Charming little bridge with visitor center on one end and museum (by appointment) on the other.read more

Fanny Bridge is supposedly named for all the fannies seen from the road as people look from it…read moretoward the Lake Tahoe Dam. We stop by here nearly every time we pass through Tahoe City, so fairly often. We enjoy walking the loop over the dam and back around over the bridge while taking time to read signage describing local facts regarding things from fish to water levels. There is plenty of parking in the adjacent lot and you will also find clean bathrooms. This is also the location of the Gatekeeper's Museum. There is a nice woodsy area just past the museum through which you can walk toward the lake. And currently, with water levels so low, you will find an explosion of purple as lupine fields are in full bloom! So gorgeous and worth the visit!

Amazing views from above. If you're headed to the Donner Lake area you must take the backroads to…read morethis lookout point. The views are great all year long. If you're familiar with the ski resorts in the area off highway 80 by Sugar Bowl it's just minutes down the road from there. Also there's plenty of parking in the lot. There's also nearby trails to go hiking and explore. Also the abandoned train tunnels are nearby if you want to seek some adventure! Bring bear spray if you go in there!

Since our kids moved here several years back, we find ourselves traveling to this town pretty often…read morenow. They have tried to lure us to move here, but we keep reminding them we don't like snow. Accommodations are quite expensive-- especially during the high season, which is actually summer, not winter. But don't expect a deal in winter either. There is a lot to do in Truckee. For those who like mountain biking or hiking, there are tons of trails around. Naturally, there are several world-class ski resorts nearby as well. Expect to pay a lot. Truckee is one of the most beautiful places in Northern California. There's a good reason that people flock here. One of my favorite places to visit in town is the Fifty-Fifty" brewery. It is very close to Sierra Bible Church. On Sunday mornings you can get your spiritual enlightenment, and then follow it up with some liquid refreshment. If you go to the second service, the brewery will open about the time the church lets out. I'm not sure if they coordinated those times or not, but it works out well, at least for me. Truckee has so much snow, they have developed a world-class system of maintaining the roads. They actually teach other cities how to do it. There is an excellent State Park based upon the Infamous Donner party history. It's well worth taking the tour there. Now that our kids own a house here, we can avoid paying the expensive hotel bills. But I'm afraid our kids might make us shovel snow.

What more can I say then, Thank you, thank you, thank you, Town of Truckee-Truckee Donner…read moreRecreation & Parks Dept; for once again outdoing yourselves with the BEST fireworks show in California. Donner Lake was literally LIT up last night, with the MOST spectacular fireworks & finale show of all time! I can honestly write this, as I've had plenty of experiences with 4th of July firework shows, from around California (ie: numerous Bay Area locations, San Francisco Bay, North & South Lake Tahoe, boating at the Delta-fireworks put on by the Hilton Family), but none to date, have come even close to comparison, of the fireworks put on by the, Town of Truckee-Truckee Donner Recreation & Parks Dept, year after year. Because I can't personally thank each person, I'd like to take this opportunity to express my & my family's gratitude to EVERYONE; from the Town of Truckee, Town of Truckee personnel & road crew, Truckee Donner Rec & Parks Dept, Truckee Police Dept, Truckee Fire Dept, Truckee Hwy Patrol & to all those that volunteered, to make this day a special one. Thank you, for your time, patience & all of the hard work that was contributed & performed by every single person involved in making this years, 4th of July celebration at Donner Lake, amazing, fun & safe! You rock.

The Donner Pass Railroad Tunnel Hike was one of the reasons for our trip to the area. My boyfriend…read morehad always wanted to check out the Donner Petroglyphs, and I stumbled across the rail tunnels when looking for things to do while in the area. We parked at the Donner Ski Summit - if you are looking to check out this hike, that is the best place to park and access the start of the tunnels. I truly enjoyed this hike, but was ill prepared. I was fully committed once we were in the tunnels & I should have went back to the car and swapped my "barefoot" style shoes for my hiking boots. The large chunk gravel path killed my feet with the thin soles of the shoes I wore. We hiked through about 5-6 tunnels before heading back. We did a total of 6 miles in and back. There were alot of beautiful street art within the tunnels, we found 19 cave ghosts along the trail as well as some other reoccurring variations of different items over the course of the trail. I would like to eventually take the trail past the last tunnel and to the next set of tunnels some day. This is a trail we would do again next time we are in the area. Though the weather was nice, we both wore hooded sweatshirts as the are in the tunnels got quite chilly. If you plan on checking these trails out, take well charged flashlights or head lights with extra batteries. The tunnels can be PITCH Black when you are in the heart of them. Overall this was a really cool thing to see and I would love to do it again with the correct shoes!

We had out of town family in town last week and we made it back to the Donner (Railroad) Tunnels. I…read morelove the tunnels! It's SO beautiful. And as it was a railroad, it's level and easy, and as it's in the tunnels, you're mostly protected from the weather. Bring good trail walking shoes and a flashlight. (And park across from the Donner Ski Ranch.)

Great museum to learn about the Donner's fate. Very informative and well maintained site.read more

A monument to pioneer families [Truckee CA]…read more A short walk on the paved trail from the visitor center led us to the pioneer monument. The monument stands on the spot where the Schallenberger, and later the Breen, cabin once stood. Dedicated and honoring all the emigrants (not just the Donner Party) who followed the Truckee River and crossed the Sierra on their way to the west (California). The emigrant family sits on top of a 22-foot pedestal and is facing westward toward Donner Pass. Completed on June 6th 1918 and marked California Historical Landmark #134. There are educational interpretive signs nearby worth the read. Interesting to see this monument standing at one of the most historic sites in emigrant history. During the winter of 1846-1847 we learned that nearly half of Donner Party died from cold and lack of food. They set up camp around this area and was trapped by snow during their journey, imagine trekking in prairie wagons pulled by oxen from Illinois. So sad for those who perished just because of this unfortunate decision they took as a shortcut... ahhh! so close yet so far. Review #3557

Located along the Donner Pass Road near the Donner Summit Historical Society, this marker points…read moreout some of the history of the area as travelers came and went, passing through here prior to the superhighway being built. Since then, the roadway is mostly used for local traffic and access to the ski resorts. "Before the coming of the hotels and ski areas, the only Summit industry was the railroad. There had been a few dairies, two ice houses, sheep and some lumbering, even a still on the hill, but the railroad was key to the Summit." "After the Summit Hotel burned along with a few hundred feet of snow sheds in 1892, there were few accommodations for travelers from Colfax to Donner Lake. That didn't much matter because most people, traveling over the Summit, came by train and were headed elsewhere. With the coming of the automobile, people wanted to travel and they wanted to travel freely. Hotels began springing up along popular routes." "Oscar Jones saw what was coming and took advantage. In 1924 he bought the land for the Soda Springs Hotel for $5,000. On December 10, 1927 the hotel opened to the public (top picture). Oscar's brother, Herstle, opened the Rainbow Tavern (Lodge) at the same time (and he would later open Nyack Lodge). With a railroad stop at Soda Springs, the popularization of skiing and the coming of ski resorts (Beacon Hill, Clair Tappaan, Lake Mary/Signal Hill) Highway 40 would be packed with fun seekers and the Soda Springs Hotel would do a good business. The railroad was no longer the chief Summit industry." "The coming of I-80 in 1960 took traffic away. People could go faster and farther. There was less need for Summit lodging." If you do decide to explore, be careful crossing the railroad tracks as there are more than one track so look both ways. [Review 17671 overall - 462 in California - 1192 of 2022.]

Great spot, lots of history, it's a great spot to stop by and check out the view. We haven't been…read morehere in over 5 years, but it was lovely when we did visit!

While all the Amber Alert signs on Hwy 80 read, "AVOID travel, stay home and beat COVID-19" - I'm…read moresure like most of us, I've bean suffering from a form of "Island Fever" while SIP'ing at home! I needed a change of scenery one that consisted of fresh air and a view... so Hub's found me Emigrant Gap. This historical landmark can be found in the beautiful Tahoe Valley! On this cool, overcast morning - the view were still ohhhh, so beautiful. The clouds with the sun trying to peek out, provided some cool blues and grays against Bear Valley. It was nice to imagine what all those Gold Rush travelers had to experience back then, and really makes you appreciate what we have now (aka cars instead of wagons). The entrance of this landmark pit stop, can only be accessed if you're traveling WB on Hwy 80 towards Auburn/Rocklin. I would highly recommend a quick stop for some pretty scenic views.

"Bittersweet Story."…read more Right off the interstate, you can check out the history of this former town. There's not a lot to see, but the History Trail is mildly interesting, and also not too long. There's a rough little parking area right at the history trailhead. The trail is paved, and only slightly steep. It will probably take you 30 minutes round trip. I found the trail mildly interesting, but honestly, probably not worth repeating. There's a bathroom right at the parking area, but besides that, there are no facilities.

To experience 61 years of history in one hour, we stopped alongside Interstate 80, between Reno and…read moreTruckee, to explore the old Boca town site. From 1866 until 1927, the hard-working people of Boca labored on the railroad, milled local timber, harvested clear mountain ice, and brewed their famous Boca beer. Walking an easy quarter-mile long trail with interpretative signage, we saw the old school house flag pole rusted and bent by time. On our way to the hilltop cemetery, we found flattened cans, bedsprings, square-headed nails, broken whisky bottles and chips of porcelain littering the entire area. Boca, meaning "mouth" in Spanish, was originally established in 1866 as a Central Pacific Railroad construction camp, at the confluence of the Little Truckee and Truckee rivers. To process nearby timber for railroad ties, telegraph poles, and snow sheds, a lumber mill was set up in Boca in 1868. When the millpond froze in the winter of 1869, the Boca ice harvesting industry was born. Large blocks of clear ice, cut from the pond were used to air condition the deep Comstock mines and refrigerate railroad box cars full of fresh California produce heading east. We wandered around the crumbling foundation of one former ice storage house still standing alongside the railroad tracks. Boca ice was also used for the low temperature fermentation of lager beer, the town's greatest claim to fame. In 1876, Boca Brewery started a lager revolution on the west coast with its release of the first true California-made lager. The brewery was lost to fire in 1893, over-harvesting closed the saw mill in 1908, and modern refrigeration technology ended the ice industry. In 1927, the town of Boca was permanently dismantled. Our visit to the old Boca town site to experience its industrious 61-year history was an accessible stop and great value, costing us only one hour of our time. Directions: Take I-80 to Hirschdale exit, 6 miles east of Truckee. Follow the sign toward the Boca/Stampede Recreation Area. Go north 0.3 miles and turn right on the road immediately after the railroad tracks. The trail begins next to the restrooms.