Fallen Leaf Lake offers many trail type options, and the best time of the year for birding is April to July. Mount Tallac at 9,735 feet and nearby Taylor Creek provide a marvelous habitat for specialty birds, such as Blue Grouse, Pygmy Nuthatch, Osprey, Western Tanager, Calliope Hummingbird, and in the winter, Bald Eagle.
Numerous woodpeckers, such as the Hairy Woodpecker and the White-headed Woodpecker, can be seen, along with a wide variety of terns, sparrows, warblers and finch.
Be sure to stop in the Visitor Center on Hwy. 89 near Fallen Leaf Road for more information then follow the Fallen Leaf Lake Trail from the Fallen Leaf Road parking area to Fallen Leaf Lake a half-mile away. For those with more time available, continue on the trail across the north shore of Fallen Leaf Lake, about a mile, for a very nice 3-mile there-and-back outing, or continue following the trail another mile northward along Taylor Creek to the Fallen Leaf Campground. Or, just take the Rainbow Trail located at the Visitor Center for a highly-informative and educational 1-mile walk at 6,300 feet elevation. The Tallac Historic Site is only a mile away.

To locate more information on this and other birding adventures in the Sierra Front, please visit any of the following web sites by clicking on its name. You will return here when finished.

Birding

Lahontan Audubon Society   

The Donner Memorial State Park is a well known birding habitat for the White-headed Woodpecker, Pygmy Nuthatch and Williamson’s Sapsucker, and in the summer you will see the Calliope Humingbird, flycatchers, Western Tanager, and a host of other birds, such as the Dark-eyed Junco, Hairy Woodpecker, Spotted Sandpiper, Chipping and Fox Sparrows, and various warblers.
The best time of the year for birding in the park is Late April through July. The Donner Memorial State Park is located on Interstate 80, about a mile west of the Hwy. 89 junction at Truckee. Take Donner Pass Road to the park’s entrance.The elevation is 5,900 feet at the park, with154 available camping sites. Truckee is the nearest population center, with available food, lodging and gas.     
 
To locate more information on this and other birding adventures in the Sierra Front, please visit any of the following web sites by clicking on its name. You will return here when finished.

Birding

Lahontan Audubon Society   

The Carson Pass and Hope Valley areas are noted areas for a variety of specialty birds, such as the Townsend’s Solitaire, Cassin’s Finch, Mountain Chickadee, Steller’s Jay, Clark’s Nutcracker, and the Blue Grouse. From June to October, you will see Prairie Falcon, Hermit Warbler, Dusky Flycatcher, Mountain Bluebird and the Green-tailed Towhee.
Other noted birds include the Great Horned Owl and the Hairy Woodpecker, the Dark-eyed Junco and during the summer the Warbling Vireo. Four types of sparrows can be seen, including the Fox, Lincoln’s, Chipping and White-crowned Sparrows.
The closest population center is South Lake Tahoe, California. At 8,574 feet, the Carson Pass provides numerous opportunities for birding. Carson Pass is 55 miles east of Jackson on Hwy. 88. Restrooms are available. Hope Valley is another 7 miles to the east of Carson Pass, also on Hwy. 88.
The walking elevation can drop to 7,100 feet and rise to near 9,000 in this area, with many mountain peaks within just a couple of miles of each other, such as Steven’s Peak, Red Lake Peak, Round Top, and Hawkin’s Peak, all above 10,000 feet. Red Lake, Winnemucca Lake, Woods Lake and Round Top Lake are nearby in the Carson Pass birding area, and the Hope Valley area offers two wildlife areas at either end of the Hope Valley Meadows, with two more mountain peaks topping 9,000 feet to the valley’s west and east – Waterhouse Peak and Pickett Peak.
For more information, please contact the Carson Ranger District.

To locate more information on this and other birding adventures in the Sierra Front, please visit any of the following web sites by clicking on its name. You will return here when finished.

Birding

Lahontan Audubon Society   

For information on 11 other birding locations in the Sierra Front located within 35 miles of Lake Tahoe, including another 9 areas in western Nevada, please visit the Lahontan Audubon Society by clicking on the link below.
 
 Be sure to ask for a copy of A Birding Guide to Reno and Beyond – 2007.
 
 Locations within the Sierra Front include:
 Swan Lake Nature Study Area
 Peavine Peak
 Rancho San Rafael Regional Park
 Verdi
 Oxbow Nature Study Area
 East Truckee Meadows (University Farms)
 Virginia Lake
 Galena Creek Regional Park
 Tahoe Meadows and Upper Ophir Creek
 Washoe Valley
 Spooner Lake
 
Birding

Lahontan Audubon Society