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 had purchased a sno park pass as I read that tickets would be given to those who did not have…read moreone. But there was not a single ranger on site. The road to get there was very slushy and I'm sure some would be getting stuck on the way out. Some had to loop to get a parking spot but once you are parked you find the metal entrance and from there you can hike anywhere. A lot of families trying to play or go sledding on the small amount of hills. I suggest getting snow shoes to walk up the trails. I took my dog on a 20 ft long line leash. I saw a few other dogs and we kept to ourselves. The dumpster was broken so trash unfortunately was everywhere. Parking was a bit of a mess but I found a spot perfectly fine! I suggest bring your own hand sanitizer, wet wipes, toilet paper, a lunch, water, winter gear, and a calm attitude. Myself and my senior dog enjoyed every bit of it!

Smow day was a success! First time here at this snow park. We planned ahead and bought parking…read morepermit online as its $10 per vehicle. We got here at 8 am and was perfect, few cars and less people playing. We parked near and had the area to ourself for at least an hour and half till it got busy. Theres plenty of snow and sliding area to enjoy. Theres also a restroom on site, just bring a spray as it gets smelly. Recommendations- go early, bring your own snow slid & enjoy for as long as you want.

My son with special needs and I went to Kingvale and had a great time! The team was very kind and…read morehelpful; especially Will who helped my son with his fear of the magic carpet for the tubing. Will talked with Jake each time he helped Jake all the way up while I took the tubes up. The woman who was at the purchase window was very helpful and friendly. The guy at the parking lot booth was super friendly and cheerful as well! I love that the parking lot is not gigantic so you know you will get the opportunity to sled/tube a lot because it limits the amount of cars. We went the day before the big storm came through (avalanche a few miles away) so I can only imagine how incredible it is when there is abundant fresh powder! I highly recommend Kingvale! It is a great option for families because it's a smaller place but that is just why I loved it. You can pack your lunch and have a great day. It's so convenient to get to, right off the freeway! The pizza place in the parking lot was DELISH! The gas station attendant was super nice and some of the best hot chocolate I have ever had. Fantastic time!!!

We've been coming here for years and LOVE it! The parking attendants were super helpful in helping…read moreus get out of the slush. Everyone is super kind. We'll be back soon!

Mosquitoes will kill you and take your lunch money in seconds. Also an intermediate trail please…read moredon't assume you can do it easily because you used to hike 20 years ago!

Like the other reviewers we just hiked the 1.5 miles to the bridge and back up, would not recommend…read morefor beginners. But the view is worth it!

Some people remember their first bike or their first baseball glove. Me? I remember my first…read morefavorite park. Pioneer Park in Grass Valley will always hold a special place in my heart because it's the very first park I can remember absolutely loving. Back then, it felt enormous. There was green grass, a little creek, baseball games, families everywhere, and after church or a Little League game, it was the place to be. But the real star of the show was that swing. If you grew up in the '70s or '80s, you might remember it. It looked like something the safety inspectors would have a panic attack over today. It had a long bar across the top with swings on each end, and my dad would grab one side and start running. If he got enough speed, the kid on the outside would lift way up into the air. To me, it wasn't a swing it was a helicopter. I swear I thought I was about to take off for Sacramento. I'm pretty sure they quit making those because someone, somewhere, decided children should survive their childhood. Fair enough... but man, they were fun. As I've gotten older, I've realized something funny. Places don't actually shrink... your perspective changes. I went back recently, and Pioneer Park isn't some giant adventureland anymore. It's a beautiful little park tucked into the corner of Grass Valley. There happened to be a concert going on that evening, music filled the air, and for a moment I wasn't thinking about today I was thinking about being a little kid again. A few years ago I even dropped my phone in the creek. I drove away before my car announced, "Phone disconnected." Nothing like fishing for your phone in the same creek where you used to play as a kid. Apparently, some traditions evolve. Looking back, this park means even more to me because of who brought me there. My dad wasn't perfect. We all have complicated relationships with our parents. But when I think about parks, I don't remember my grandparents taking me. I don't remember my mom taking me. I remember my dad. Maybe he just wanted to get out of the house. Maybe he wanted to cool off. Maybe that's how he showed he cared. Whatever the reason, those afternoons became one of the happiest memories of my childhood. That's the funny thing about places. Sometimes they aren't famous because they're the biggest or the fanciest. They're famous because they're where life happened. So thank you, Pioneer Park, for giving a little kid his first taste of adventure, for the "helicopter" swing I'll never forget, and for reminding me that some of the best memories in life don't get bigger with time... they just become more meaningful. Five stars. Not because it's the biggest park I've ever visited, but because it will always be the biggest one in my memories.

Pioneer Park is in the foothill town of Nevada City, CA. It's a beautiful 16 acre park with…read moregorgeous mature trees. There's a baseball field, basketball courts, tennis courts, bocce ball court, horseshoe pits, little league field, playground, green lawn space, picnic area, and bandshell. The walkways are paved and ADA. In addition, the public swimming pool and Lodge are located here. The park hosts summer concerts and special events. The Lodge is a hop skip n jump next door to the pool, playground, and basketball courts. It's an event building available for rent. It has a kitchen, restrooms, tables, chairs, projector, and seating for 120 for dining. There are picnic area throughout the park as well. The areas have tables, BBQs, and some have electrical hookups. These can be reserved via the parks and recreation website. There is a creek that runs through the park that's makes a beautiful trickling sound when the water flow is high. Peaceful vibes. But as in all public spaces, please be cautious and aware of your surroundings.

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.

We came here to hike on the way to Lake Tahoe on Labor Day weekend. Surprisingly there's some…read morestreet parking outside the parking gate. Came with kids and they loved it's it's super easy paved road for just 1/2 mile Don't forget to get your junior badge Also no food indoor but can eat your own food outside at the benches

This is a beautiful park and we had a great location (127) with water at our site and bathrooms…read morejust yards away. But, Hwy 80 is probably less than 200 yards away and there's a train track above the camp. I remember lying in our tent thinking, "what is that noise? It's just constant." No Doppler effect of approaching traffic, just a solid din. Sorry to say we decided to visit the town (beautiful) and enjoy a shop or two (loved Cornerstone Bakery; stop in and grab a few things, as their pastries are superb) and decided to break camp early and enjoy a quiet night sleep. I don't mind clanging pots to keep the bears away, but incessant freeway traffic noise was just miserable. We'll return, but visit another site (there's lots to see here).

Really beautiful park and nice sandy beach access to calm but cold river. Would have liked to have…read moreseen life jacket lending lockers as there were far too many kids going out in the deeper parts and then realizing just how cold the water was compared to the heat on the land. At 106° temps it's easy to forget how quickly hypothermia can hit in the cold rivers. Dog friendly. Lots of grassy areas, covered picnic areas, convenient parking, and beautifully maintained. Chatted with several folks, some locals - some tourists, all were friendly. On of the best (prettiest, well planned) river access public parks I've seen along the Pacific coast states. But seriously - put up some life jacket lending lockers!!) Will definitely make it a point to stop here again when in the area

Visited August 29 2026 in Oroville…read more I haven't been here in almost 3 years. I had my puppy with me and I wanted him to walk around and see the water. Unfortunately there was SO many homeless around...laying on the tables..walking around...etc I only briefly got out of my car and decided it was unsafe to walk around! It was around 10 am (Saturday). It used to be a pretty decent park but the transients have taken over. NO police or security. Unfortunately do not recommend!!

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.

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