Truckee Donner Land Trust Acquires Headwaters of Carpenter Valley

Looking toward Upper Carpenter Valley from Red Mountain.

The Truckee Donner Land Trust is excited to announce a new 691-acre acquisition at the headwaters of Carpenter Valley! 

A waterfall running down the cliffs of Upper Carpenter Valley.

This autumn the Land Trust, working with the Northern Sierra Partnership, protected 691 spectacular acres at the top of Upper Carpenter Valley. The new acquisition is located between the Sierra Crest above and the meadow system below.

Surrounded on three sides by peaks rising to nearly 9,000 feet, the property is remarkably pristine, remaining intact for a wide variety of wildlife that rely on the connected habitat between the Sierra Crest and the meadows in Carpenter Valley. It was in private ownership for more than a century by a family that prioritized stewardship of the natural landscape.

The property includes a beautiful seasonal waterfall that can be seen from afar on Red Mountain, granite cliffs, mixed-conifer forests, and riparian habitat. Containing two streams that form the headwaters of Prosser Creek, this property is critical for protecting the watershed and the health of the meadows of Lower Carpenter Valley downstream. Recently wolves and a wolverine have been spotted in the vicinity.

For now, Upper Carpenter Valley is accessible via cross-country travel from Warren Lake along the Sierra Crest in summer – or by a ski down from the Land Trust’s Frog Lake Backcountry Huts in winter. This is where we need your patience and understanding – while we’re excited for you to experience this remarkable area, the property is not accessible through Lower Carpenter Valley. There is private property between the two parcels and trespassing is forbidden. The Land Trust plans to create better access from Frog Lake and Red Mountain to Upper Carpenter Valley in the future.

In the meantime, help us celebrate this critical conservation effort that protects one of the most wild, rugged and pristine corners of the Sierra near us. With nearby Frog Lake, Red Mountain, Lower Carpenter Valley, Crabtree Canyon, Carpenter Ridge, Independence Lake, and other projects, together we are making landscape-scale progress to protect the vital natural resources of the northern Sierra.