Cave Rock Tunnel

The tunnel through Cave Rock, on Tahoe's east shore. At this time it was only a 2 lane road and there was only one tunnel.

Date Uploaded: October 27, 2025

Permanent Link: http://wnhpc.com/details/fb1376616984470154

Contributor: Gribblenation on Facebook

Source: Facebook: Gribblenation

Source URL: https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1376616984470154&set=a.506754804789714

Source Caption: This view is of US Route 50 at the original Cave Rock Tunnel bore as featured in the July 1932-June 1934 Nevada Department of Highways Biennial.

US Route 50 from Carson City west to California State Line largely follows the previous paths of the Walton Toll Road and Lake Tahoe Toll Road. The Walton Toll Road was opened 1862 and followed Kings Canyon westward over Spooner Summit to the sawmills of Glenbrook on the east shore of Lake Tahoe.

In 1863 the Lake Bigler Toll Road Company bought out the Walton Toll Road and consolidated it with the Lake Tahoe Road to the south which at the time took the Kingsbury Grade to Carson City. Connecting the Walton Toll Road with the Lake Tahoe Road required building a one-lane trestle bridge around the western edge of the Washoe Sacred Site known as Cave Rock. There had a previous primitive road around Cave Rock as early as the 1840s.

During 1931 the first tunnel through Cave Rock was constructed as a realignment of US Route 50. The second tunnel was completed in 1957 and now serves eastbound traffic.

Download Photo: JPG (212 KB)