Spooner Summit

Absolutely no one there on a weekday, so you get a nice nature view of fresh powdered snow and silence. Has a restroom that was locked but there were port-​a-​Pottys. Unless it was covered in snow, there was an area that you can grab some maps of the area. Parking on both sides of the street for crowded days are nice too. Ultimately, it’s free sledding which was not all the comment when I searched for a place to go before we decided on here.

A note to people who get here looking for the sledding/​tubing hill:
The other reviews here describe the actual «Spooner Summit», which is on Hwy 50, 1 mile east of the interchange of Hwy 50 and Hwy 28.
However, what is often described on the Internet as the «Spooner Summit» free tubing hill is a completely separate place, which is directly at the interchange of Hwy 50 and Hwy 28, on the west side of the interchange. It is accessed via a side road which you enter from Hwy 28, north of the interchange.

Bug spray! Your gonna need it! Got eaten alove at one point, ran out of water. so make sure you are stocked up! Swim gear, water, bug spray.

A great place to hike. I wrote in more detail in a personal blog here
The views are great. There is wildlife and the weather is nice in early Spring. The trail is not very difficult. I did an out-​and-​back walk with my GF Ashley. It is not very far from Reno/​Sparks and makes a great day trip. Pack a snack and use the tables at the parking area.

Spooner Summit straddles US Highway 50 between Lake Tahoe and Carson City. There are parking lots on either side of US-​50 roughly one mile east of the junction of US-​50 and Route 28 or roughly 12 miles west of Carson City. Neither is especially well marked but you will see signs for Spooner Summit and the Tahoe Ridge Trail. From either lot you can pick up the Tahoe Rim Trail which circles Lake Tahoe and is 165 miles long!
We have been coming here for years, always during the winter months to take the kids sledding and to let them have a relatively pristine and uncrowded place to play in the snow. We have not yet had the opportunity to really explore the trail to any degree. The parking lots are plowed (eventually) and you need only walk a few dozen yards to be out in the rolling hills where you can cross-​country ski or go sledding with the kids.
It seems like most locals use the southern side of the highway since the trails on this side are accessible to ATVs. Be forewarned if you don’t want to share the trails with ATVs! The north side of the highway is more rugged and is more suitable for hiking and snow play. Spooner Lake lies just a few hundred yards from the northern parking lot.
If you go during winter do not venture out alone unless you are a well equipped and experienced hiker, especially on the north side since the area is not heavily traveled. Remember the Donner party??? I bet they came through here and the terrain is likely just like it was back then! Enjoy.