Lower Sagehen Creek Hiking Trail

Hiking trail in California, United States

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Find sources: "Lower Sagehen Creek Hiking Trail" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (February 2015)

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The Lower Sagehen Creek Hiking Trail follows Sagehen Creek, a tributary of the Truckee River on the east slope of the central Sierra Nevada in the western United States. The stream lies north of Lake Tahoe and the town of Truckee, California, and near the California/Nevada border.

The headwaters and upper watershed of the creek west of California State Route 89 comprise the 9,000-acre (3,600 ha) Sagehen Experimental Forest and Sagehen Creek Field Station, a research and education facility of the University of California, Berkeley.

Below (east of) Highway 89, the Lower Sagehen Creek Hiking Trail follows the creek to its terminus at Stampede Reservoir.

## Wildflowers

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The beautiful Camas Lily grows thick in the Sagehen meadows.

The trail is famous for wildflowers, especially in late May to early June, when fields of camas lilies bloom en masse, creating the illusion of a purple haze lying on the meadow. But the lilies are not the only attraction, with a wide variety of blossoms appearing in both shaded and sunny habitats along the way. Mule's ears, buttercups, purshia, bistort, various penstemons, mahala mat, and shooting stars are common.

## Hiking the trail

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The hike is relatively flat and easy, running about 2.5 miles (4.0 km) to the lake through shady forest and open meadows. It is typically done as an out-and-back, though it is possible to combine the trail with others in the area for a longer outing. In early season, the area can be marshy and wet, requiring appropriate footwear and mosquito protection.

## Access

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The trailhead lies at 39°26′03″N 120°12′17″W﻿ / ﻿39.4341°N 120.2047°W﻿ / 39.4341; -120.2047, outside of Truckee, roughly 7.2 miles (11.6 km) north of Interstate 80 on California Highway 89. There is no signage, but there is an obvious pullout parking spot for 8-10 cars on the east (downstream) side of the road where the creek crosses beneath the highway.[1] There are no trash or restroom facilities at the trailhead, but visitors can use the Donner Picnic Area a few miles south of the trailhead on Highway 89.

## Monitoring

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Sagehen Creek Field Station encourages hikers to use the iNaturalist app to submit their observations of plants and animals photographed in the area. These observations are used in research and monitoring efforts in the basin to track presence/absence of species and their locations.

## References

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1. ^ "Hike of the week: Sagehen Creek". TahoeLoco.com. 2009-04-23. Archived from the original on 2014-04-28. Retrieved 2015-02-28.

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Hiking trails in California

Interstate|

* American Discovery Trail
* Great Western Loop
* Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail
* Pacific Crest Trail
* Tahoe Rim Trail
* Tahoe–Pyramid Trail

Bay Area|

* Alameda Creek Regional Trail
* Barbary Coast Trail
* Bay Area Ridge Trail
* Contra Costa Canal
* Coyote Creek Trail
* Guadalupe River Trail
* Iron Horse Regional Trail
* John W. Christian Greenbelt
* Lafayette-Moraga Regional Trail
* Los Gatos Creek Trail
* Ohlone Greenway
* Philosopher's Way
* Richmond Greenway
* San Francisco Bay Trail
* Santa Cruz Trail
* Sawyer Camp Trail
* Spur Trail
* Skyline-to-the-Sea Trail
* Stevens Creek Trail
* Three Creeks Trail

Sierra Nevada|

* Four Mile Trail
* Hetch Hetchy to Lake Vernon Trail
* High Sierra Trail
* Independence Trail
* John Muir Trail
* Lower Sagehen Creek Hiking Trail
* Mist Trail
* Mount Whitney Trail
* Sierra High Route
* Silver Knapsack Trail
* Tahoe Rim Trail
* Tahoe–Yosemite Trail
* Theodore Solomons Trail
* Trail of 100 Giants

Southern California|

* Backbone Trail
* Cactus to Clouds Trail
* Gabrielino Trail
* Lost Palms Oasis Trail
* Mount Wilson Toll Road
* Sam Merrill Trail
* Santa Clara River Trail
* Silver Moccasin Trail
* Trans-Catalina Trail
* Ventura River Parkway Trail
* Windy Gap Trail

Other|

* Bigfoot Trail
* Brad Freeman Trail
* California Coastal Trail
* Hammond Trail
* Jedediah Smith Memorial Trail
* Joe Rodota Trail
* Kortum Trail
* MacKerricher Coastal Trail
* Nobles Emigrant Trail
* Pine Ridge Trail
* Pinnacle and Shorttail Gulch Coastal Access Trails
* Prince Greenway

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