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Thursday 9am - 4pm Friday 9am - 4pm Saturday 9am - 4pm Sunday 9am - 4pm

Taylor Creek Visitor Center

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Taylor Creek Visitor Center

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Enjoy the great outdoors at Taylor Creek! The Taylor Creek Visitor Center is a great place to explore Tahoe's natural history and ecology.

Walk any of the self-guided interpretive trails or join a naturalist for a variety of interpretative programs throughout the summer months. Taylor Creek Visitor Center is operated by the Great Basin Institute under a partnership agreement. For more information about opening dates and interpretive programs, visit https://taylortallac.org/taylor-creek/.

10/29/2026

10/29/2026

Exciting news for pollinators in our local mountain communities! 🐝🌼

The Town of Truckee has officially earned its designation as an official Bee City USA affiliate! Thanks to a initiative kicked off by local students from Tahoe Expedition Academy and partnered with the Tahoe Institute for Natural Science, Truckee is taking major steps to protect native bees and pollinators through habitat expansion and eco-friendly land care!

From our meadows at Donner Memorial State Park to the shores of Lake Tahoe, healthy native habitats depend on pollinators to keep our Sierra Nevada ecosystems resilient and thriving.

Check out the full story on Sierra Sun to learn more about what this new designation means for our local environment: sierrasun.com/news/town-of-truckee-tahoe-institute-for-natural-science-celebrate-bee-city-usa-designation/

10/29/2026

10/27/2026

It’s Bat Week!

Bat Week is all about celebrating and raising awareness of the importance of California’s bats. One of California’s most common and vital native bat species is the big brown bat. These incredible insect-eaters play a critical role in keeping our ecosystems healthy and benefitting California’s farm economy with the pest control services they provide.

Big brown bats can be found throughout the state and are usually seen at dusk as they head out to forage on beetles, moths and other night-flying insects. If you’re lucky enough to spot one, enjoy the view — but here’s the No. 1 rule when it comes to bats: Look, don’t touch!

If you find a bat on the ground, in your home or anywhere it seems out of place, please keep your distance. Bats should never be handled by the public. Giving them space protects both you and the bat.

For tips on preventing conflicts, keeping bats out of your home and what to do if you encounter one, visit CDFW’s Human-Wildlife Conflict Toolkit online at:
https://wildlife.ca.gov/HWC/Bats #645605590-prevent-potential-conflicts

Let’s celebrate bats safely and responsibly this Bat Week!

Photo courtesy of Jose Gabriel Martínez-Fonseca.

10/27/2026

Celebrate the spooky season with our FREE pumpkin carving stencils featuring Smokey Bear, Woodsy Owl, and spooky bats!

Download, carve, and share your creations here to show your love for national forests and all who protect them. Happy Halloween and have fun carving!

Link to FREE stencils:⬇️

10/27/2026

Many thanks to our dedicated interpretive partners, staff, volunteers, and visitors who made the 2026 season a tremendous tremendous success!

The Taylor Creek Visitor Center buildings, restrooms, Stream Profile Chamber, and the Tallac Historic Site buildings and restrooms are now closed for the winter season, and trash service is unavailable. If weather cooperates, parking areas and portable restrooms will remain open through Nov. 15, 2026.

While facilities are closed, winter foot traffic is always welcome. Please remember to park responsibly, avoid blocking closed gates, and pack out all trash to help protect these treasured sites.

Great Basin Institute Tallac Historic Site

10/20/2026

Are the Kokanee Spawning?

Kokanee Salmon have not yet started spawning at Taylor Creek. Every year is different and changing weather and environmental conditions can affect the salmon population and the timing of spawning activity.

-In Lake Tahoe, salmon typically travel upstream in late October through February based on and triggered by environmental cues like colder water temperatures and rain events that result in increased stream flow rates that support spawning activity.

-Kokanee Salmon are not exclusive to Taylor Creek and are known to spawn in several streams around the Tahoe Basin.

-Kokanee Salmon are resilient and can successfully spawn as late as February. When stream flow in certain creeks is low or non-existent, the fish will seek out other tributaries to spawn in and have even been known to spawn along the shoreline of Lake Tahoe.

-All native fish including the Lahontan cutthroat trout spawn in the spring months, except for the Mountain White Fish which spawns in the fall.

Kokanee photo courtesy of Josh Benin. This is a stock photo and does not represent current conditions.

Address

1 Visitor Center Road
South Lake Tahoe, CA
96150

Opening Hours

Thursday	9am - 4pm
Friday	9am - 4pm
Saturday	9am - 4pm
Sunday	9am - 4pm

Telephone

+15305432674

Website

https://www.taylortallac.org/taylor-creek

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