Sierra Valley is a large mountain valley located east of the crest of

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

's Sierra Nevada mountain range in Plumas and Sierra Counties, north of Interstate 80. Sierra Valley Ranchland - panoramio

Geography

An intermontane valley at approximately elevation, Sierra Valley is surrounded by mountains ranging in elevation from 6,000 to . The huge valley covering about is a down-faulted basin, formerly a lake of similar geologic origin to

Lake Tahoe Lake Tahoe (; Washo language, Washo: ''dáʔaw'') is a Fresh water, freshwater lake in the Sierra Nevada of the Western United States, straddling the border between California and Nevada. Lying at above sea level, Lake Tahoe is the largest a ...

to the south, now filled with sediment up to two thousand feet thick. The former Lake has the suggested name of Lake Beckwourth and existed until approximately 10,000 years ago. Average annual rainfall is less than twenty inches, most falling as snow. The valley floor has a grassland and sagebrush ecosystem and is the site of extensive freshwater marshes known as the Sierra Valley Channels. The extensive marshes are filled with cattails, bulrushes and alkaline flats that drain into the Middle Fork Feather River. Many species of wildlife make their permanent home in the valley, and a great number of migratory bird species stop over in the fall and nest in the valley in the spring. The valley also has thermal activity, with Marble Hot Springs located in the north central valley floor.

Economy

Sierra Valley is an agricultural and livestock region. Tourism also contributes to the local economy.

Access

Entrance from the west is through Yuba Pass on State Route 49. Entrance from the east is through Beckwourth Pass, on State Route 70. State Route 89 skirts the southern end of the valley. State Route 49, the

Gold Rush A gold rush or gold fever is a discovery of gold—sometimes accompanied by other precious metals and rare-earth minerals—that brings an onrush of miners seeking their fortune. Major gold rushes took place in the 19th century in Australia, ...

trail, terminates at State Route 70 in Vinton, and the latter highway then terminates at Hallelujah Junction on U.S. Route 395 after passing through Chilcoot.

Principal towns

* Sierraville * Beckwourth * Calpine * Sattley * Loyalton * Vinton * Chilcoot

Sources

A Biological Baseline Study of Sierra Valley Marsh, California 1976. Dept. of Biology, SFSU. NSF SOS grant SMI-76-08071. This was a student originated study funded by the

National Science Foundation The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) is an Independent agencies of the United States government#Examples of independent agencies, independent agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government that su ...

to assess biological resources of the high-altitude freshwater marsh in Sierra Valley.
A Biological Baseline Study of The Sierra Valley Marsh California - 1976

References

External links

*
Plumas National forestTahoe National forest
{{Coord, 39, 46, 15, N, 120, 19, 40, W, display=title Valleys of California Wetlands of California Landforms of Plumas County, California Landforms of Sierra County, California Valleys of Plumas County, California Valleys of Sierra County, California