Can you imagine bicycling from Incline Village to Spooner Lake comfortably, without worrying about heavy summer traffic as you navigate curve filled Highway 28? No? Now imagine a beautiful summer’s day with you on your bike and a safe, sensational 22 mile round trip ride in front of you. That day will come, but be patient. The Spooner Lake extension of the popular Eastside Trail won’t be completed until 2026, but when it is — wow!
The new section will be 8 miles long, extending the length of the trail to 11 beautiful miles. The plan is to build the new section on the Lake side of Highway 28, following the highway’s route instead of the shoreline.
If the popularity of the existing 3 miles of the Eastside Trail gives us any hints, we can be sure that the completed trail will be well used. That leads to the question of parking. Currently there are 91 parking spaces at the Incline Village trailhead. However, The Tahoe Transportation District has applied for a grant to complete another 90 parking spaces along Highway 28 in Incline Village. If the grant is approved, construction will begin in 2021.
At the other end of the trail, plans for a 250 vehicle parking lot across from the Spooner Lake State Park entrance. Skunk Harbor will gain about 40 new parking spaces, with Secret Harbor and Chimney Beach getting 105 and 140 new parking spaces respectively. In total, over 535new parking spaces are included in the planned extension. Also, planned are transit stops at each location. The Tahoe Fund points out that the expanded parking and transit stops are “to meet exiting visitor recreation access and not to encourage greater access to the beaches and coves.”