Tahoe Meadows Trail
Tahoe Meadows Trail
5
About
This 165-mile, twenty-four inch, single-track trail is open to hiking, equestrians, and mountain biking (in most areas). The trail encompasses the ridge tops of the Lake Tahoe Basin, crossing six counties, and two states. The Tahoe Rim Trail overlaps with approximately fifty miles of the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail.
Duration: < 1 hour
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
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5.0
46 reviews
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RenoBill
Reno, NV151 contributions
Sept 2011 • Friends
The Tahoe Rim Trail is considered one of the three great hiking trails of America, up there with the Pacific Crest and Appalachian Trails. Its nearest trailhead to Reno is only a half hour drive, at the Mt Rose Hwy summit with parking and restrooms. The trail leads to a 130' high waterfall, only 2.25 miles of easy hiking. You can continue to the top of Mt rose (not so easy), or make a loop back to your car (6 miles R/T). Lots of wildflowers in season (late July into August). Trail grade rarely exceeds 10%, so it's doable for most people.
Down the highway a mile or so, and on the other side, is a 1.2 mile mostly level interpretive trail. Beyond the adjacent meadow is Ophir Creek, with its own nearly level trail, marvelous views, and great wildflowers in season.
Admittedly, I'm prejudiced, as I live in Reno and hike the Rim Trail often. I'm also a senior crew leader who helped construct the trails I've just described, and I'm confident you'll enjoy them as much as I do.
Down the highway a mile or so, and on the other side, is a 1.2 mile mostly level interpretive trail. Beyond the adjacent meadow is Ophir Creek, with its own nearly level trail, marvelous views, and great wildflowers in season.
Admittedly, I'm prejudiced, as I live in Reno and hike the Rim Trail often. I'm also a senior crew leader who helped construct the trails I've just described, and I'm confident you'll enjoy them as much as I do.
Written 5 April 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thisguyagain
Vacaville, CA46 contributions
Aug 2019 • Family
As a previous reviewer mentioned, the description is more for the Tahoe rim trail, but the Tahoe meadows trail is separate from the rim. That being said, it is a great place to experience, with a few options of trails within the vicinity. After asking a local, she recommended the interpretative trail for our family with small children. (A 3 and 7 year old) it is a little more than a mile loop and is mostly a flat, easily marked path. It offered great views of the meadow, Tons of wild flowers, bridges over the stream, and rocks to climb that the kids loved. The trees allowed for most of the mile to be shaded as well. One thing I did not expect was the butterflies. Literally thousands of them along the path, that was quite the experience! I would recommend this particular trail to families, yet there are longer and more difficult trails to hike from Tahoe meadows as well.
Written 9 August 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
sanjosejohn
San Jose, CA105 contributions
Sept 2016 • Couples
Went up to the Mt. Rose summit trail for a couple of hours of hiking in Sept. The air was thin because you are about 7000ft up but the trail is fairly level with a few spots of uphill.
Its the uphill parts that you begin to huff and puff a little more than normal. From the parking lot its a 2.5miles hike to the water falls. The trail is well maintained and in the winter is under a lot of snow. You can continue once you get to the waterfalls and hike to the top of Mt. Rose, but at 63 and 7000ft up I was huffing and puffing a little too much to make it. Total time was about 3 hrs to the waterfalls and back. Not bad. Bring water for the trip.
Its the uphill parts that you begin to huff and puff a little more than normal. From the parking lot its a 2.5miles hike to the water falls. The trail is well maintained and in the winter is under a lot of snow. You can continue once you get to the waterfalls and hike to the top of Mt. Rose, but at 63 and 7000ft up I was huffing and puffing a little too much to make it. Total time was about 3 hrs to the waterfalls and back. Not bad. Bring water for the trip.
Written 3 October 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
BHartMich
Northville, MI695 contributions
Aug 2015 • Couples
The Tahoe Rim Trail out of the Mt. Rose trailhead is a wonderful hike. If you take the right trail (counterclockwise-wise ) at the split, it is about 2.4 miles to a nice little waterfall. Continue following the trail up a series of switchbacks, and keep on going. This part of the hike is a bit more challenging than the trail to the waterfall, but it is still nice with great views.
In total the hike is nearly 6 miles to get back to the trailhead. The last 2 miles or so are almost entirely downhill, so that is helpful as you get a little tired. Between miles 4 - 5 there are super views of Lake Tahoe. Beautiful. Definitely worth going the whole way around the loop.
In total the hike is nearly 6 miles to get back to the trailhead. The last 2 miles or so are almost entirely downhill, so that is helpful as you get a little tired. Between miles 4 - 5 there are super views of Lake Tahoe. Beautiful. Definitely worth going the whole way around the loop.
Written 31 August 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
patrickmaguiremd
Wilmington, NC61 contributions
Jul 2015 • Family
For those visiting Northeast Lake Tahoe who enjoy the outdoors, the hike to Mt. Rose and adjacent Tahoe Rim Trail (TRT) is not to be missed! The wildflowers in mid-July were spectacular. Wildlife near Mt. Rose Summit included a big, beautiful buck and a marmot.
Written 30 July 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
ski_hike
Reno114 contributions
I section-hiked the Tahoe Rim Trail, mostly day hikes but with some overnighters and one 5day trip through the Desolation Wilderness. The whole trail can be done as day hikes with some planning, and car shuttles. Beautiful, sometimes crowded, especially on the sections that allow mountain bikes. Water sources can be problem, especially on the East side, and following poor winters. The Tahoe Rim Trail Association maintains a website that is loaded with information. Any trip to Tahoe should include at least one day hike on the Rim Trail.
Written 24 May 2007
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
CrankingChick
Tucson, AZ7,681 contributions
Aug 2018 • Couples
The description on this page seems to be for the Tahoe Rim Trail and not for the much-shorter Tahoe Meadows Interpretive Trail. The Rim Trail and the Meadows Trail both share a trail head (parking area) that is located on the south side of NV431, about 16 miles southwest from I-580 and 7.4 miles northeast from Tahoe Boulevard (NV28) in Incline Village. The driveway drops below the road and curves into a parking lot. The Interpretive Trail starts at the northeast end of the parking lot near the restrooms. We drove up at daybreak on a Sunday morning and were the first ones to arrive, giving us the opportunity to enjoy a quiet, solitary morning hike. The easy 1.3-mile path leads along a stream and through open meadows and pine forest (no views of Lake Tahoe here). The route was not marked well, and a couple of times we weren't sure we were staying on the right track (a portion of it was more like a forest road). This trail is described as wheelchair accessible and we did manage to complete it with determination, but sections of the trail were eroded or had accumulated deep sand that made it difficult. A plastic mesh grid has been used to stabilize the soil in some areas, but the holes in the grid are large enough for small front caster wheels to drop into and snag. I recommend that wheelchair users equip with wide tires and bring assistance. This would be a good trail for families with small children because it's not difficult and the scenery keeps changing (meadow, forest, stream, granite boulders). The path is partially shaded and at 8700' elevation, so it's a good destination in the warmer summer months. There is no fee to access this area.
Written 9 April 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
ssycats
Rockerville, SD445 contributions
Sept 2013 • Friends
Highly recommend to add to your bucket list. If you are in the area this is a must-do activity. We rented bikes from Max at Flume Trail Bikes in Incline Village. He shuttled us to Tahoe Meadows/Mt Rose Trailhead. We peddled about 14 miles on the Tahoe Rim Trail, then peddled around Marlette Lake and over to the stunning Flume Trail. Biked another 9 miles on the Flume Trail and back to the Flume Trail Bike shop. These are awesome single track trails with great scenery--so bring a camera. The trails are rocky and sandy for the most part. A few good climbs but nothing too steep to ride. There were several sketchy rocky sections throughout that we walked around. Thin air nor high altitude was not an issue for any of us South Dakotans. We are a group of six fit 50-year olds that mountain bike regularly. It took us about 4.5 hours to peddle 23 miles. We got a late start otherwise it would have been nice to take a little more time an enjoy the views (had to get the bikes back by 5 pm). We each took 100 oz of water and 3 of the 6 ran out of water before we finished on a cool day.
Written 1 October 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Vegas4kondra
Las Vegas10 contributions
The Rim Trail is the most beautiful piece of land in Tahoe. There are many trailheads to start from. We did Tahoe Meadows, Mt. Rose Summit and Mt. Tallac.
Mt. Tallac being the most strenuous of them all. Very steep at times but the view from the top is worth every step of the way. Plan on about 6 hours round trip.
Mt. Rose Summit is just as pretty. You can see Reno to the left and about all of Tahoe to the right. Very easy to get to from Reno or Tahoe.. Almost 11,000 feet to the summit..
Mt. Tallac being the most strenuous of them all. Very steep at times but the view from the top is worth every step of the way. Plan on about 6 hours round trip.
Mt. Rose Summit is just as pretty. You can see Reno to the left and about all of Tahoe to the right. Very easy to get to from Reno or Tahoe.. Almost 11,000 feet to the summit..
Written 17 August 2009
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Kimberly N
700 contributions
Dec 2018 • Family
We love hiking around Lake Tahoe and this area is one of our favorites! When the weather is nicer, there is an abundance of beautiful wild flowers that accentuate the already gorgeous surroundings with peek-a-boo views of gorgeous Lake Tahoe. But we had a magical winter wonderland hike here a couple days ago in December!
Sadly, we forgot to bring along our snowshoes but, with the goal of finding Chickadee Ridge, we proceeded along the snow-covered meadows boardwalk based upon the descriptions found on online hike sites. We also encountered others that either snowshoed or cross-country skied on the same trails that gave friendly advice about how to find the seemingly evasive chickadees. There were lots of happy people and dogs in the same area that others warned may have scared off the cute birdies.
We made our way up to the top of the ridge and were rewarded with an absolutely gorgeous view of Lake Tahoe! Even if we could not find the chickadees, we were more than satisfied with this reward! As we made our way back down toward where we parked, we saw a man sitting quietly with his little boy on a sled. He told us he did see a couple chickadees here and, as we quieted our voices, we could hear them calling in the trees! So my daughter and I silently made our way off the trail, hands outstretched holding pieces of walnuts. It did not take long until inquisitive chickadees whooshed down, landed on our hands, grabbed a nibble, and took off again! It truly was magical!
We will head here again and won't forget our snowshoes! Even though the snow trails are packed down, every once in a while we would sink beneath the trail without them!
Sadly, we forgot to bring along our snowshoes but, with the goal of finding Chickadee Ridge, we proceeded along the snow-covered meadows boardwalk based upon the descriptions found on online hike sites. We also encountered others that either snowshoed or cross-country skied on the same trails that gave friendly advice about how to find the seemingly evasive chickadees. There were lots of happy people and dogs in the same area that others warned may have scared off the cute birdies.
We made our way up to the top of the ridge and were rewarded with an absolutely gorgeous view of Lake Tahoe! Even if we could not find the chickadees, we were more than satisfied with this reward! As we made our way back down toward where we parked, we saw a man sitting quietly with his little boy on a sled. He told us he did see a couple chickadees here and, as we quieted our voices, we could hear them calling in the trees! So my daughter and I silently made our way off the trail, hands outstretched holding pieces of walnuts. It did not take long until inquisitive chickadees whooshed down, landed on our hands, grabbed a nibble, and took off again! It truly was magical!
We will head here again and won't forget our snowshoes! Even though the snow trails are packed down, every once in a while we would sink beneath the trail without them!
Written 1 January 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Is this hike shaded? Are there parts that are in the shade?
Written 27 July 2018
I want to leave a car at the Barker Pass Trailhead for 3 nights and hike there from Echo Lake. How can I get from the parking area back to the Echo Lake trailhead?
Written 1 July 2016
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