OtterKnow Kids Encyclopedia

The Sierra Nevada is home to many amazing animals. Black bears, mule deer, and mountain lions live in the forests. You can see squirrels, chipmunks, and woodpeckers too. Yosemite National Park is in the Sierra Nevada. It has huge waterfalls and giant sequoia trees that are some of the biggest living things on Earth. Lake Tahoe sits high up in the mountains and has clear blue water.

• Lake Tahoe is so clear that you can see down almost 70 feet into the water!
• During the California Gold Rush in 1849, thousands of people rushed to the Sierra Nevada to search for gold in the rivers.
• Snow that melts from the Sierra Nevada provides drinking water for millions of people in California.
• The Sierra Nevada has more than 500 peaks that are over 12,000 feet tall!