Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Central Asia yurt night stars
Uzbekistan • 15 days, 14 nights
Central Asia Road Trip: Backroads & Bazaars
from
A view of Brașov’s Old Town.
Romania • 12 days, 11 nights
Legends of Romania: Castles, Ruins & Culinary Delights
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
Ñaño house with mausoleum skull in foreground.
Ñaño Casa Museo
Honningsvåg Bamse Statue
Honningsvåg Bamse Statue
The salt cairn.
The Lewis and Clark Salt Works
South entrance.
Reigate Tunnel
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
Names on the bartop.
The Dive
Cacio e pepe lasagna combines two classics.
C'è Pasta... E Pasta!
Spaghetto taratatà is named for the sound of rattling sabers.
Giano Restaurant
The gnocchi here get blanketed in a sugo with braised oxtail.
Cesare al Pellegrino
Romans insist you should feel the cracked peppercorns and cheese grains on your tongue.
Flavio al Velavevodetto
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
The 2,653-mile-long Pacific Crest Trail spans the entire West Coast from Canada to Mexico.
Meet the Volunteers Who Keep Thru-Hikers Moving
10 days ago
The Haskell Free Library and Opera House building on the U.S.-Canadian border.
Could New Border Restrictions Literally Tear the Haskell Free Library Apart?
10 days ago
A woman peering into the cave of Sarah Bishop c. 1900.
The Curious History of New England’s Hermit Tourism
10 days ago
The Big Well
This Kansas Town Advertised the World’s Largest Well. It Wasn’t.
11 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United States California Davis Davis Toad Tunnel
AO Edited

Davis Toad Tunnel

Special tunnels built so that frogs won't be killed when crossing the highway.

Davis, California

Added By
Jessica Munn
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
The entrance of the toad tunnel, starting at the post office parking lot. (Davis Wiki)   PaulLanzi
The entrance of the toad tunnel, starting at the post office parking lot. (Davis Wiki)   PaulLanzi
The Toad Tunnel leads to Toad Hollow (aka Core Area Pond), shown here. (Davis Wiki)   AlphaDog
(Davis Wiki)   PaulLanzi
Toad Hollow - complete with hotels and homes   klasicm / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

A $14,000 wildlife crossing was constructed in 1995 as a six-inch tunnel to allow frogs—not toads, despite the project's name—to circumvent the newly constructed Pole Line Road overpass. The postmaster decorated the entrance to the tunnel near the Post Office to resemble a toad town, named Toad Hollow, complete with a toad bar, toad outhouse, and a toad hotel. In late 1999, the walkway at the northeast entrance to the Davis Food Co-op on G Street was named "Toad Lane" by the city council in honor of the tunnel. In January 2000, the children's book, "The Toads of Davis," written and illustrated by Ted Puntillo, Sr., was published to tell the story of the Davis Toad Tunnel through the eyes of the toads.

Rumor suggests that the frogs originally refused to use the tunnel, so lights were installed to encourage them. The frogs then died from the heat of the lamps inside the tunnel. Once through the tunnel, the frogs then also had to battle with birds who quickly learned of the frog-producing hole in the ground.

The project received national attention, including a feature on "The Daily Show" in 1998. Also in 1998, a Florida State University professor received a $40,000 grant to research whether and how frogs would be able to utilize a proposed tunnel under the US 319 highway outside of Tallahassee. As quoted in Forbes, this study research seemed to be inspired by Davis' experience: "Best to plan ahead with this sort of thing.... Partansky (Davis' mayor at the time of the Toad Tunnel construction) suggests that anyone else who builds a tunnel somehow simulates starlight in the passage to help lure the animals through."

Related Tags

Tunnels Architectural Oddities Architecture Subterranean Sites Frog

Know Before You Go

Take the I-80 Richards Blvd exit and head east. Turn left at Pole Line Ave. Tunnel runs beneath Pole Line Road overpass.

Community Contributors

Added By

Facebook1311183

Edited By

hrnick, nbj914, klasicm

  • hrnick
  • nbj914
  • klasicm

Published

May 23, 2013

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • Roadside America: Davis, California - Toad Hollow - Tunnel for Toad Traffic: http://www.roadsideamerica.com/tip/141
  • Davis Wiki: Toad Tunnel: http://daviswiki.org/Toad_Tunnel
  • Wikipedia: Davis, California: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Davis,_California
Davis Toad Tunnel
300 Pole Line Rd
Davis, California, 95618
United States
38.547088, -121.726065
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Solar Intersections

Davis, California

miles away

U.S. Bicycling Hall of Fame

Davis, California

miles away

Eggheads

Davis, California

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Davis

Davis

California

Places 7
Stories 2

Nearby Places

Solar Intersections

Davis, California

miles away

U.S. Bicycling Hall of Fame

Davis, California

miles away

Eggheads

Davis, California

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Davis

Davis

California

Places 7
Stories 2

Related Stories and Lists

9 Real-World Animal Crossings

List

By Michelle Cassidy

Man-Made Animal Crossings, from Bat Bridges to Toad Tunnels

animals

By Eric Grundhauser

Related Places

  • Tower of Wind.

    Kawasaki, Japan

    Tower of Wind

    Curious onlookers have suspected this strange structure is a secret government base.

  • Catacombs of Washington, D.C.

    Washington, D.C.

    Catacombs of Washington, D.C.

    Franciscan monks created a facsimile of the Holy Land for North Americans who couldn’t afford the trip overseas.

  • The tunnel of books.

    Yangzhou Shi, China

    Yangzhou Zhongshuge

    Mirrored floors and arched shelves create the illusion of an infinite tunnel of books.

  • Entrance to the garbage tunnel

    Washington, D.C.

    Congressional Garbage Tunnel

    The tunnel under the Capitol Building where Congress takes out its trash.

  • The tunnels all look slightly differiently

    Washington, D.C.

    Capitol Building Tunnel System

    Members of Congress have traveled between the buildings on Capitol Hill for a century hidden from tourists, press, and storm clouds.

  • Anzob Tunnel in 2012, filling with water

    Ayni, Tajikistan

    Anzob Tunnel

    This dark, damp, perilous tunnel is the only passage from north to south Tajikistan.

  • Øresund Bridge

    Malmö, Sweden

    Øresund Bridge

    This chimerical bridge/tunnel appears to dead end right into the sea.

  • Levon’s Divine Underground

    Arinj, Armenia

    Levon's Divine Underground

    She asked for a potato cellar and over the next 23 years he gave her a network of holy caves.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.