Valentine Reserve became part of the University of California Natural Reserve System in 1972 and is managed by UC Santa Barbara. It is located on the eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada in the town of Mammoth Lakes.
Valentine Reserve, comprised of 156 acres, has been protected from entry and grazing since the early 1900s. The reserve features remarkably pristine sub-alpine habitat including montane forest, montane chaparral, Great Basin sagebrush, high montane riparian vegetation, wet montane meadow, and seep and spring vegetation.
Valentine Reserve has housing for 16 in three renovated log cabins constructed in the 1920s. Each cabin has modern cooking, sleeping, and bathroom facilities; electricity; spring water; and limited parking/storage space. There is no food or custodial service.
The Reserve Director has an office and residence at Valentine’s sister site, the Sierra Nevada Aquatic Research Laboratory. A resident caretaker lives at Valentine Reserve.