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| The Donner Pass / Donner Lake Works its way through the Sierra Nevada Mountains |
To reach California from the East, pioneer emigrants had to get their wagons over the Sierra Nevada mountain range. In 1844 the Stephens-Townsend-Murphy Party followed the Truckee River into the mountains. At the head of what is now called Donner Lake, they found a low notch in the mountains and became the first overland emigrants to use the pass.[2]
The pass was named after a later group of California-bound emigrants. In early November 1846 the Donner Party found the route blocked by snow and was forced to spend the winter on the east side of the mountains. Of the 81 emigrants, only 45 survived to reach California;[3] some of them resorted to cannibalism to survive.[4][5]
On January 13, 1952, another group became stranded about seventeen miles (27 km) west of Donner Pass, on Track #1 adjacent to Tunnel 35 (on Track #2), at about MP 176.5.[6] Southern Pacific Railroad's passenger train City of San Francisco was en route westbound through the gap when a raging blizzard slowed the train to a halt. The passengers and crew were stranded for three days until the nearby highway could be plowed sufficiently for a caravan of automobiles to carry them the few miles to Nyack Lodge.
Now the Pass is I-80 2 to 4 lane highway with 5 to 7% grades but very manageable with good brakes. Tony and I stayed in Truckee California one extra day to hike around the pass and came upon the Pacific Crest Trail which Tony hiked a little on and a bike trail.
Donner Lake from the Pacific Crest Tr
Donner Pass is 7,135
The Pacific Crest runs from Mexico into Canada along the Sierra Nevada Mtns
Tony found this great bike trail
Beautiful woods
Paddling on a board, looked like lots of exercise.
Not very much snow on the mountains
They close the pass in winter, too much snow and too hazardous
We were so excited to find the trail, but let me tell you in some places it is rugged.
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