Big Spring
Big Spring is a spring in California, at a modelled elevation of 2,007 m. Granite Chief stands 2,749 m to the north-northwest, 3.5 miles off. The nearest named place is Ward Peak, a peak 1.3 miles away. Lake Tahoe - Eastshore Drive passes 15 miles off.
How to reach it
- 15.2 mi off the Lake Tahoe - Eastshore Drive, National
- 17.3 mi off the Mount Rose Highway
Overlooks nearby
- Logan Shoals Vista Point · 19 mi
- Cave Rock · 19 mi
- Memorial Point Scenic Overlook · 19 mi
- Scenic lookout · 20 mi
Named places within 25 miles
- Ward Peak: 1.3 mi
- Washeshu Peak: 2.2 mi
- Scott Peak: 2.6 mi
- KT-22: 2.8 mi
- Mount Mildred: 3.3 mi
- Alpine Springs Community Park: 4.7 mi
- Olympic Valley Park: 5.2 mi
- Kilner Park: 6.1 mi
- Lake Tahoe Park: 6.3 mi
- Kaspian Day Use Area: 6.5 mi
- Olympic Meadow Preserve: 4.9 mi
- Ward Creek: 5.8 mi
- Antone Meadows Natural Preserve: 7.3 mi
- Burton Creek State Park: 7.6 mi
- Burton Creek Natural Preserve: 7.9 mi
- William Kent Beach: 6.3 mi
- Patton Beach: 11.5 mi
- China Cove Beach: 11.8 mi
- Lester Beach: 13.7 mi
- Moon Dunes Beach: 13.7 mi
- Thunder Cliff: 4.9 mi
- Twin Crags: 5.7 mi
- Red Cliffs: 7.6 mi
- Chalk Bluff: 7.8 mi
- Tunnel Rock: 11.8 mi
- Watson Monument: 2.8 mi
- Johnson Monument: 3.5 mi
- Olympic Flame: 5.4 mi
- Ralph R. Steele Memorial: 6.6 mi
- Stephen Downey: 10.3 mi
- Gatekeeper's Museum: 6.9 mi
- Watson Cabin: 7.1 mi
- UC Davis Eriksson Education Center: 8.3 mi
- Donner Memorial State Park Museum: 12.2 mi
- Truckee-Donner Historical Society: 12.6 mi
- Five Lakes Trailhead: 3.0 mi
- China Wall: 11.8 mi
- Rodeo Grounds: 13.4 mi
- Balancing Rock: 14.0 mi
- Rubicon Point Light: 14.1 mi
- East Snow Mountain Falls: 11.5 mi
- Upper Eagle Falls: 16.0 mi
- Lower Eagle Falls: 16.1 mi
- Eagle Falls: 16.1 mi
- Cascade Falls: 17.4 mi
- Coyote Spring: 7.1 mi
- Health Springs: 10.1 mi
- Brockway Spring: 15.3 mi
- Juniper Ridge Spring: 18.5 mi
- Dawson Spring: 18.8 mi
- French Meadows Day Use Site: 7.6 mi
- Meeks Bay Beach: 11.1 mi
- Eagle Falls Picnic Area: 16.0 mi
- Donner Camp Picnic Site: 16.3 mi
- Lodgepole: 20.5 mi
- The Big Tree: 7.1 mi
- "Snowshoe" Thompson: 13.7 mi
- The Ants: 14.5 mi
- St Theresa: 21.5 mi
- Donner Lake Vista Point: 12.4 mi
- Donner Summit Rest Area: 13.9 mi
- Dolly's Vegetable Garden: 18.9 mi
- Deadwood: 23.0 mi
Summits around it
The highest named summits within 12.4 miles of Big Spring. Elevation from each summit’s own record; bearing measured between the two coordinates.
| Summit | Bearing | Elevation | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Granite Chief | NNW 345° | 2,749 m | 3.5 mi |
| Lyon Peak | NNW 328° | 2,713 m | 4.7 mi |
| Tinker Knob | N 353° | 2,713 m | 6.7 mi |
| Needle Peak | NNW 335° | 2,711 m | 3.9 mi |
| Washeshu Peak | N 360° | 2,706 m | 2.2 mi |
| Twin Peaks | SE 141° | 2,701 m | 3.3 mi |
| Ellis Peak | SE 145° | 2,648 m | 6.8 mi |
| Anderson Peak | N 349° | 2,646 m | 7.7 mi |
When to go
Light through the year
| Date | Sunrise | Golden hour | Sunset |
|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox | 07:05 | 18:38 | 19:13 |
| June solstice | 05:36 | 19:51 | 20:31 |
| September equinox | 06:50 | 18:24 | 19:00 |
| December solstice | 07:18 | 16:00 | 16:42 |
Local time (America/Los_Angeles).
Climate normals
Months averaging 50–80 °F: Jun–Sep.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg °F | 30 | 31 | 34 | 39 | 47 | 55 | 62 | 61 | 55 | 46 | 37 | 30 |
| Precip in | 6.2 | 5.7 | 4.9 | 2.2 | 1.6 | 0.6 | 0.2 | 0.3 | 0.4 | 1.9 | 3.2 | 6.0 |
1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, NOAA NCEI — Tahoe City, 7 mi away.
Months at or above the year’s average flow: Apr–Jul — fullest in May, leanest in Sep.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean cfs | 8.0 | 6.3 | 10.5 | 23.7 | 60.8 | 54.4 | 18.5 | 2.4 | 0.5 | 0.9 | 1.8 | 5.6 |
USGS monthly mean discharge at gauge Ward C BL Confluence NR Tahoe City CA, 3 mi away — the nearest gauge, which can sit on a different stream.
- broadstemmed onion11 obs
- Leichtlin's Mariposa Lily9 obs
- balloon milkvetch9 obs
- mountain coyote mint5 obs
- Snowplant4 obs
- common yarrow4 obs
- woolly mule's ears4 obs
- Anderson's thistle4 obs
Research-grade iNaturalist community observations within 3 km — what people have recorded, not a species inventory.
Where this comes from
Location and category confirmed against OpenStreetMap.
OpenStreetMapWikidataOpenStreetMap element node/3041721670
Day trips start here
- Olympic Valley · 4 mi
- Homewood · 7 mi
- Tahoe City · 7 mi
- Lake Tahoe · 13 mi
- Truckee · 13 mi
- Tahoe Vista · 14 mi
Take the scenic way to Big Spring.
Byway plans around your taste, verified places, real weather and opening hours — then opens every leg in Google Maps with one tap.