Tahoe trails part 8. Big Meadow is about 4 miles to the north of Dardenelles Lake and this was my final stretch on the Tahoe Rim Trail on day 8 of the hike. Beyond Big Meadow I cut west on some back roads to a very steep trail known as the Hawley Grade which took me up to the Echo Summit area thereby completing a looping route round the Meiss Meadows.
 Big Meadow is exactly that- a big meadow surrounded by pine forest. The Washo people lived round and about Lake Tahoe for thousands of years but were decimated by the colonisation of America. They migrated with the seasons around their territory- Big Meadow for example was known to be rich in plants for food and medicine.