Silver Creek Fishing
Alpine County

Making Your Way to Silver Creek

Silver Creek is easiest to reach from the eastern side of the Sierra. Drive through Markleeville, following the Carson River and turn up Highway 4 for Ebbetts Pass. Or come over Monitor Pass and swing south on Highway 4. From the west side of the Sierra you can reach Silver Creek by following Highway 4 through Angels Camp and Arnold and up over Ebbetts Pass. It's a slow drive, but the scenery is spectacular and there are numerous fishing locations along the way

The easiest turnouts from Highway 4 along Silver Creek are the most heavily fished, so I always seek out the less obvious little pull-out spaces and walk a short distance before working my way down to the creek. I'm usually rewarded by coming upon a nice, secluded pool or riffle than can hold my interest for an hour. By then I'm ready to move up or down stream.

The uppermost portion of Silver Creek does not sustain enough flow late in the season to maintain a robust fish population, but below the main cascade about 2½ miles below Kinney Lakes, pools begin to appear which support fair-sized rainbows. Fishing them is the trick. During early season the flow is high, making the canyon dangerous and fishing unproductive. By mid-summer, though, the water level has usually dropped enough that anyone agile on their feet can clamber down to the streambed and negotiate their way from boulder to boulder. It's a specialty kind of fishing that doesn't appeal to everyone.

Below Silver Creek Campground the stream develops a gentler personality and can be approached more easily from various access places. One of my favorite sections is just above the Wolf Creek Road bridge. Bait and fly fishing are the most popular approaches along this narrow creek. I had luck with a # 16 tan Elk Hair Caddis.

High Sierra Trails

Thousand Island Lake

Lodging and Camping

For lodging close to Silver Creek you can't beat Sorenson's Resort over on Highway 88. In Markleeville there's the J. Marklee Toll Station Motel and in Woodfords you'll find Kyle's Cabins. Farther down the roads there are numerous hotels/motels in Minden, Gardnerville, and Topaz Lake, Nevada.

Silver Creek Campground is right there along Silver Creek, making it an obvious first choice. "Dispersed camping" is allowed along the creek in many places. Other campgrounds can be found near Markleeville and on the west side of Ebbetts Pass. On the west side consider Bloomfield Campground part way out the Highland Lakes Road or Hermit Valley on Highway 4. More campsites are located at Lake Alpine, but they are often crowded in the summer.

For complete information about more campgrounds along Highway 4 and Highway 89, see