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Taylor Creek Visitor Center

Kokanee Salmon Festival: October 3 & 4, 2009

The 20th Annual Kokanee Salmon Festival will be held this year on October 3 and 4 from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. at the U.S. Forest Service Visitor Center at Taylor Creek, 3 miles north of the City of South Lake Tahoe on California Highway 89.  The festival is a weekend of family activities celebrating the annual spawning run of the Kokanee Salmon up Taylor Creek and the golden colors of Fall.  Come enjoy the special events, great
food and meet our mascot, Sammy Salmon! 

The Kokanee Salmon Festival is planned as a family event encouraging participation by children and their parents in a wide variety of educational and entertaining events. This year's celebrations include a number of events and activities that have become associated with the Salmon Festival. Back this year will be the Salmon Feed, 5k, 10k, and 1/2 marathon Kokanee Trail Runs, 1/2 mile "Tadpole Trot", collectible T-shirts, creek-side interpretive programs, special events, and programs in the Amphitheater. Free gifts and activities for children. Contact the Taylor Creek Visitor Center for more information at (530) 543-2674.

What to Expect

From 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. both Saturday and Sunday, visitors can learn about the natural wonders of Taylor Creek from Forest Service biologists, as they stroll along the Rainbow Trail. This peaceful walk through colorful aspens, willows and meadow grasses will introduce visitors to a beautiful, yet fragile ecosystem unique to the Sierra. As the trail reaches Taylor Creek, Kokanee Salmon can be seen making their way upstream. A close-up view of this natural event will be available at the Taylor Creek Stream Profile Chamber, where visitors can get a below-the-surface view of the Kokanee Salmon in Taylor Creek.

Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care will again be serving a delicious barbecue salmon plate Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.. Other food items will also be available. Proceeds benefit the Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care and future Kokanee Salmon Festivals. For further information regarding the Salmon Feed call (530) 577-CARE (2273).

Activities

Over the years one of the most popular events at the Festival for children has been the fish painting booth where children participate in the oriental art of fish painting. Other events at the Festival will include educational booths by Project Kokanee, California Fish and Game, Lahontan National Fish Hatchery, a black bear display by the Nevada Division Wildlife and the Tahoe Council for Wild Bears, a bald eagle display by Forest Service biologists, self-guided nature tours and Kokanee Salmon T-shirt sales. El Dorado County Library and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) will also have booths.

On Sunday at 2 p.m. in the Lake of the Sky Amphitheater will be the return of "The Drama of the Kokanee Salmon - An Interactive Play". This popular interactive presentation includes members of the audience to help act out the Kokanee Salmon Story at Taylor Creek.

Children can read and answer questions at designated spots along the Rainbow Trail and receive a free temporary tattoo of Sammy Salmon after completing the "Cycle".

Kokanee Trail Runs

On Sunday the Tahoe Mountain Milers and Sagebrush Stompers Running Clubs will present the Kokanee Trail Runs. The half marathon will start at 9:00 a.m. The children's 1/2 mile "Tadpole Trot" will start at 9:15 a.m. After the kids are finished, adults are invited to compete in the 5k & 10k trail runs starting at 10 a.m. All runs will start at the Taylor Creek Snopark parking lot. Routes will be announced and are subject to change. Race day registration will begin at 8 a.m. Registration and early packet pickup will be available at the Camp Richardson Oktoberfest on Saturday, from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. An award ceremony will take place following the runs at the Taylor Creek Snopark parking lot.

For more information about the Kokanee Trail Runs or to get a run application call (530) 577-0700, or Email: kokaneetrailruns@yahoo.com (applications are also available at the Visitor Center at Taylor Creek and the Supervisor's Office at 35 College Drive). Visit the Tahoe Mountain Milers website at www.tahoemtnmilers.org for event information and course map. Parking at the Snopark lot is limited and fills up quickly, runners are encouraged to park at Camp Richardson and car pool to the Snopark parking lot, or arrange to be dropped off. To register, call Renee Gorevin at (530) 577-0700. Volunteers are needed during the day of the race to help out with registration, timing, parking and to help staff aid stations. Contact Renee Gorevin if you would like to help.

Location

The Kokanee Salmon Festival is held at the U.S. Forest Service Visitor Center at Taylor Creek.  The Visitor Center is is located 3 miles north of the "Y" in South Lake Tahoe.  Take Highway 89 north past the Tallac Historic Site. Additional information about viewing the Kokanee Salmon can also be obtained from the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit. Please contact us for more information.

With the popularity of the Kokanee Salmon Festival and the Oktoberfest at Historic Camp Richardson Resort, the parking lot at the Visitor Center fills quickly. Some free parking is also available at Camp Richardson where visitors can walk back and forth between the Kokanee Salmon Festival and Oktoberfest. Visitors are encouraged to ride a bike along the easy and pleasant bike path between Camp Richardson and the Visitor Center.

Sponsors

Sponsors of the Kokanee Salmon Festival and the Kokanee Trail Runs were  Gatorade, Historic Camp Richardson Resort, Green Layer Sports, California Inland Fisheries Foundation Inc. (CIFFI), Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care, Pro Leisure, Tahoe Heritage Foundation, the Tahoe Council for Wild Bears, California Fish and Game, and the U.S. Forest Service. All proceeds from T-shirt sales, festival pin sales, and the run events benefit the environmental education programs sponsored by the Forest Service in the Lake Tahoe Basin.

Background Information the Kokanee Salmon of Lake Tahoe

The Kokanee, landlocked cousins of the sea-going Sockeye Salmon, were introduced to Lake Tahoe in 1944 by biologists working on the lake's north shore. These predecessors of today's inhabitants quickly adapted to the alpine environment, joining brown trout, rainbow trout and Mackinaw among the most prominent game fish in Lake Tahoe. However, no other species in Lake Tahoe offers such a spectacular show during their mating season.

Each autumn, nature calls mature Kokanee to return to the streams from which they were hatched, select a mate, spawn and die. As that time approaches, adult males develop a humped back and a heavy, hooked jaw, equipping them for the inevitable battles over both mates and territory, and both sexes turn from their usual silver/blue color to a brilliant red. Then, en masse, the fish make one mad dash to their mating grounds, fighting their way up the shallow stream, displaying their colors to attract a mate, then battling to protect the small patch of gravel streambed where they make their "redds" or nests.

Along the stream banks, the autumn aspens, willows and grasses will be as brilliant as the display in the creek below. Almost as dramatic as the story of life and death being played out in the water are the colorful combinations of orange, gold and red as the vegetation prepares to shed their foliage in anticipation of winter. Throughout the Festival, Interpretive Naturalists will be on hand to explain the forces of nature that cause these annual displays.

For those who cannot make it to the Festival, the Kokanee Salmon can be seen in Taylor Creek throughout the month of October.

Bears at Taylor Creek Visitor Center

Black Bears have been sighted regularly along Taylor Creek during the annual spawning run of the Kokanee Salmon. The U.S. Forest Service has posted "Be Bear Aware" signs along side the creek to educate the public about proper bear safety. Safety tips include: (1) Do not approach bears; (2) Keep a safe distance from bears; (3) Do not feed bears; and (4) Secure food and garbage. Lastly, we request all visitors stay on the trail and do not run from the bears if sighted. The "Be Bear Aware" signs are available to download below. Be safe, be smart and enjoy all our wildlife at Taylor Creek this fall.

For more information on bears, visit our Guidelines for Living In and Visiting Bear Habitat web page.

Be Bear Aware (PDF 29 KB)