USGS researchers and technicians comprehensively surveyed each of 150 talus patches for evidence of American pika (Ochotona princeps) occurrence. Occurrence status at each patch was classified as either no pika evidence whatsoever, former pika occurrence, or current pika occurrence. Dataset also includes latitude and longitude, as well as mean elevation of the patch and the surveyor-estimated number of home ranges suitable for pikas, for each patch. Data were used to test whether understanding of distributional controls from nearby regions could predict occurrence status in a previously under-sampled region within the Sierra Nevada, California.