Page Meadow

There are many ways to make a day of hiking to and around Page Meadow near Lake Tahoe. The best place to start is the parking area at the end of Silver Tip Drive. You'll have to navigate 1.5 miles through residential neighborhoods and subdivisions to get there, so make sure to drive slowly and carefully as you turn off of Highway 89 (West Lake Boulevard) onto Pine Avenue and Tahoe Park Heights Drive.

From the parking area, you'll start your hike on an unmarked trail, following it for one mile through the woods and along small ponds to get to the open meadows. You can simply end your hike at the meadow if you're more interested in a peaceful day of playing, picnicking, and relaxing in nature than logging the miles. This is a great place to come romp with your pup and enjoy the beauty of nature all year round.

In the spring, when it's wet and muddy, a chorus of frogs sings out from countless small pools. When the summer heat starts to dry up the temporary marsh, dozens of wildflowers burst into bloom, including purple penstemons and orange paintbrush. In late summer, grasshoppers fling themselves everywhere, and in the fall, the surrounding aspens burst into gold and orange hues. This is even a great place to visit in the winter, when it affords a scenic snowshoeing or cross-country skiing route. 

If you want to extend your hike, there's a few different ways to do it. The Page Meadows Trail continues from the Silvertip Drive parking area for 2.5 miles to the end of Chamonix Road, allowing you to use the trail as a five-mile round-trip out-and-back hike. Alternately, you can continue onto the Tahoe Rim Trail where it intersects with the Page Meadows Trail (about 1.5 miles from the Silvertip Drive trailhead). The full trail is 165 miles long, but there are a few landmarks you can use to frame your hike. Following the Tahoe Rim Trail about three miles north will bring you to the south bank of the Truckee River, while following it 1.5 miles south will bring you to the north bank of Ward Creek.

Take a page out of a Choose Your Own Adventure book for your day hiking around Page Meadows. No matter how far you wander together, you and your pup will go home refreshed by the beauty of nature.