Mountain Hemlock Mountain hemlock prefers high snow areas above 7000 feet and are common above 8000 feet in many north-facing areas along the Tahoe Rim Trail, generally in areas of maximum snowpack. A beautiful and majestic tree reaching heights of 25 to 100 feet, with smaller trees at the highest elevations, mountain hemlock has short, dark green needles on branches that cover the tree from bottom to top. The branches have a gentle sloping appearance; the cones are small and dark brown. What makes the mountain hemlock especially magical is the way the top of the tree droops over like a wizard’s hat.
Ponderosa or Western Yellow Pine Similar to the Jeffrey, the ponderosa prefers lower elevations, usually below 6500 feet, and grows in smaller numbers near Lake Tahoe. It has yellowish to reddish-brown bark and often reaches heights of 100 feet. Like Jeffrey pine, ponderosa also has long needles of three. Ponderosa pine cone prickles stick up and out, while the Jeffrey’s turn up and in (remember “gentle Jeffrey” or “prickly ponderosa”). Some areas have a hybridized combination of Jeffrey and ponderosa, making identification difficult.
Trees and Altitude
Trees in the Sierra tend to find their niche at a particular altitude. By knowing your altitude, you might be able to identify the tree; conversely if you can identify a tree, it might help you determine your altitude. The one exception to the rule is the lodgepole pine, which seems to be found at nearly any mountain elevation. The chart below details where trees are dominant. Be aware that you may find a few stragglers above and below the listed ranges. But if, for example, you see lots of western white pines and no sugar pines, you will know that you are above 7000 feet in elevation.
6000–6500 feet White fir, Jeffrey pine, ponderosa pine, sugar pine, lodgepole pine, aspen, and incense cedar
6500–7000 feet Red fir, Jeffrey pine, lodgepole pine, and aspen
7000–8000 feet Hemlock, western white pine, red fir, mountain juniper, and lodgepole pine
8000–9000 feet Hemlock, western white pine, juniper, lodgepole pine, and whitebark pine
Above 9000 feet Whitebark pine
Red Fir White firs’ red cousin dominates the landscape in some areas above 6500 feet, often living in dense stands. The red fir needle bunches are tighter than those of the white fir, curve inward, and grow to longer than an inch. The bark is reddish-brown to gray, and the tree sprouts medium-sized cones of 6 to 9 inches as compared to the shorter ones of white fir (3 to 5 inches).
Sugar Pine These beautiful, majestic trees can reach a height of 250 feet. They are rarely seen above 6500 feet and only occasionally seen in lower elevations since most were cut down for lumber at the end of the 19th century. The sugar pine has long cylindrical cones that grow 10 to 16 inches downward from the tips of long graceful branches. John Muir said of the sugar pine that it “is the noblest pine yet discovered, surpassing all others not merely in size but also in kingly beauty and majesty.”
Western (Sierra) Juniper Often junipers are found in dry, rocky areas at higher elevations—particularly in the Desolation Wilderness. Junipers more than 1,000 years old have been found in the Tahoe area. They have an appearance similar to incense cedars with reddish, brown bark. They rarely exceed 50 feet in height. Those growing in windy, exposed areas may be twisted and gnarled. The best way to tell the difference between juniper and incense cedar is that juniper has blueberrylike berries and is usually found at higher elevations. Scratch and smell one of these blue berries, and you will quickly discover that they are used to make gin.
Western White Pine These trees grow at elevations of 7000 feet to 9000 feet and can reach 150 feet in height although they are usually much smaller because of the harsh conditions in which they live. Like the whitebark pine, the western white pine has needles that come in clusters of five. Its cone resembles that of the sugar pine though it is shorter (6 to 8 inches) and narrower. The upper branches of a western white pine, also known as silver pine, turn upward at their tips. Mature trees have a distinctive checkerboard pattern on their bark.
White Fir Probably the most common tree in the Tahoe Basin, white fir typically grows below 6500 feet in elevation (although they are sometimes seen up to 7500 feet). They have gray bark and short, bunched needles that have an average length of 1.5 to 2 inches and a flat appearance. The bark of younger trees is somewhat smooth; as the trees age, the bark gets rougher and more like that of other pine and fir trees. The light green upright cones are soft and found scattered about the woods—the work of chickarees.
Whitebark Pine This high-elevation tree is usually found near mountaintops and is easily mistaken for a lodgepole pine. The tree has short stiff needles clustered in groups of five (while the lodgepole needles are in groups of two). The bark is gray-white, and the cones are small and dark brown. It is also common to see them near the tops of peaks in a shrublike formation called krummholz, where they may only stand a foot or so high.
Wonderful Wildflowers
Wet Areas: Meadows, Stream Banks, and Springs
Corn Lily This poisonous plant looks somewhat like a stalk of corn, but smells like cabbage. Not only is its poison deadly, but it has been reported to turn its victims green. The corn lily starts out like a big cigar popping out of the moist meadows in the spring, which by late summer grows to 3 to 6 feet tall. At the top of its broad-leaf stalk, it shows a large grouping of cream-white flowers.
Corn lilies
Cow Parsnip A large wildflower with huge maple-shaped leaves, cow parsnip stalks can reach up to 10 feet tall but average 4 to 5 feet. It is often found in meadows, along creeks, or in other moist areas. It has several tall stalks with tight white button flowers that look like miniature cauliflower heads at the top.
Crimson Columbine The most commonly seen columbine of the Tahoe area has numerous bright red-orange flowers that look like miniature Chinese lanterns hanging off tall, thin stalks. It grows to about 3 feet high in moist meadow areas and along streambeds.
Delphinium or Larkspur Towering larkspur or larkspur delphinium have tall narrow stalks with beautiful small purple flowers that bloom all along the stalks. They are found in large numbers in some meadow and stream areas and provide a dramatic display, especially when they reach their maximum height of 6 to 8 feet. Nuttall’s larkspur is a smaller variety at only about 1 foot high; it is found in limited numbers in dry or wet areas.
Elephant Heads Sprouting off the foot-tall green stalks are numerous tiny pink flowers shaped like elephant trunks and ears. While not as showy as other meadow plants like columbine and tiger lilies, elephant heads are often seen in spring and early summer in Tahoe Meadows and especially in Meiss Meadows.
Monkeyflower There are 11 species of this plant in the Tahoe area, all having flowers that supposedly resemble little monkey faces. The most common are the pink Lewis’s monkeyflower and the yellow common monkeyflower. They favor the banks of small streams or seeps throughout the Tahoe area.
Monkshood This relatively uncommon plant is found in moist areas. Its large deep purple flower resembles a monk’s cowl. A tall plant that can reach 6 feet, monkshood grows among the tremendous variety of flowers found near Marlette Lake as well as in the Page Meadows area.
Shooting Stars Found in moist meadow areas, shooting stars have delicate petals that bend back to expose their darker stamens, thus making them like stars streaking across the night sky. The alpine shooting star has pink flowers, while the Jeffrey’s has a purple to pink flower with a black point and a small band of yellow just above the black.
Tiger lily
Tiger (Alpine) Lily Often found