What makes the Tahoe Rim Trail Endurance Runs so special to runners is nearly the entire course is in the Nevada State Park Spooner Lake & Backcountry. This also means very little access to crew and family. This page will hopefully help with your TRTER experience and your runner’s experience.
Parking
Parking at Spooner Lake Nevada State Park is limited. This is why we have a special use permit to use the watercraft inspection site a ¼ mile away for parking. We provide shuttle vans to bring you into the park if you park in the off-site parking area. We don’t want you walking along Highway 28 to get into the park. Below is a link showing the parking area.
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1SOHUslf14sGBCe9kZapew39CcNA&usp=sharing
To park in Spooner State Park there is a $10 fee. Your parking permit is good all day. If you plan on seeing your runner start the race, I recommend paying the parking fee, because when you come back the same day your parking permit will still be valid. Cars without a parking ticket stub on their dash will be cited.
Drive to Aid Stations
There are only two drive-to aid station locations. Diamond Peak Ski Resort and Spooner State Park. 100-mile runners will come to Diamond Peak twice – mile 30 and mile 80. 50 Mile runners will only come to Diamond once at – mile 30.
The other drive-to aid station is at Spooner Lake Nevada State Park. This is also where the start/finish is located. The 50-mile aid station is normally located halfway to the start/finish area called Stonehenge. However, for 2020, that part of the State Park will be under construction so the 50 mile aid station will be located closer to the start/finish area. From the parking area you will walk downhill on the trails towards Spooner Lake. You will not be able to miss it. The start/finish area will be right at Spooner Lake.
Runners with crew members going to Diamond Peak Ski Resort:
- There is only parking at the lower lot. There is no parking at the upper lodge parking, that is for volunteers only.
- There is no parking along Ski Way street as it blocks access to the housing beyond the ski resort. Parking there will result in towing at your crews expense.
- There is NO CREWING OUTSIDE OF THE AID STATION. ANY CREWING UP THE ROAD IN TYROLEAN Village will result in disqualification of your runner! No exceptions! This can and will jeopardize permitting of the race.
- We also have a 9:00 pm noise curfew at the lodge, please be respectful of those living close to the parking lot. No crewing in the parking lot. This is no joke, we have very serious restrictions here and it’s up to you to get this information to your crew. Violations of these rules will result in your runner’s disqualification!
Many runners ask if their crew can go to Tunnel Creek Aid Station to crew their runners. Tunnel Creek Aid Station is not a drive to aid station. Parking must be in the designated parking lots on Hwy 28 in front of the Tunnel Creek Café. You cannot park in the café parking lot. There is no longer parking on the highway shoulder since the new parking lots were put in last year. Below is a link to this parking area.
https://goo.gl/maps/GisXxoDM1jfGY6kJ9
Tunnel Creek Aid Station is a 3.5 mile and 1,800-foot climb to get to. It’s a public trail so it’s not closed to crew going up there, but unless you are fit enough to run trails you will find this a very difficult journey to the aid station. Because of the scope and size of this aid station, crew are NOT allowed in the aid station area. Crewing out of the aid station must be done within 100 yards of the aid station. The aid station captain also requests that no dogs be within the aid station area. There are too many runners, aid station volunteers and mountain bikers in this area. We also request that you do not bring dogs to Diamond Peak Lodge or the Finish Line and Ultra Lounge area at Spooner State Park. Please respect this request.
All other aid stations are deep in the backcountry and are 10+ miles to get to and NO VEHICLE access.
The 100-mile awards ceremony will be located at the Ultra Lounge next to the Start/Finish Area after the last official 100-mile finisher at 4 pm.