SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – What has been home to Motel 6 and a restaurant in South Lake Tahoe since 1976 is now one step closer to being a restored wetland habitat along the Upper Truckee River. The former Carrows restaurant was torn down on Tuesday and Wednesday, and the motel buildings will be coming down once the removal of hazardous materials is complete.
The 31-acre environmentally sensitive property was once owned by the Knox Johnson family and sold to the California Tahoe Conservancy in 2024. Prior to the motel and parking lot being added to the property, it was open land and used for South Tahoe High School bonfires and an occasional carnival. Long-time residents also remember a sign on the property for about two years, telling the public they could dump “clean dirt” on site. Even with the motel on the site, the area north of it along the river was frequently used by the homeless for encampments.
The Conservancy plans to preserve the surrounding mountain meadow and wetlands, enhancing recreation and access to the river, managing forested areas of the property, and complementing future restoration at the Upper Truckee Marsh. In April 2025, the Conservancy began public outreach to start the planning process, and people are still invited to participate. Visit the Upper Truckee Marsh South Project page to learn more.
The 31-acre site includes four acres of former floodplain. The restoration project now puts 96 percent of the lower section of the Upper Truckee River into public ownership. Hundreds of acres of public marsh and meadow lands are now connected. The Johnson property had been one of the last sections of the river corridor under private ownership.
The purchase and upcoming restoration have been made possible by multiple funding sources in partnership with the Conservancy, including the California Wildlife Conservation Board, Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Tahoe Fund and League to Save Lake Tahoe. Also included in the acquisition was a two-acre single-family homesite on the east side of the river.
