Читать книгу Top Trails: Lake Tahoe. Must-Do Hikes for Everyone онлайн

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The largest mammal in the region is the omnivorous black bear, which ranges in color from black to cinnamon. Some members of Tahoe’s black bear population, particularly near developed communities on the west shore, have become quite pesky in seeking food from garbage cans, dumpsters, and campgrounds. However, most bears you might see in the backcountry remain timid and are wary of human encounters. Though bears here are not nearly the nuisance that bears are in the backcountry of Yosemite, Kings Canyon, or Sequoia National Parks, backpackers should still obey basic bear safety guidelines (see below).

More likely to be seen along the trail than a bear in the Tahoe Sierra is the mule deer, so named for its floppy ears. Mule deer prefer varied terrain with an ample food supply, mainly leaves from trees and shrubs, along with grasses, sedges, and other herbs. Watch for mule deer around dusk in grassy meadows, or during the day in open forest where browse is plentiful. Deer herds in the Tahoe Basin are migratory, retreating in winter either west to the foothills or east to the Carson Valley. Since the extinction of the grizzly bear and wolf from the Sierra, the mule deer’s only natural predator is the mountain lion.