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!

To write a complete review I must start 50 years ago. when I first became a fan of Truckee…read more Downtown Truckee was a quiet mix of rundown buildings with a few cool shops and awkward restaurants, think Viginia City without the mining. Hippies and the first wave of Subaru Wagons ruled the streets and alley ways of Downtown. The working-class people that worked around the north & west shores of Lake Tahoe mostly lived in Truckee or Kings Beach. Over the years Truckee grew and so did the tourism. Along came the rejuvenation and fancier shopping, eating, traffic, parking and gas prices that should make you blush. As Truckee took on a new persona of a Tahoe-esque destination. The housing got expensive and so did everything else. In 1993 Truckee incorporated and became a city. Along with this shiny new title this ushered in ways to support a city government. The Truckee Police and other city services were all in place by 2001. By 2005 the beginning of the question "now that we can attract tourists, how can we extract the most out of them?" Yes, paid parking, parking enforcement, traffic reduction, parallel parking, new taxes and fees. Today it is Sierra Nevada Mountain charm with unique shops, nice hotels and B & B inns, wine bars, expensive restaurants, art galleries, and 4 season recreation & adventure. Truckee is a short distance from Lake Tahoe and Donner Lake, and serves as a gateway to the growing areas like Northstar and Squaw Valley (don't come for me, that IS the name}. Downtown Truckee has charm and allure. The railroad museum is cool if you can figure out the hours. The Original Squeeze Inn has always been the draw for me and my family for more than 50 years, Thank You Shila and Crew. Oh, and the people that own the Sock Parlour are a horrible example of what the typical vibe is supposed to be in Historic Downtown Truckee.

Great hike, the tunnels were so cool. I think the part people "miss" is they are walking over what…read moreis considered China Wall. If you are walking the tunnels you can't see this engineering feat from the trail. You need a side quest or to start from a lower vantage point to see the actual wall.

This place is super unique!!! No idea why they don't advertise this place more. There's a parking…read morelot on your left shortly before you hit the rainbow bridge. If the weather is nice, you'll see a bunch of climbers right here. From the lot, proceed uphill for a short distance and you'll see the petroglyphs on the rocks to your left. Proceed up these and you'll hit the tunnels! Go to the left for the best ones. I'd recommend going with someone as it can be a bit creepy in the darker areas and you never know what can happen. A flashlight or headlamp is a good idea but you're phone will suffice. There are openings every now and then so it's not like a cave or pitch dark. Tons of graffiti everywhere in a tunnel view which make for some awesome photos (reason 2 to have a partner or IG BF on hand). Enjoy!!

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!

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

Background On Donner Summit Bridge: The Donner Summit Bridge, also known as the Rainbow Bridge, is…read morenamed after the Donner Summit, a high point in the Sierra Nevada mountain range. The Donner Summit is significant because it was the location where the Donner Party struggled to survive the winter in 1846-47. Background On Visit: Might as well visit the place if i'm already in the area. Location/Parking: The bridge is located on Donner Pass Road and is next to Donner Lake Overlook. There's parking before the bridge and if parking has been taken, you can park over at the Donner Lake Overlook. Ambiance/Decor: Nice ambiance with great views of Sierra Nevada Mountains and Donner Lake. You can also visualize how tough it was for the Donner party to maneuver through the tough terrain with the freezing temps. Luckily on the day that I visited, the weather was absolutely beautiful and there was some snow that hasn't melted on the Sierra Nevada mountain. Donner Summit Bridge For Thought: I would like to come again and drive on the bridge.

Also known as the Rainbow Bridge [Truckee CA]…read more As we were making our way up Donner Pass Road we had a good view of the bridge from below and in my mind it reminded me of the Bixby Bridge in Big Sur as it was built around the same period and has a very similar style. Donner Pass Road is a scenic road that runs through the Sierra Nevada mountains between Truckee and Reno NV. As we arrived at the bridge we pulled off onto the parking lot on the side and enjoyed stunning views of the mountains, Truckee River and Donner Lake below. A plaque on the bridge read "Dedicated to the pioneers who blazed the overland trail through these mountains." This beautiful bridge was restored in 1995 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Review #3558

This marker is part of a series to gather an disseminate the history of Nevada women. According to…read morethe site, former Clark County State Senator Jean Ford found that there was an absence of information specific to Nevada women and sought to correct this important deficiency. This marker is one in the series. The marker is located on the site of the Nevada State House and is pink lettering on a white background with pink trim. It reads, "Felice Cohn. Lawyer & Co-founder Nevada Equal Franchise Society. Write Woman Suffrage Bill passed by Legislature 1911, 1913 and by voters 1914." Online, there is more information about this remarkable woman. Felice Cohn was born May 14, 1878, in Carson City, Nevada, to Morris and Pauline Sheyer Cohn. Felice enrolled at the University of Nevada in Reno for a year and then went to Stanford University. She attended Stanford during the years 1895-96 and 1896-97, but did not graduate. She studied law for several years and in 1902 she was admitted to the bar through the U.S. District Court, Ninth District, in Carson City. Vitally interested in the welfare of women, Felice Cohn became involved in suffrage rights for women in 1911. She was one of the founding members of the State Equal Franchise Society and chaired the legislative committee during the 1911 legislative session, lobbying effectively during that time to see the successful passage of the resolution she had drafted: "There shall be no denial of the elective franchise at any election on account of sex." People were amazed at the ease with which the resolution was passed, due in part to her efforts. There is much more. See https://www.nevadawomen.org/research-center/biographies-alphabetical/felice-cohn/, https://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/cohn-felice, and https://suffragistmemorial.org/felice-cohn-1884-1961/. [Review 17689 overall - 35 in Nevada - 1210 of 2022.]

Can you imagine meandering the roads back in the Wild West days of yore? How did the Comstock Lode…read moreStart? It all started with a golden nugget. Today Silver City is a ghost town of its former glory days. Wandering down the hill from Virginia City is Gold Hill. Just down the road a piece from Gold Hill you will find Silver City. The first golden nugget was discovered at Devil's Gate in 1850 just a little north of Silver City. Devil's Gate is the border between Storey County and Lyon County. It is a natural landmark through a narrow gorge. Devil's Gate became a infamous as a hideout for disreputable men or highwaymen. It was an unsavory area and many were robbed so few came through unarmed. Thousands passed through this narrow gorge as it was the only way through the area to the notable Comstock mines. Despite the reputation of the Devil's Gate a boomtown cropped up and became known as Silver City. The City has the notoriety of having one of the first stamp mills in the state of Nevada. In it's heyday it boasted of 4 hotels, boarding houses, saloons, brothels, parlor houses, stables, corrals, freighting center for Gold Hill and Virginia City, and over 1,200 people. Silver City was an important link between the mines of Virginia City and Gold Hill and the processing mills in Dayton. The mines were less productive than Gold Hill or Virginia City.. The town thrived until the V & T (Virginia and Truckee) railroad was completed in 1869 and the town was no longer needed to be a freight center. Today there are remnants of it's former days and there are a handful of historic buildings and structures such as the a cemetery, U.S. Post Office, the Hardwicke House built in 1862, a former ice house and B & B, a mostly intact mining facility etc. Nevada State Route 342 and 341 loop together running through the communities of Silver City, Gold Hill, Virginia City and Carson City. It is a historic road that dates back to the the Comstock lode era. This highway serves as the main road for both Gold Hill and Silver City but has 15% grades and hairpin curves.

Cool little town you drive through on your way to Virginia City. I love the old buildings but wish…read morethere was more of an effort to save them. Silver City is a near ghost town and a small residential community in Lyon County, Nevada, USA, near the Lyon/Carson border. Settled in 1859, the population in 1861 was about 1,200, but began declining after the Virginia and Truckee Railroad was completed in 1869. Construction workers left the area, taking their business with them.The population as of the 2000 census was 170.