a wide range of flora on trails within the Tahoe Basin. The mountains and hills surrounding the beautiful shoreline of Lake Tahoe are carpeted with conifers. Though it’s hard to believe at first glance, these trees belong almost exclusively to a second-growth forest, as the basin was nearly denuded to provide timber and fuel for Virginia City and the surrounding mines during the heyday of the Comstock Lode. Though the varied vegetation defies strict classification, the following zones provide a general overview of Tahoe’s flora.
The upper montane zone, the largest zone in the basin and containing the widest variety of plant types, runs from lake level to about 8,000 feet. The upper montane zone can be grouped into six distinct divisions. Up to around 7,000 feet, the white fir forest is named for the dominant member of a mixed forest, which also includes incense cedar, sugar pine, Jeffrey pine, and ponderosa pine, as well as red fir at the upper limits. Preferring a moist habitat, the white fir forest can form dense stands with little ground cover, or more open stands allowing deciduous trees and shrubs to thrive, including quaking aspen, willow, maple, currant, gooseberry, thimbleberry, and honeysuckle. Above the white fir forest, the red fir forest extends to about 8,500 feet. Unlike the white fir forest, red fir is found in exclusive stands, usually on cool northern or eastern exposures. The red fir forest is generally dense, allowing very little ground cover, which when present is composed primarily of shade-loving flowers and plants. The Jeffrey pine forest occupies drier slopes than those preferred by the white and red fir forests. Spanning elevations from lake level to approximately 8,000 feet, open Jeffrey pine forests intermix in the lower realms with sugar pine, ponderosa pine, white fir, and incense cedar. Those conifers are replaced by western white pine, ponderosa pine, and red fir toward the upper limits.
On southern exposures, light stands of Jeffrey pine forest oftentimes intermix with Sierra juniper or with open areas of montane chaparral. The drought-tolerant montane chaparral community spans elevations across the spectrum of the upper montane zone into the subalpine zone, typically occupying dry slopes with a southern exposure. This community incorporates several common shrubs, including huckleberry oak, tobacco brush, rabbitbrush, manzanita, chinquapin, and sagebrush. Along the eastern fringe of the Carson Range, mountain mahogany and juniper trees may dot the slopes of the montane chaparral community. Areas of sufficient groundwater produce the montane meadow community. Similar to the montane chaparral community, montane meadows span the realm of the upper montane zone into the subalpine zone. The wetter environment allows grasses, rushes, and sedges to thrive, along with several species of water-loving wildflowers. The last of the five classifications within the upper montane zone is the riparian community. With the additional moisture provided by perennial streams, lush foliage along the banks includes deciduous trees and shrubs such as aspen, cottonwood, willow, alder, creek dogwood, and mountain ash. Smaller plants and colorful wildflowers are also common in creek-side environments.
Above the upper montane zone, the subalpine zone begins around 8,000 feet and continues upward to timberline, which, depending on a number of variables, starts anywhere from 9,000 to 10,000 feet in the Tahoe Sierra. With characteristically poor soils and a harsh climate, where snow covers the ground for nine months of the year, the prolific forests below give way to isolated stands of conifers and the open terrain of meadows and talus slides. Red firs, lodgepole pines, and junipers may extend into this zone in some areas, with lodgepole pines often rimming the shoreline of subalpine lakes. Despite the sporadic appearance of these trees from the lower realm, the two conifer species most closely associated with the subalpine zone are mountain hemlock and whitebark pine. Nearing timberline, dwarfed and wind-battered whitebark pines become the only conifers able to survive the conditions of this harsh environment. Shrubs and plants in this zone also take on a diminished stature, hugging the ground in order to eke out an existence. Common plants include heathers and laurels. Where seeps and rivulets provide moist soils, a short-lived but stunning display of colorful wildflowers delights passersby. Rock outcrops may provide equally delightful displays of plants and flowers.
Above timberline, at the extreme upper elevations of the Tahoe Basin, is the alpine zone. Though there is some debate among botanists as to whether the Tahoe area has a well-defined alpine zone, only the backcountry traveler who reaches the summit of some of the basin’s highest peaks will be able to observe the area in question. The vegetation within this zone appears to be a combination of tundra species from the north and desert species from the east. Whatever their origin, these plants are generally compact, low-growing perennials that grow rapidly and flower briefly, with most of their growth occurring belowground. Low-growing shrubs, such as low sagebrush and short-stemmed stenotus, share the extreme conditions and poor soils of the alpine region with an assortment of wildflowers. The uppermost slopes of Mount Rose and Freel Peak provide some of the best opportunities in the Tahoe Sierra to experience the flora of the alpine zone.
Dardanelles Lake (Trail 38)
Fauna
Along with a wide variety of plants, the Lake Tahoe Basin is home to a varied community of fauna. While traveling the trails around Lake Tahoe, with alert eyes you may be able to spot several different species of animals.
The largest mammal in the region is the omnivorous black bear, which ranges in color from black to cinnamon. Some members of Tahoe’s black bear population, particularly near developed communities on the west shore, have become quite pesky in seeking food from garbage cans, dumpsters, and campgrounds. However, most bears you might see in the backcountry remain timid and are wary of human encounters. Though bears here are not nearly the nuisance that bears are in the backcountry of Yosemite, Kings Canyon, or Sequoia National Parks, backpackers should still obey basic bear safety guidelines (see below).
More likely to be seen along the trail than a bear in the Tahoe Sierra is the mule deer, so named for its floppy ears. Mule deer prefer varied terrain with an ample food supply, mainly leaves from trees and shrubs, along with grasses, sedges, and other herbs. Watch for mule deer around dusk in grassy meadows, or during the day in open forest where browse is plentiful. Deer herds in the Tahoe Basin are migratory, retreating in winter either west to the foothills or east to the Carson Valley. Since the extinction of the grizzly bear and wolf from the Sierra, the mule deer’s only natural predator is the mountain lion.
Bear Safety Guidelines
Don’t leave your pack unattended on the trail.
Keep all food, trash, or scented items in a bear-proof canister or safely hung from a tree.
Pack out all trash.
Don’t allow bears to approach your food—make noise, wave your arms, throw rocks. Be bold, but keep a safe distance and use good judgment.
If a bear gets into your food, you are responsible for cleaning up the mess.
Never attempt to retrieve food from a bear.
Never approach a bear, especially a cub.
Report any incidents to the appropriate authority.
Though present in the greater Tahoe area, mountain lions, also known as cougars, are rarely seen by humans. Ranging in length from 6.5 to 8 feet and weighing as much as 200 pounds, mountain lions are primarily nocturnal, patrolling a vast range. Though mule deer are their principal food source, mountain lions will stalk smaller mammals as well. At an average weight of 20 pounds, the bobcat is the mountain lion’s smaller cousin. Also nocturnal and equally reclusive, bobcats prefer a diet of rodents. You’re much more likely to hear their blood-curdling scream during the night than see bobcats in the
