Taylor Creek area closure focuses on public safety – Rainbow trail still open and The fish festival this weekend is still happening.
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – As part of an ongoing effort to provide a safe environment for visitors and wildlife at Taylor Creek during salmon spawning season, the USDA Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit has issued a Forest Order that closes the area adjacent to Taylor Creek beginning Oct. 1 through Oct. 27, 2019.
The temporary closure order prohibits the public, including photographers, from entering Taylor Creek and being within 400-ft of the creek, beginning at Fallen Leaf Dam and continuing north to the high-water mark on the shore of Lake Tahoe. The closure order also prohibits being on any National Forest trail within the closure area, except for the Rainbow Trail (Forest Trail No. 17E35) and Pope Baldwin Bike Path (Forest Trail No. 18E25).
During the closure, no parking will be allowed on the shoulder of Highway 89 near the bridge that crosses Taylor Creek.
The Forest Closure Order is available for viewing online at https://go.usa.gov/xVfjp under the “Taylor Creek” heading.
It is important for the public to know that Rainbow Trail at the Taylor Creek visitors Center is Still open as well as The Pop Baldwin Beach Bike Path for visitors to use and view the fish and wildlife in the area. However the Trails and Aspen grove regions of Cathedral Road are close to access during this period. Lisa Herron – Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit
Violation of the Forest Closure Order is punishable by a fine of not more than $5,000 for an individual or $10,000 for an organization, or imprisonment for not more than six months, or both (16 USC 551 and 18 USC 3559, 3571, and 3581).
Taylor Creek and Camp Richardson are going to be vary busy this weekend. Not only is it October fest at Camp Richardson this weekend Oct. 5th-6th it is also the Annual Fish festival at Taylor Creek which is a regional favorite for viewing the Salmon and often bears in the creeks. Parking is going to be a premium this weekend especially with road side parking being closed near Taylor Creek. Plan Travel and transportation accordingly, public transportation is advised.
Saturday October 5th will also be an historic event at Taylor Creek
The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service’s Lahontan National Fish Hatchery Complex, for the first time ever, will stock several thousand large (12-14”) Pilot Peak Lahontan cutthroat trout into their home waters of Lake Tahoe, in conjunction with the Taylor Creek Visitor Center Fall Fish Festival. The hatchery will host two interpretive stocking events at the Fall Fish Festival, Oct. 5 at 12 p.m. and Oct. 6 at 12 p.m.
On Oct. 7, 2019, with Nevada Department of Wildlife, the hatchery will stock fish on the Nevada side of Lake Tahoe. Over the three days, some 5,000 fish will be released, all adipose fin clipped, to help identify
stocked fish. The fish released in Nevada will also receive a floy tag to assist Nevada Department of Wildlife in tracking their movements in the lake after release.