Donner Memorial State Park

Facilities and Activities
Though the park is named for the Donner Party, it is dedicated to all the hearty souls who took part in the Westward Migration movement of the late 19th century. The park features the Emigrant Trail Museum, which is open year ‘round and includes exhibits about both human and natural history of this area, as well as the Monument to the hearty pioneers of the Westward Migration.

In the busy summertime, the park's campground is bustling with families. We offer programs such as Junior Rangers, nature hikes and history hikes, and the ever-popular campfire programs at our newly refurbished campfire center. For a program schedule, click here.

The parks' day use and picnic area are excellent starting points for day hikes. The park has about two and a half miles of hiking trails, and there are excellent trail opportunities in the neighboring Tahoe National Forest. Hiking information is available at the trail museum.

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Pine and fir forests
The forest surrounding Donner Memorial State park is made up primarily of lodgepole pine, Jeffrey pine and white fir. Because we're at nearly 6,000 feet in elevation, there is no poison oak. You may see deer, squirrels, chipmunks, porcupines, raccoons, beavers and a wide variety of birds while visiting us.

In and near the park are fascinating traces of the geologic process that shaped this portion of the Sierra Nevada. Rounded, smooth-surfaced rock outcrops are the result of giant bubbles of molten rock that cooled and hardened as they rose up into the earth's surface (called "granitic intrusions). More recently, erosion has exposed that granite bedrock. The Sierra's steep eastern face, which was such a formidable barrier for the Donner Party and other California immigrants, was formed over the last few million years by the tilting up of a gigantic section of the earth's crust. The huge granite block tipped up dramatically on the east and tipped down on the west to disappear beneath the accumulated sediments that form the Sacramento Valley. Throughout much of the last million years, glaciers dominated the crest of the Sierra Nevada. One of them carved out the Truckee Basin, where the park is located, depositing gravel and some huge boulders in what is now a thickly forested area. When the glacier retreated, it left behind a terminal moraine of loose soil and gravel that blocked the creek channel and resulted in the formation of Donner Lake.

Donner Lake
The park has more than three miles of frontage on Donner Lake and Donner Creek. Fishing is not spectacular, though the lake is planted periodically with catchable trout, and both trout and kokanee are sometimes caught. A valid sport fishing license is required. Many fishermen use the park as a base to visit nearby lakes. Although there is no boat launching ramp in the park, a public ramp is available in the northwest corner of Donner Lake. The lake is open to both power and sail boats.

Donner Day Use and Picnic Area
The picnic area is located near the lake and includes picnic tables, restrooms and piped drinking water. A sandy beach and walking trails are nearby. An easy, one-mile lakeside interpretive trail starts in the lagoon portion of the day-use area and continues along the lake.

Emigrant Trail Museum
The Emigrant Trail Museum was completed in 1962, after 15 years of effort by local citizens, park staff and legislators. Open all year, the museum includes exhibits about the natural history of the Truckee Basin, local Native American life, the overland immigration of the 1840s, the Donner tragedy, construction of the transcontinental railroad, lumbering and ice harvesting. The museum store featues books on the Donner Party and Emigrant Trail, local natural history and recreation and related items. A gentle, self-guided nature trail starts near the museum and makes a loop through the forest. Printed trail guides are available at the museum and entrance station.

The Pioneer Monument
The Pioneer Monument, located near the museum, was erected in honor of all who made the difficult trek across the western plains and mountains to reach California during the 1840s. Work on the monument began at Donner Lake in 1901, when the Native Sons of the Golden West purchased the site and constructed the stone base on which the bronze statue stands today. The monument was completed and officially dedicated June 6, 1918, on the site of the Breen Cabin, one of the structures used by members of the Donner Party during the winter of 1846-1847. About 200 yards south of the museum is the site of the Murphy Cabin, where 16 members of the Murphy, Foster and Eddy families spent the winter of 1847-47. Built in November of 1846, the cabin was approximately 25 feet long and 18 feet wide, and was cold and damp, with an earthen floor. A large rock formed the west end of the cabin.

A gentle, self-guided nature trail starts near the museum and makes a loop through the forest. Printed trail guides are available at the museum and entrance station. An easy, one-mile lakeside interpretive trail starts in the lagoon portion of the day-use area and continues along the lake.

WELCOME TO DONNER MEMORIAL STATE PARK!