If you are looking for the least populated State Park in the Sierra State Parks system, Washoe Meadows State Park is the place for you. Washoe Meadows State Park, located on the outskirts of South Lake Tahoe, is a completely undeveloped park. Like Burton Creek State Park on the other end of the lake, its use—even its whereabouts—is virtually unknown except by local walkers, runners and Nordic skiers.
Lake Tahoe has long been the center of Washoe territory. The lake and environs are the geographical, indeed, spiritual focus of the tribe. As tribal elders put it: “We did not travel here from another place. We have been on this land since the beginning and have always lived here.” In fact, anthropological evidence suggests at least ten thousand years of Washoe occupation.
During an 1844 expedition, Captain John C. Frémont reported meeting a peaceful people, who used snow shoes and caught rabbits with nets. A flood of miners and settlers displaced and devastated the Washoe people. (For a moving account of Washoe life and their tragic collision with western frontier culture, read the Thomas Sanchez novel, Rabbit Boss.)
Washoe ancestral land centered around Da ow a ga (Lake Tahoe), sacred giver of life; the land included fertile valleys, the desert, and snow covered mountains. And, it included meadows as well—so it’s altogether fitting that a park be named after this long-neglected group of native Americans.
The Upper Truckee River runs through the park and is home to a wide variety of fish and birds.
The Washoe Meadows State Park is currently undergoing a planning phase that would significantly improve the health of the 1.5 mile stretch of the river and improve recreational offerings. To learn more about the process including how to get involved to support this effort, click on the website below.