Donner Memorial State Park

About Us:

Located in the beautiful Sierra Nevada, Donner Memorial State Park offers the summer vacationer opportunities for camping, picnicking, boating, fishing, water-skiing, and hiking. In winter, visitors can cross-country ski and snowshoe on trails and enjoy the season's beauty. Visitors are welcome year-round at the Donner Memorial State Park Visitor Center and at the Pioneer Monument, built to commemorate those who emigrated to California from the east in the mid-1800's. The Visitor Center features compelling new exhibits that tell the stories of the Emigrant Experience, the Donner Party, the Land of the Washoe, Chinese construction of the railroad, and early motoring adventures over Donner Pass.

The park encompasses Schallenberger Ridge to the south of Donner Lake. In and around the park you can see some of the Sierra Nevada's geologic history:

-- The granite that rose within the crust of the earth in enormous bubbles, then cooled and hardened, to be exposed by erosion.
-- The older sedimentary rocks, transformed by temperature and pressure.
-- The Sierra's steep eastern face, created when gigantic upheavals tilted a section of the earth's crust.
-- The glaciers that dominated the area a few thousand years ago have left huge boulders and debris that remained when the ice melted.

RECREATIONAL ACTIVITIES

Fishing—Kokanee salmon and trout are planted periodically. Without docks, anglers fish the lake from its beaches.

Camping—Open from Memorial Day to mid-October, weather permitting. Campsites have tables and fire grates; restrooms and hot showers are nearby. There are no hookups.

Picnicking/Swimming—The picnic area has tables, restrooms, water faucets, a sandy beach, and walking trails nearby.

Visitor Center—Exhibits include Washoe life, the 1840s emigration, the Donner tragedy, the Chinese railroad builders, and early auto travel over the summit. Enhanced audio and captioned videos are available to visitors.

Pioneer Monument—The monument honors those who risked their lives to reach California during the 1840s. Historian Charles McGlashan and the Native Sons of the Golden West raised funds to build the marker on the Breen cabin site in 1901. The monument’s stone base and bronze statue were dedicated on June 6, 1918; three Donner Party survivors attended.

BOATING
Boating
Boat Rentals

OVERNIGHT FACILITIES
Family Campsites
Hike or Bike Campsites
RV Access

TRAIL USE
Hiking Trails

DAY-USE ACTIVITIES & FACILITIES
Historical/Cultural Site
Picnic Areas
Env. Learning/Visitor Center
Exhibits and Programs
Fishing
Guided Tours
Interpretive Exhibits
Beach Area
Swimming
Windsurfing/Surfing
Museums
Family Programs