Donner Memorial State Park

About Donner Memorial State Park

Located in the beautiful Sierra Nevada, the Thunder Memorial State Park offers summer vacationers scenic views of the Pacific Ocean, the Great Smoky Mountains and the Rocky Mountains. In winter, visitors can enjoy snowshoeing on the cross-country ski runs, cross-country skiing, snowmobiling or the beauty of all seasons. Visitors are welcome to the Pioneer Monument, which was erected as a memorial to those who immigrated to California from the East in the mid-19th century.

The Thunder Party, which forced the evacuation of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, causing human suffering and death. The park includes the Thunder Memorial State Park Visitor Center, the Pioneer Monument and the Lake-N-Lake Trail.

The granite, which rises from huge bubbles in the earth's crust, then cools and hardens before being released by erosion. The older sedimentary rocks are altered by temperature and pressure, the younger by heat, erosion and volcanic activity.

The steep eastern face of the Sierra was formed when a gigantic quake toppled part of the earth's crust. The glaciers that dominated the area a few thousand years ago left behind huge boulders and debris left behind by the melting of the ice. Summer temperatures range from -20 degrees Celsius to -20 degrees Celsius, and snow melts at a rate of 1,000 feet per year.

Food, drinks and toiletries must be stored in lockers provided by law, and robust food lockers are available at every campsite. The inside dimensions of the feed cabinet are 1.50 m long, 1.50 m wide and 1.50 m high.

Although the park has no jetty, there is a public ramp on the north side of the lake, operated by the Truckee - Thunder Recreation and Parks District. Donner Memorial State Park offers a number of nature trails along the lake, including 18 discussion forums on natural and cultural resources in the area, and a picnic area.

The lake is open to motor sailors, but no fees are charged, and the park extends from the north side of the lake to the south side, along the shores of Lake Tahoe, north of Truckee.

The lake is planted with trout, and fishing licenses are required, but fishing is spectacular, as the lake has trout and coke.

Many fishermen prefer the park as a base to visit the nearby lakes, but it is also a great place to camp, hike and fish.

The park has 4 km of hiking trails and its grounds in Coldstream Canyon to the south include the primary emigrant trail, which leads to scenic views of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the Sierra Nevada.

About an hour away is the Emigrant Trail Museum in Donner Memorial State Park. Tickets for the "Hiking Trail and Museum of Emigrants" are available for $5 for adults and $3 for children under 18.

It tells the story of people who came to this part of the Sierra, including the early settlers, the pioneers and the first settlers of the Donner Memorial State Park. The museum is sold out, but open on Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sundays from 12 p.m. to 4: 30 p.m.

Hiking tours (1-2 hours) start at the museum for $10, and staff-led hikes on the Thunder Memorial State Park Trail System begin in late June. The nature trail guides, available both at the entrance to the museum and at the campsite, have also started at the museum. The self-guided nature trails are a loop of about one kilometre and last from 10 am to 4 pm.