Snowshoeing to Big Meadow has been on my winter hiking bucket list for years. There’s nothing quite like hiking out to a snow filled meadow surrounded by nature, mountains and views in every direction.
Big Meadow Trailhead is located off of Highway 89 between Christmas Valley and Hope Valley, south of South Lake Tahoe. The trailhead parking lot was not plowed when I visited but with plenty of plowed areas for parking along the side of Highway 89. The trailhead was a bit challenging to find due to the heavy snowpack. I ended up forging my own path in order to find my way to the trail. With the incredible winter we have had this year, I highly recommend coming well prepared. The snow was extremely deep, and I definitely needed my deep powder snowshoes this day until reaching the meadow, where the trail mellowed out.
The meadow is located along the Tahoe Rim Trail, approximately 0.5 miles from Big Meadow Trailhead. To reach the meadow, it requires about 100ft gain in elevation, making it an extremely family friendly trail or for those wanting a mellow day out in the Sierra wilderness. The meadow is absolutely stunning, surrounded by mountains and forests begging to be explored.
I decided to hike across the meadow and continue along the trail for as long as my legs could tolerate. Fortunately, the majority of the trail to Big Meadow was already packed down from prior hikers. However, upon reaching the opposite end of the meadow, my already packed down trail suddenly ceased, and I was on my own to reach my destination. I ended up snowshoeing for 1.5 more miles before reaching a beautiful lookout overlooking Round lake. At this point, I decided to turn around to head back to the trailhead and was welcomed with incredible views of Mount Tallac along the way. My round-trip hike ended at 4.9 miles with a total elevation gain of 740ft. Well worth it!
After being on my bucket list for years, I can confidently say that Big Meadow definitely did not disappoint and proved to be a day out in the Sierra that I will cherish for years to come. With the amount of snow that we have received this year, I am looking forward to venturing out into the Sierra to explore even more areas of which I am looking forward to sharing with you all!
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