Sagehen Creek and Stampede Reservoir
(Sunday, July 20, 2003 in the Tahoe National Forest, CA)
See also my photo album from this hike, as
well as photos from later hikes here in 2004
and 2005.
Previous hike | Trip
home
Sarah and I parked along Hwy 89 after overshooting our turnout and having to
backtrack a bit. This hike was suggested in the excellent "Hiking Tahoe's
Wildflower Trails" and we would never have found the beginning of the hike if
we hadn't been counting the miles (Approximately 7.4 miles north of Truckee on
Hwy 89, on the north side of the unmarked Sagehen Creek bridge). The book
suggested meandering both to the west and more formal hiking to the east of
the highway, so we decided to do both, as neither were anywhere near long or
difficult. We crossed the highway and headed west on the south side of
Sagehen Creek.
We soon found a handfull of flowers including the delightful Sierra Rein
Orchid (also known by its less-attractive name, the Bog Orchid) as well as
Seep-Spring
Monkeyflower, Western
Monkshood, Checkermallow, Creek Goldenrod, Showy Daisies, Jacob's Ladder, California Aster,
Ranger Buttons,
and a large meadow of Yampah - yeah! It was nice
doing a hike so completely opposite of my usual mountain hikes, here just
slowly following a use trail and keeping our eyes downward, watching for flora
and fauna. We passed many more Sierra Rein Orchids - apparently they like the
damp soil near the creek. After moseying around for a half hour or so, we
went back to the car to hike along eastern Sagehen Creek.
There was a much more heavily-trodden path leading east on the north side of
Sagehen Creek, and several groups arrived as we started out. Many of them had
dogs, which were clearly thrilled to be playing in/around such a nice gentle
creek. We hiked along, passing Hairy Paintbrush,
some huge Dandelions, a few Crimson Columbine,
and a lot of past-their-prime Mountain Roses. We
were a little disappointed to be late for the roses, as their abundance
suggested that this would be a fragrant paradise when they were in full bloom.
The sides of the trail were completely covered with them for a ways!
The trail wound in and out of the forest, near and farther from the creek as
we gently climbed. The book said there was a fenced-off wildflower garden
near Stampede Reservoir, to protect at least a small patch of wilderness from
being trampled by livestock, so we kept our eyes out, but didn't see any signs
of it. "Perhaps its farther down the trail," we thought. We passed Fireweed, an Anderson Thistle,
and a patch of Scarlet
Gilia before coming to a long meadow, completely
covered with Mule Ear Sunflowers. They too, alas, were past their prime, and
only a few had scraggly flowers left on them. In bloom, they must be a sight
(and smell) to behold, as there were thousands and thousands of plants!
We came to a lovely meadow near Stampede Reservoir, covered in Yampah and
Sagebrush. The fragrance was almost overpowering at times, but wonderful. We
still hadn't seen any trace of a fenced-off wildflower garden. By now we were
suspecting that perhaps the fence had been taken down, as we'd seen absolutely
no evidence of livestock. There was a trace of barbed wire along the creek
side of the trail, which might have been the fence's remnants. We went
towards the reservoir, but upon seeing motorized boats in it, decided to
admire it from a distance (and in the shade - it was pretty warm!), found an
inviting stump, and had some snacks, then headed back towards the car the way
we came.
This was a great nature hike, easy and accessible by just about anyone with
the inclination to do it. Late July was definitely a few weeks past the best
time to visit (rumor has it there is an amazing meadow of Camas Lilies in
May), but there were still plentiful flowers to enjoy.
Hike Stats:
| Distance: |
~5mi |
| Total Time: |
3h 15m |
| Elevation gain: |
~500 feet |
| Difficulty: |
4 - an easy stroll |
| Scenery: |
6.5 |
| Wildflowers: |
8 - in full season, it would definitely be a 10! |
| Trail condition/markings/etc: |
6 |
| Overall rating: |
7 |