Sierra Valley
Northern Sierra Nevada · near Loyalton / Sierraville · Sierra Nevada / Yosemite
Wildlife Watching
At a glance
- Best season
- Spring & fall for cranes, ibis & migrants; nesting birds late spring–summer
- Open year round
- No
What is here
- Wildlife
- birds
- Species
- Sandhill cranes, white-faced ibis, waterfowl, black terns, raptors, songbirds
- Amenities
- Largest alpine valley in the Sierra · Extensive marsh birding · Sandhill cranes & ibis · Quiet backroad viewing
- Best for
- Off-the-radar marsh birding
- Features
- Largest alpine valley in the Sierra · Sandhill cranes & ibis · Extensive wetland · Uncrowded backroads
Worth knowing
- Hazards
- Remote roads, few services · Cold high-elevation weather · Muddy back lanes when wet · Bring optics for open-marsh birds
- Good for a first timer
- Yes
Wildlife Watching detail
- Viewing
- drive
- Effort
- easy
- Habitat
- wetland
- Sighting
- 3
- Viewing notes
- The largest alpine valley in the Sierra hides an extensive marsh — a quiet birding gem with sandhill cranes, white-faced ibis, waterfowl, and raptors along backcountry lanes
- Intl tip
- The largest alpine valley in the Sierra hides an extensive freshwater marsh — a quiet birding gem in the northern range. Backcountry lanes (like Marble Hot Springs Road) turn up sandhill cranes, iridescent white-faced ibis, waterfowl, black terns, and marsh songbirds in spring/summer, with migrants and raptors in the shoulder seasons. Peaceful and uncrowded; explore slowly by car with frequent stops. At nearly 5,000 ft it's cold much of the year, back lanes muddy when wet, services sparse — visit spring/fall, dress warmly, bring a scope.
The guide
High in the northern Sierra Nevada, the broad basin of Sierra Valley — the largest alpine valley in the range — hides one of th…
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to Sierra Valley — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 39.7, -120.35