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Donner Lake
Donner Lake as seen from McGlashan Point
Donner LakeShow map of CaliforniaDonner LakeShow map of the United States
Location	Truckee, California, United States
Coordinates	39°19′22″N 120°15′52″W / 39.32278°N 120.26444°W / 39.32278; -120.26444
Type	moraine-dammed lake
Primary inflows	Summit Creek, Gregory Creek, and many springs
Primary outflows	Donner Creek to Truckee River
Basin countries	United States
Max. length	2.7 mi (4.38 km)
Max. width	0.6 mi (1.0 km)
Surface area	1.31 sq mi (3.40 km)
Max. depth	238 ft (72.1 m)
Surface elevation	5936 ft (1809 m)
Settlements	Truckee

Donner Lake, formerly known as Truckee Lake, is a freshwater lake in Northeast California on the eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada and about 20 miles (32 km) northwest of the much larger Lake Tahoe. A moraine serves as a natural dam for the lake. The lake is located in the town of Truckee, between Interstate 80 to the north and Schallenberger Ridge to the south. The tracks of the Union Pacific Railroad run along Schallenberger Ridge and closely follow the route of the original transcontinental railroad. The historic route of the Lincoln Highway, the first automobile road across America and US 40 follows the northern shoreline, then climbs to Donner Pass from where the entire lake may be viewed.

History of the name of the lake

The lake was called Datsa’ shut by the Washoe people. In 1844, the Stephens-Townsend-Murphy party was the first wagon train to successfully cross the Sierra Nevada mountains. Before them, in January 1844, John C. Frémont and Kit Carson found the river, which Frémont named as Salmon-Trout River for the fish in it. They enjoyed the company of the Paiutes in the area, as did later pioneers seeking to cross at this pass.

The wagon train group named it Truckee Lake, from the help given them by a Paiute Chief; they understood him to be calling the river and lake by the word Truckee. They left six wagons at the lake. They took five other wagons across the pass into the Central Valley on November 25, 1844.

Both the lake and the pass were named after the ill-fated Donner Party, which wintered involuntarily near the lake in 1846.

Donner Memorial State Park was established in 1928; it is not clear when the name of the lake was changed from Truckee to Donner. The state park is on the east end of the lake and provides campsites with access to several different beaches. There are also hiking trails in the park.

Fishing

The lake's depth has been measured by the California State Lands Commission to be 238 feet (73 m) deep at its deepest point. High water level is 5,935.8 feet (1,809.2 m) above Mean Sea Level.

Donner Lake holds some of the biggest lake trout in the state. There is also a good population of rainbow and brown trout as well as Kokanee salmon. Fisherman use downriggers and troll with plugs for Kokanee salmon and rainbow trout in order to catch the trophy-sized lake trout. During the spring and fall lake trout come to the top to feed, and these are the only times of year one has the chance to hook a laker in shallow water.

A public boat ramp operated by the Truckee Donner Recreation & Parks District is available in the northwest corner of Donner Lake. A fee is charged for boat launching. The lake is open to both powerboats and sailboats.

The California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) has developed an advisory for Donner Lake based on mercury and PCBs found in fish caught from this water body. The advisory provides safe eating advice for fish species caught in the body of water.

Recreation

Donner Memorial State Park wraps around the East and part of the South shore of the Lake, encompassing Scallenberger Ridge to the south. Summer activities include: camping, picnicking, boating, fishing, water-skiing, wind-surfing, hiking, and mountain biking. Winter activities include cross-country skiing and snowshoeing. The Park features the Pioneer Monument - welcoming visitors year round - which was built to commemorate the Donner Party traveling to California from the east in the mid-19th century. The statue itself is positioned 23 feet (7.0 m) high, which is said to be the depth snow reached during the winter of 1846 when the Donner Party failed to make it over the pass.

The North shore of the Lake hosts 1.5 miles (2.4 km) of public docks for both swimmers and boaters. The Donner Lake Triathlon is held every year, which consists of the Sprint Triathlon: .25 miles (400 m) swim, 6 miles (9.7 km) bike, 2 miles (3.2 km) run and the International Triathlon: 1.5 kilometers (0.93 mi), 40 kilometers (25 mi), 6.5 miles (10.5 km) run.

Hiking

There are roughly 2.5 miles (4.0 km) of hiking trails inside the Park. Visitors can legally park in Coldstream Canyon (just past the 76 gas station) which contains the alignment of the primary Emigrant Trail, which leads up to U.S. Forest Service and the Pacific Crest trails beyond the park. Donner Lake is roughly 8 miles (13 km) around.

Camping

There are 154 sites to camp at in the park and a day-use area along the lake. A lakeside interpretive trail has 18 panels which discuss the natural and cultural resources in the local area.

See also

• List of dams and reservoirs in California
• List of lakes in California

References

1. ^ White, Charles. "Once around Donner Lake". Lake Tahoe On Line. Archived from the original on January 17, 2008. Retrieved December 9, 2007.
2. ^ "Donner Memorial State Park" (PDF). California State Parks. 2017 . Retrieved May 1, 2024.
3. Frémont, John Charles (1847). Narrative of the exploring expedition to the Rocky mountains: in the year 1842, and to Oregon and north California in the years 1843–44. Hall & Dickson. p. 309. Retrieved May 1, 2024. stream which we naturally called salmon trout river.
4. ^ "Truckee River Chronology". State of Nevada Division of Water Resources. Archived from the original on May 27, 2010. Retrieved May 1, 2024.
5. "Sierra Anglers Fishing: Donner Lake". Sierra Anglers Guide Service. Archived from the original on 2009-05-16.
6. Admin, OEHHA (2014-12-30). "Donner Lake". OEHHA. Retrieved 2018-06-12.

External links

• Media related to Donner Lake at Wikimedia Commons
• Trailspotting: Donner Memorial State Park Trail Hike description & photos
• California State Parks:Donner Lake
• Views of Donner Lake, California. Photographed by R.J. Waters and Co., ca. 1915, The Bancroft Library
• Change of Pace
• Pipeline spill of diesel fuel into Donner Lake settlement

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Mountains	Peaks >14,000 ft Whitney Williamson North Palisade Sill Russell Split Langley Tyndall Muir Middle Palisade Northern peaks Lola Castle Granite Chief Rose Tallac Pyramid Freel Central peaks Red Lake Round Top Mokelumne Sonora Leavitt Dana Lyell Banner Ritter Mammoth Southern peaks Humphreys Tom Bear Creek Spire Darwin Agassiz Kaweah Brewer Olancha Kern Double Climbing Peak list First ascents
Passes	Fredonyer Beckwourth Yuba Donner Mt. Rose Spooner Echo Carson Monitor Ebbetts Sonora Tioga Minaret Kaweah Sherman Tehachapi
Rivers	Feather Yuba Bear American Mokelumne Cosumnes Calaveras Stanislaus Tuolumne Merced Chowchilla Fresno San Joaquin Kings Kaweah Tule Kern Truckee Carson Walker Owens
Lakes	Tahoe Aloha Echo Fallen Leaf Spooner Mono Almanor Oroville Isabella Donner Independence Shaver Huntington Florence Edison Wishon Courtright Tenaya Mammoth Bass Crowley Convict Hell for Sure
Protected areas	National parks and monuments Kings Canyon Sequoia Yosemite Devils Postpile Giant Sequoia National forests Eldorado Humboldt–Toiyabe Inyo Lake Tahoe Basin Lassen Plumas Sequoia Sierra Stanislaus Tahoe Wilderness areas Ansel Adams Bright Star Bucks Lake Carson–Iceberg Chimney Peak Dinkey Lakes Domeland Emigrant Golden Trout Hoover Ishi Jennie Lakes John Krebs John Muir Kaiser Kiavah Mokelumne Monarch Mount Rose Owens Peak Owens River Headwaters Sacatar Trail Sequoia-Kings Canyon Yosemite State parks Burton Creek Calaveras Big Trees D. L. Bliss Donner Memorial Ed Z'berg Sugar Pine Point Emerald Bay Grover Hot Springs Lake Tahoe Nevada Plumas-Eureka South Yuba River Van Sickle
Communities	Angels Camp Auburn Bridgeport Chester Colfax Grass Valley Incline Village Jackson Kernville Loyalton Mammoth Lakes Mariposa Markleeville Nevada City Oakhurst Paradise Placerville Portola Quincy San Andreas Sonora South Lake Tahoe Susanville Sutter Creek Tahoe City Tehachapi Truckee
Ski areas	Alpine Meadows Badger Pass Bear Valley Boreal China Peak Dodge Ridge Donner Ski Ranch Heavenly Homewood June Mountain Kirkwood Mammoth Mountain Northstar Sierra at Tahoe Palisades Tahoe Sugar Bowl Tahoe Donner
Trails	High Sierra Trail John Muir Trail Pacific Crest Trail Sierra High Route

• Donner Party
• Lakes of California
• Lakes of Nevada County, California
• Tourist attractions in Nevada County, California
• Lakes of Northern California
• Stephens–Townsend–Murphy Party