Independence Lake is a beautiful glacier-cut lake located less than an hour's drive from Truckee. Here, you can borrow one of the small fleet of kayaks and fishing boats ~after first filling out a registration waiver~. No outside watercraft are allowed! This is to protect and preserve the Lahontan Cutthroat Trout that are native to this habitat. Outside watercraft are risky because they may unknowingly transport foreign mollusks that are detrimental to the health of the trout living there. If fishing waders are used, there is a wader scrubbing/washing station located at the registration area. There are Nature Conservancy staff people on site if you have further questions. I found them informative and helpful. The loaner kayaks are located to the left side of the lake. The ones on the right side are for staff members. Every other week, ~only~ the kayaks are allowed out. Call to check the calendar schedule to avoid disappointment if you want to use one of the motorized boats. They require a motorized boater's card {available online at https://www.boat-ed.com/california/) There are single person and tandem person sit-on-top kayaks available. after 8AM Thursdays through Sundays. Loaner PFDs are also available in standard sizes. I recommend getting there early morning after opening while the water is calm. I was told that later in the day, the wind can pick up. This makes paddling a kayak to get backk across a lot more difficult. You may fish using barbless hooks. Only artificial lures are permitted. All trout caught must be released. Kokanee salmon are an invasive species here. Fishermen are allowed to keep those. Limit 5 per day, or 10 per trip, total. No live bait. There is no overnight camping on the Conservancy's grounds. There are campgrounds at nearby Webber Lake and Lake of the Woods. read more

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Independence Lake Preserve is an amazing place to enjoy the high Sierras. The best part is the free kayaks that are available to anyone who signs a waiver. How cool and inclusive is that? You get to Independence Lake Preserve from highway 80 by heading north on 89 and then turning L at the "Little Truckee Summit OHV/Snowmobile" area, which is on a road labeled "07." It's the turn you'd take if you wanted to go to the Mt. Lola trailhead or Webber Lake Campground, which are also nearby. You'll need an offroad capable vehicle to make it over a water crossing and two miles of rocky road. There are lots of signs that explain that no watercraft are allowed, because Independence Lake is one of the two places in the world with a wild, self-sustaining lake population of Lahontan cutthroat trout. That's why they care so much about not letting folks put their own watercraft on the lake: they might unintentionally introduce invasive species. When we pulled up (with a canoe on our Jeep: we didn't know the rules beforehand), a ranger came out to verbally explain things to us and to let us know about the free kayaks to use. I was pleasantly surprised that there were not a lot of bugs out in July 2022. The last time we were in this area, which was maybe July three years ago, there were so, so, so many bugs. We came armed with bug spray but didn't need it! There are hiking trails around the preserve as well. The lake is large and beautiful, and the view of Mt. Lola is spectacular. read more

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A hidden gem that (luckily) isn't easy to get to. You'll need special equipment to get here in the winter. read more

Independence Lake Preserve - Hiking Near Me - Truckee, California

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In short: So excited to have found such a beautiful, un-crowded, dog-friendly hike so close to Reno. In order to find it, follow the directions on the Land Trust website and for GODSSAKE don't trust your phone's GPS. Longer version: This hike came highly recommended on All Trails and I was surprised not to see it on yelp (so I'm adding it myself). We mistakenly followed our phone GPS rather than the directions on the website and were taken on a very long, bumpy journey over a few mountains down forest roads. On the way back we followed the website directions and although we had to ford a (small) river, the trek was much easier and took much less time. Note that the signage isn't great and phone service is limited so you should screen shot (or write down) the directions ahead of time. The hike itself follows the edge of the lake and is mostly flat, with never ending, spectacular views and plenty of opportunities for the dogs to get wet. The trail doesn't go completely around the lake as they are protecting a trout spawning habitat. However, you can always double back. read more

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