Tahoe National Forest

About Us: Location

The Tahoe National Forest straddles the crest of the Sierra Nevada mountains in northern California, and encompasses a vast territory, from the golden foothills on the western slope to the high peaks of the Sierra crest. We are bordered on the north by the Plumas National Forest, on the south by the Eldorado National Forest, on the east by the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forests and Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit. On the western border are the foothills above the great Sacramento Valley. Our Forest Headquarters is located in Nevada City, California, with District Offices in Foresthill, Camptonville, Sierraville, and Truckee. During the summer months, and during part of the winter, a Visitor Center is open at Big Bend, 20 miles west of Truckee on Interstate 80.

Organizational Overview

The Tahoe National Forest is divided into four Ranger Districts: Yuba River, American River, Sierraville and Truckee. Also associated with the Forest is the Big Bend Visitor Information Center along Interstate 80. In 1984, Tahoe National Forest's 19,048 acre Granite Chief Wilderness Area near Squaw Valley and French Meadows was created by Congress.

History

Hundreds of historic and prehistoric sites dot the forest, representing human influences dating from 4,000 years b.p. to the present. Major historic events occurred on or near the Tahoe.

More About the Forest Setting

The Tahoe National Forest is renowned for its rugged beauty, outstanding downhill and cross country ski opportunities, historic sites, and exceptionally productive timber lands. 

Watersheds

However, the forest is much more than trees. The lands of the Tahoe are drained by river basins that supply water for millions of people and thousands of acres of farmland. Major rivers on the Tahoe include:

• American (North and Middle Forks)
• Yuba (North, Middle, and South Forks)
• Truckee Feather (South Fork)
• Bear Deer Creek

Vegetation

The Tahoe has some of the most productive forest lands in the United States, due to our geographic location in the north-central Sierra Nevada, wet, cool winters, and warm, dry summers. Common tree species on the forest include:

Recreation

Today, the forest is managed for a variety of uses in keeping with the mission statement of the USDA Forest Service, "Caring for the Land and Serving People." Outdoor recreation is the major economic influence in the local communities. Millions of people visit the forest each year to hike, camp, swim, hunt, sightsee, ski and snowboard, rock climb, bicycle, and dozens of other activities. Timber, clean water, grazing, minerals, and other resources are produced for the economic health of the nation, managed to provide a continuing flow of resources in an ecologically sustainable fashion. Research areas on the Tahoe are managed to preserve and protect unique characteristics important for science. The Granite Chief wilderness is managed to preserve and protect an area that is substantially untrammeled by man.

Our Local Communities

Placer County

• Placer County Government

• Placer County Visitor Center

• Auburn Chamber of Commerce

• Foresthill Chamber of Commerce

• Colfax Area Information

Nevada County

• Nevada County Information

• Grass Valley/Nevada City Chamber of Commerce

• Truckee Area Information

Sierra County

• Sierra County Information

Yuba County

• Yuba County Government

• Yuba-Sutter Chamber of Commerce

USDA Forest Service - Tahoe National Forest
Last Modified: Friday, 16 March 2007 at 12:13:17 EDT