Echo Summit to Big Meadow

Gentle traverses lead across 16 miles of rolling landscape, curving through the dense forest and acient lava flows of the Upper Truckee River Basin. Wildflowers carpet broad meadows near each end of the trail. The wildflowers in the Showers Lake bowl in August are a "must see". Further along, shallow lakes beckon fisherman and picnikers (or runners wanting a refreshing mid-run dip).

Big Meadow: on the north side of Highway 89, 5 miles south of the US 50 / Highway 89 junction in Meyers. Paved parking lot, restrooms, horse trailer parking.

Echo Summit: on Highway 50 just west of the summit at the Sno-Park area on the south side of the highway. Lot and roadside parking.

Echo Lakes to Barker Pass

Cutting through the granite heart of Desolation Wilderness, 32 miles of often rugged trail trek through a glacially sculpted and starkly beautiful land. Near Echo Lakes, lakes lie cradled in rocky basins amid dense conifer stands and pockets of wildflowers. Closer to Barker Pass is a rolling terrain of polished granite and glacial moraines, decorated with meadows, ephemeral creeks, and thick woods. There are several connector trails that connect this section of the Tahoe Rim Trail (also the Pacific Crest Trail) with the Lake Tahoe Basin, including the Glen Alpine trail and the Meeks Bay Trail.

Echo Lakes: from Highway 50 follow signs for Echo Lake north for 1 mile to parking lot on Echo Summit Road. Trail begins at the dam below Echo Chalet. Limite parking.

Barker Pass: on Blackwood Canyon Road, 7.5 miles west of its intersection with Highway 89 at Kaspian Campground, 4 miles south of Tahoe City and 4 miles north of Tahoma. Roadside parking.