Tahoe Rim Trail. Tim Hauserman
and Nevada. The remainder of the trail lies in the Lake Tahoe Nevada State Park. The only areas with limitations on hiking or camping on the TRT are Desolation Wilderness and Lake Tahoe Nevada State Park. These two include the following trail sections, described in greater detail in chapter 6.
Section 3: Mount Rose Trailhead to Spooner Summit
This section travels through Lake Tahoe Nevada State Park where camping is limited to two primitive but developed campgrounds that have picnic tables and pit toilets. A hand-operated well providing drinking water was installed at the Marlette Campground in 2010. Permits are not required here. For more information contact the Lake Tahoe Nevada State Park at (775) 831-0494 or the Tahoe Rim Trail Association office at (775) 298-0012.
Section 7: Echo Summit and Echo Lakes to Barker Pass
This section travels through Desolation Wilderness. Permits that can be obtained at the trailhead are required to enter Desolation Wilderness. If you are staying overnight, you must get a camping permit at the Tahoe Basin National Forest Information Center at Taylor Creek located on Highway 89 about 0.5 mile northwest of Camp Richardson. The wilderness has been divided into zones for the issuance of permits. A limited number of camping permits are available for each zone, so you may not be able to obtain a permit for the more popular areas (which tend to be lakes close to trailheads) in the middle of the summer, particularly on weekends. For more information contact the Forest Service at: Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit, 35 College Drive, South Lake Tahoe, CA 96150 or (530) 543-2600. Or visit www.fs.fed.us/r5/ltbmu.
2 Animals and Plants, Great and Small
The Lake Tahoe area has a tremendous variety of interesting flora and fauna. You will enhance your enjoyment and experience of this beautiful region by getting to know some of them. This chapter gives a quick summary of what you may encounter as you journey along the Tahoe Rim Trail.
While many of these animals are a rare treat to encounter, the smaller animals such as squirrels and birds are found in abundance. Among the highlights of traveling in the Tahoe woods are the fascinating trees and wildflowers that you pass along the way. This book provides a quick, easily understood introduction to the most common animals and plants in the Tahoe Basin area; it is not intended to substitute for a good field guide.
The Largest Animals in the Tahoe Region
Black Bear The largest omnivores in the Sierra are black bears, but often their fur is cinnamon brown, dark brown, reddish, and sometimes even off-white. Bears are common on the west shore of the lake, where numerous garbage cans provide a tempting place to scavenge a free meal on garbage collection days. Whether you live in the Tahoe area or are just visiting, you can do your part to protect bears—and yourself—by keeping your garbage away from where they can get to it. If you are camping or backpacking in bear country, follow these simple rules:
Don’t leave any food or clothes that smell like food in your tent. When they come to get it, you don’t want to be sleeping in the path of a hungry and determined bear.
Put your food (all your food!) in a safe place at night and when you are not in camp. If a campground has a bearproof container use it. In the backcountry you are not only advised to put your food in a bearproof canister, but in some areas, including several wilderness areas in the central and southern Sierra, you are required to do so. The next two best methods are to hang your food high in a tree, suspended from a rope, or to put it on a 15-foot-high rocky ledge where bears can’t reach it.
Keep a clean camp so that bears or other animals won’t be attracted to the site. Put food, cleaning, and fragrant hygiene supplies such as shampoo, toothpaste, and soap away soon after you are done with them.
If you see a bear, make lots of noise. Bang pots and pans together, stand up and shout, and throw your arms around to scare it away. (Note that this approach doesn’t always work!)
Be smart. If a bear is chomping down on your food, it has already won, so don’t try to take the food away from it.
Never get between a mother bear and her cub.
If you startle a bear, make eye contact, but do not stare at it. Instead, slowly back away and wait for the bear to amble off. Be sure not to block its escape route.
Don’t forget that bears are good runners and can climb trees.
Treat bears with respect. Remember that you are in their territory.
While it is important to be cautious, bear attacks are extremely rare. In those very unusual circumstances where black bears have injured people, it was usually the result of human error. Be careful and enjoy them from a safe distance.
Deer The most common deer in the Sierra are named “mule deer” for their large, floppy ears that resemble those of a mule. Mule deer also sport a small white bob of a tail. Deep snow and lack of forage keep them away from the area during winter months. At that time, you are more likely to find them in the warmer climes of the Carson Valley, a short jaunt over the Carson Range from the east shore. As the season warms up, these animals are commonly spotted on the east slopes and in other areas of the Tahoe Basin.
Mountain Lion or Cougar The rare and elusive mountain lion or cougar has been seen occasionally in the Tahoe area, especially in lower elevation open areas such as the east shore and around Truckee. While I have not personally seen one on the TRT, I have seen tracks, which were following close behind a set of deer tracks. These large cats range in size from 6.5 to 8 feet long, including their tail, and can weigh up to 200 pounds. Each animal has a vast range and can cover many miles of territory in one night. Mountain lions hunt deer primarily, although they also prey on raccoons, birds, mice, and even skunks and porcupines. Porcupine?! That would have to be one hungry mountain lion.
Someone once brought a pet mountain lion to my office; its power and grace were awe-inspiring. We had the feeling that it could dispose of any one of us in half a minute. Mountain lions can jump 12 feet up a tree from a standstill. If you do encounter one, experts recommend that you do not run. Instead try to look as big as possible by standing tall, opening up your jacket, and waving your arms. Once the cat perceives that you don’t behave like prey, it will probably back off. Also, a mountain lion leaves the remains of a kill and returns later to eat; needless to say, it is not wise to hang around a lion kill.
Medium-Sized Animals
Bobcat You are more likely to hear the loud scream or howl of this elusive member of the cat family than to see it With an average weight of about 20 pounds in adulthood, it is a good deal larger than an average-sized domestic cat. A bobcat has a short stubby tail that is black toward the end and tipped with white. A nocturnal predator, the bobcat likes to dine on squirrels and mice. Bobcats have been sighted rarely in Tahoe Meadows, above Tahoe City, and along the west shore.
Coyote These adaptable creatures are common in the Tahoe area. While I’ve seen them in many locations, they seem to prefer woodlands and meadows. They can often be heard yipping and howling at night in Ward and Blackwood Canyons, Squaw Valley, Alpine Meadows, and other places. Though coyotes resemble medium-sized dogs, they are much more graceful and lissome when they run, a sight to behold. It is not uncommon for a dog to chase a single coyote, only to discover that the coyote is leading him back to his teammates. Although many people believe that coyotes do not hunt in packs, I have seen them several times in groups of three or four adults. If you live