Backround On Donner Lake: Named after the Donner Party, a group of pioneers who became trapped in…read morethe Sierra Nevada Mountains during the winter of 1846-47. The lake was originally known as Truckee Lake, but was renamed in their memory. The Donner Party's ill-fated journey and subsequent struggle for survival has made the area a place of both historical significance and tragedy Background On Visit: Reading articles about things to do near Lake Tahoe, we decided to visit this place. Location/Parking: Located along Donner Pass Rd.. Free parking on the west end of the lake. Ambiance: The views of the pine trees and water are very nice when you drive along Donner Pass Rd.. Probably be more enjoyable as a passenger. Perhaps next time. Entertainment: 1) Boating and Water Sports: Rent boats, kayaks, paddleboards, or hydrobikes at Donner Lake Watersports. 2) Fishing: Donner Lake is known for kokanee salmon and various trout species. 3) Swimming: Enjoy the lifeguard-staffed West End Beach Park or swim at the public piers. 4) Hiking Trails Donner Lake For Thought: Choose Donner Lake for a more serene and accessible experience with a unique history and warmer water. :)

Right off of I-80 in Truckee this is one of the coolest…read moreplaces of the Sierra. Donner Lake is a true mountain getaway for activities from boating & fishing in the summer to snowshoeing in winter. Although it's a fraction in size to its bigger sibling Lake Tahoe, it offers a more relaxed alternative and just as many options of things to do on and off the water. Don't miss Donner State Park while visiting the lake. It is a giant part of local history.

Quick hike of a little over a mile to explore this area. There is a beautiful regional park and a…read moreriver trail that is well traversed. A nice walk Easy parking. Please come and create your own adventure.

Nice softball field with restrooms and seating. The dugout are not enclosed and are not shaded so…read morebring your own.

I love Gold lake. Snow camping here is epic if your rig and winch can get you through the icy snow…read moreto camp by the lake! The best part is no one will be here in the cold! Snow hiking is awesome but you can easily get lost! Have fun!

10/21/2023 It's been…read morea very long time since our last visit.. Still have the fishing bug... trying to take advantage of the time and weather... Windy as heck, but the scenery takes it all !!! Next trip, hoping to catch some nice ones!

This review covers two different PCT routes-- The Castle Peak Trail and the Mount Judah Loop trail…read more CASTLE PEAK TRAIL: This moderately strenuous hike will take you to the top of Castle Peak, elevation 9,100 feet. Hiking poles are recommended, as there are sections of loose gravel along the trail, very slippery. Coming from the Sacramento area, you take the Boreal exit and turn left. MOUNT JUDAH LOOP: From Sacramento, get off I-80 at Soda Springs. Trailhead is just past the access road to Sugar Bowl, on Donner Pass Road (the old US Highway 40 and a Scenic Bypass Route). This lightweight hiking trail is a popular route for local cross-country runners. Get to the trailhead by 10:00 am on Saturdays, as the parking lot will get full quickly. We rated this trail (about 5 miles) as relatively easy-to-moderate in difficulty, but recommend poles if you don't like slippery rocks etc.

This is a review for the trail to Summit Lake - part of the Pacific Crest Trail…read more I like hiking but I'm a lightweight so I don't like long, difficult hikes. This was perfect. It was about 4.5 miles out and back, barely any uphill, lots of shade, and a beautiful lake at the end. I went on September 1st and the weather was perfect. I highly recommend this hike for families and anyone who wants a nice hike without a lot of sweating involved. Oh, and bring your dogs! We saw lots of pups on our way and we brought along 4 of our own too. It's fun to watch the dogs swim in the lake.

We found this trail on another app. It is a relatively new trail. It was created within the last 4…read moreyears. There is plenty of parking and they have bathrooms. The bathroom was not the cleanest I have ever seen, but it is an option if you have to go. The trails are quite nice. They are easy to follow and very good for beginners. We say a lot of people with dogs and small kids. It is not paved, but tennis shoes are an option if you don't have boots. They have picnic tables towards the back of the trail. The tables offer a nice look of the valley and town below.

The Sawtooth Trail has a little bit of everything for just about everyone. The opening 2 miles…read moremake for a fun family hike, with a couple of interesting stopping points. The next 3 miles will take you through a winding up-and-down adventure through pines and manzanita, with some technical rocky sections. After the long switchback you will be back to the road (006), and ready for the most beautiful sections of trail. Oh, did I mention that I use this trail for running? There are many who mountain bike this area, but I think that it is best explored on foot. I challanging series of short climbs and twisting turns will keep you on your toes, and the scenery will keep you charged. One of the great things about this trail is that it can be broken down into sections. Do the short loop (back on road 006), at about 3 miles, the mid loop (back on road 006 at your second opportunity) at about 8 miles, or the whole thing at about 10! so much fun. If you have done the whole loop and are looking for more - add on the "powerline" trail up the the top of the mountain. Great stuff!

This is a challenging, strenuous hike but with some absolutely incredible views of 4 alpine lakes -…read morethe spectacular Upper Salmon Lake, . . . then, Horse Lake . . . the pristine, Deer Lake . . . and if you make it to the top, you will also be rewarded with a scenic view of Summit Lake. It is 7 3/4 miles out and back if you go all the way to Summit Lake. Be prepared as this requires a 1,200 foot elevation gain hike, so you will have some very challenging climbs up the mountains. You can, of course, cut the hike short, as I have done twice, and consider Deer Lake the return point. Elevation: ~7,400 ft. Difficulty: Trail around Upper Salmon Lake is Moderate . . . Climbs to Deer and Summit Lakes are stenuous Hiking Season: June to October Gold Lake Highway intersects with Highway 89 approximately 48 miles North of Truckee (1 1/2 miles South of Graeagle). Take Gold Lake Highway for 11.3 miles to the turnoff to the right for the Salmon Lakes. This road will dead end in ~1 mile at a parking lot adjacent to Upper Salmon Lake, from which the trailhead is accessible. Don't start your hike along the lakeside. Rather, from the parking lot, walk back up the road approximately 100 yards to the trailhead, which is marked "Upper Salmon Lake Trail".

We stopped by this park to have our lunch from a nearby Subway across the freeway on Hwy 80. We…read morefound a few picnic tables and you can see the South Yuba River. We ate our lunch and then went to explore by the water. I bet this is a good place to go fishing during the summer. Beautiful to sit by the water listening to the water pass you by. The parking lot is quite big, has 2 clean vault toilets. Lots of trash cans around the parking lot with bear locks. If you come by the park, be sure to go up the road just around the corner from pull in to park. We heard about some old historic shop ruins on Hampshire Rocks Rd (aka- Old hwy 40) and decided to check them out. Per Google the old Gift & Fruit shop ruins and the other ruins are right around Luken Way, Emigrant Gap, CA 95715. We were not disappointed and so glad we stopped by. We love exploring with our granddaughter historic out of the way places and teach her about the history of what once was. There is a sign showing pictures and history of the area back in its hay days. The Forest Gift Shop (the taller building on the right), was built in 1938, sold souvenirs hand-crafted by locals. It has a beautiful fireplace and the woodwork on the roof inside is amazing. The Fruit Stand (the smaller building on the left) was known for selling orange juice, orange candy, and various different fruits. If you walk up the road past the big barn you will see some steps and an outline of the foundation for the old Chevron gas station we are told. Alittle farther down the road was a very cool rock fireplace and chimney and outline of a foundation from the Lodge. There are even two benches to sit and enjoy the forest inside the foundation wall area. Across the street there is a marker in memory of California Pioneer James L Gould. Once the construction of I-80 was completed, a decrease in traffic began along Hwy 40 resulting in the final closure of the Gift Shop and many other businesses along Hwy 40.

Bathrooms: no ventilation, no toilet tissue, no water source. If you are in a dire emergency please…read morehave your own products otherwise head to the nearest rest area.

It's a great, convenient beach, but it will cost ya. They do charge and it's not cheap and this…read morebeach gets crowded. The beach itself has a large sandy area, which is fun. In the summer, there are plenty of life guards, a fairly large parking lot that does fill up fast, pickleball courts, and boat rentals. However, it can get so crowded, so buyer beware. When it's not crowded, it's lovely! Overall, a great Donner Lake beach.

For the July 4th 2026 fireworks show, our friends, who are residents of Truckee, offered to get my…read moreparty of 6 tickets to see the show at West End Beach at Donner Lake. In order to buy the tickets at the Community Recreation Center, you must be able to show one proof of residency (driver's license, service/utility bill, car registration, current tax bill with an address in the district) and a resident can buy up to 8 tickets. Tickets are NOT sold at the gate. At $25 per person, the whole experience which includes the show at 9:30pm, games for the family beginning at 1:30pm, really good live music, plenty of port-o-potties, and lake fun complete with water rentals, food concessions is pretty good. Being this was our first time at West End Beach, there were lots of decisions to make. After researching this event, here's what we decided: - Take the free shuttle from Truckee High School which begins at 3pm - Bring our own food that was packed in a thermal bag to keep it hot instead of heating up the food at the beach. Although alcoholic beverages are allowed, glass of any kind is prohibited and checked at the gate. When we arrived at the beach around 4pm, there appeared to be no good picnic spots near the lake because those people arrive early in the morning before the gate opens at 9am. However, there's plenty of space to have a picnic meal with picnic tables, but the roped-off area in the park specifically states that the area must be cleared by 7pm. While there was plenty of space in the roped-off area, where would we go after 7pm? As it turns out, things and people begin to shift by about 7pm. In order to avoid putting things away in the dark after the show is over, people are putting their canopies and other equipment away and the family games have ended creating more space to watch the fireworks. After walking around, we found some open spots in the grass to lay down our picnic blankets to watch the show. Speaking of arriving early, there is a beach parking lot which has a limited amount of spaces and those people arrive by 6am to claim those precious spots. One lucky person I spoke with said he arrived at just before 7am to claim the last parking space. Having a parking space would have meant I could have launched my kayak, but my party of 6 was content to play in the water and play games while waiting for the 9:30pm show. If you're going to cook or heat your food, you must bring your own equipment. In fact, you see people cooking on their full-sized BBQs! There were only a few people cooking on the charcoal grills. After the show is over just before 10pm, the shuttle buses are waiting, but it takes a while for everyone to load. Nevertheless, we made it back to the Truckee High School around 10:45p. Since there was some wait time on the bus, I struck up a conversation with the person next to me who said he didn't arrive at West End Beach until 8:40pm and there was still plenty of space for him and his daughter to see the show. If you want to skip bringing your own food/beverages, chairs, and umbrellas, arriving before the show starts sounds like a good option. Lying on our blankets with our coats on was an ideal way for us to watch the show as it felt up close and personal. The show was spectacular.