SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – The California Tahoe Conservancy’s Upper Truckee Marsh property temporarily closes to dogs starting May 1, 2026. This annual seasonal closure prevents dogs from entering sensitive habitat for birds and other wildlife during the breeding season. People must keep their dogs away from the closed area of the Marsh through July 31. The Marsh reopens to leashed dogs on August 1.

Conservancy staff and California Highway Patrol officers monitor these areas for compliance.

The Conservancy manages about 560 acres at the Upper Truckee Marsh—one of the largest remaining marshes in the Sierra Nevada—to preserve, restore, and enhance natural resources and wildlife habitat, and enhance outdoor recreation opportunities consistent with natural resource protection. To advance these objectives, the Conservancy Board adopted a resolution in 2010 that prohibits dogs within the Upper Truckee Marsh from May 1 through July 31. 

Cove East, the Conservancy property north of Venice Drive and along the west bank of the Upper Truckee River, remains open for year-round access to leashed dogs. An accessible trail leads from the east end of Venice Drive to Lake Tahoe.