just after 7 am, eager to nab my fifth Nevada CoHP in as many days. Taking it easy yesterday and riding the gondola up toward East Peak made a world of difference. My legs felt 100% ready for this 12-mile hike.
The parking areas were nearly empty when I arrived, so I had the option to park on the northern side of the highway (next to the trailhead), but I opted for the southern side instead. This meant I’d have to play a live-action version of “frogger” with the fast-moving vehicle traffic on US-50, but it would set me up on the correct side of the highway when I was done and needed to drive to Reno.
Every aspect of this hike felt familiar, since I’d hiked more that 95% of the route once before. But it was far more enjoyable to head uphill in the crisp morning air, without the heavy backpack or long water carry I’d experienced on Day 3 of my Tahoe Rim Trail hike.
One of the joys of hiking this route on July 1st meant I was on the trail during the peak wildflower bloom. The trail through the forest was filled with the purple, lavender, and pink varieties of silver lupine that thrive in the sandy soil along Lake Tahoe.
I appeared to be the only person on the trail for the first 4 miles of my route north. It was just me and the sandy footprints of other hikers, horses, dogs, and maybe some bears.
The first 2.1 miles were mostly uphill as I climbed above Spooner Lake and the surrounding Nevada State Park. Thereafter, the trail leveled into gently rolling ups and downs as it wove between USFS land to my east and Nevada State Park land to my west.
One of the sights I love about the eastern side of the Tahoe Rim Trail is the giant boulders that are part of the natural terrain. These mammoth rocks make me feel like I’m in a crazy playground, and I have to remind myself I’m here to hike, not goof off climbing rocks.
As I continued north through the forest, I found myself serenaded by morning birdsong accompanied by the constant rat-a-tat-tat of a nearby woodpecker. There are about half a dozen varieties of woodpeckers native to this area, and I didn’t actually stop to look for the fellow making all the noise or take a photo.
Just before the 4-mile mark of the hike, I emerged from the forest and got my initial glimpses of Snow Valley Peak before dropping back into the trees once again, where a trail junction was awaiting me.
This junction was for the North Canyon connector trail. The North Canyon campground is down a long, zigzagging trail on the west side of the TRT, and it is one of just two places where hikers can camp in the 16-mile stretch between Spooner Summit and the end of the state park boundary.
During my thru-hike, I’d opted for the campground at Marlette Peak about 5 miles farther north. Yet I vividly remember this part of the route because the water situation was grim. The hand pump at the Marlette Peak campground was broken that year, which meant I’d be dry camping for the evening.
I can still remember my internal debate about whether it was better to carry 4 liters of water up from Spooner Lake in the hot afternoon sun or descend the steep slope to the water source beside the North Canyon Campground. Neither one was a great choice, to be honest. And it made this part of my hike one of the more logistically challenging.
Luckily, I didn’t have to struggle with these same water worries today. This was just a day hike, and I had plenty of water to meet my needs today.
Once I got beyond the North Canyon junction, the trail began climbing again, and from mile 4.6 onward, I’d have unobscured views of Lake Tahoe.
Over the next mile of trail, I crossed paths with 5 separate backpackers, all of whom were hiking south while carrying large packs. I suspect they’d each camped at Marlette Peak camp last night and were continuing their clockwise loop of the Tahoe Rim Trail.
As I passed each one, we exchanged polite smiles or waves, but the last hiker actually stopped to talk to me. She had a huge smile on her face and excitedly remarked, “I love this trail. It’s just so damn beautiful.”
I had to agree with her point. Of all the shorter trails I’ve hiked (aka <200 miles), I’d rank the Tahoe Rim Trail and the Tour du Mont Blanc at the top of my list. Every day brings views of that one constant (Lake Tahoe or Mont Blanc), but the ever-changing vantage points and beautiful terrain make it worth getting up and hiking each day.
At mile 5.7, I reached my final junction on the route. While I was above treeline, I’d seen a dirt jeep road switch-backing its way up the slope from Marlette Lake. And now it crossed over the Tahoe Rim Trail between two tall wooden posts. This jeep road was where I’d need to turn right, departing the TRT and heading uphill toward the high point.
This is probably as good a time as any to reflect on whether Snow Valley Peak is a true CoHP (or not).
When Nevada achieved statehood in 1864, Carson City was designated as the state’s capital. The city, named after Kit Carson, was established in 1858 as ranchers began moving into Eagle Valley, and it was placed inside Ormsby County for political purposes. By 1960, though, all but 2,900 of Ormbsy County’s residents lived inside Carson City. So the state held a referendum in 1966 to approve the merger of the county and city, and then passed a constitutional amendment to form the independent city of Carson City.
And so, this is how we get this CoHP that isn’t really part of a county. But the U.S. Census Bureau classifies independent cities as “county equivalent.” Of the 41 independent cities in the US, 38 are in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The remaining three are: Carson City, NV (which merged with Ormsby County); the City of Baltimore, MD (which was carved out from Baltimore County); and the City of St. Louis, MO (which was carved out from St. Louis County).
And so, that is how I ended up hiking the Carson City High Point, not the Ormsby County high point.
Unfortunately, this unique high point isn’t one of Nevada’s prettiest peaks. It’s just a shrub-covered bald above Lake Tahoe with a small outbuilding, some cell towers, and a few solar panels to keep everything powered.
The jeep road led me all the way to the high point, but there was no survey monument or summit register. A prior visitor tried to remedy the high point’s lackluster appeal by building a small cinderblock pile and using a marker to write the peak’s name on the top piece. So I guest there was something other than an ugly antenna to mark the spot.
With little reason to remain at the summit for more than a brief visit, I quickly began my descent. That’s when I spotted a wooden post at a natural viewpoint near the edge of the terrain, and I began to hike down to it instead of returning to the jeep road.
When I arrived, I noted that the sun-faded wooden post was carved with the numbers: 191519. I have no idea what the significance of this number is, though. So if anyone can enlighten me, feel free to leave a comment!
With 6+ miles left to hike back to the Spooner Summit trailhead, I said goodbye to Snow Valley Peak and returned to the Tahoe Rim Trail. This was officially the end of my multi-peak county highpointing spree in Nevada. I tagged 5 CoHPs in 5 days. And now I needed to drive to Reno so I could begin the 430-mile drive back home tomorrow.
BONUS MATERIAL
Public camping nearby:
- Washoe Lake State Park is located on the south side of Lake Washoe, approximately 23 miles from the Spooner Summit Trailhead. This state park is open year-round and offers 49 campsites, picnic tables, fire rings, bathrooms, one shower, potable water, a disc golf course, a boat ramp, and an equestrian area. Cost: $15/night for Nevada residents; $20 for out-of-state vehicles. (Campsites are reservable online for an additional $5 fee).
- Campground by the Lake is located in South Lake Tahoe, CA, approximately 16 miles from Spooner Summit. This city park campground is open seasonally from May to October and offers 99 campsites, picnic tables, campfire rings, flush toilets, coin-operated showers, an RV dump station, and access to a bike path. Cost: $47/night. (66 sites are reservable online for an additional $10 fee, while sites on Loop C are only offered on a first-come, first-served basis.)
Resources:
- Overview of Snow Valley Peak (Summit Post)
- Hiking Route (All Trails)
- Spooner Lake & Backcountry (Nevada State Park)
- Current Wildfire Conditions (Nevada Fire Info)
- Tahoe Rim Trail (TRT Association)
- Carson City (official site)
A quick note on my difficulty ratings:
- ⭐️ = Easy hike (0-5 miles long, defined trail, flat or limited vertical gain, good for all ages)
- ⭐️⭐️ = Moderate hike (<5 miles round-trip, on trail, some vertical gain)
- ⭐️⭐️⭐️ = Challenging (5-15 miles round-trip, with possible off-trail navigation, steep climbs, or bouldering)
- ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ = Hard (10+ miles roundtrip, with off-trail navigation or very steep climbs)
- ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ = Very Hard (20+ miles round-trip, and/or technical skills or equipment required)