General Conditions

Weather at Donner Summit is no longer on a roller coaster; we’ve transitioned to a down staircase.  After pleasant conditions (70° daytime/50° overnight) through last weekend, we had overcast with a few sprinkles Monday and Tuesday and a 50°/40° temperature range.  Then there was intermittent light rain until this morning, when the clouds opened and it’s been moderate rain since.  Things will get better for the weekend (see Forecast below).  Expect trails to be wet for the next few days as the precipitation starts sinking in.   The Central Sierra Snow Laboratory (https://cssl.berkeley.edu) has daily, weekly, and monthly conditions on their web site.   Webcams at Sugar Bowl (http://www.sugarbowl.com/home) and Donner Ski Ranch (http://webcams.donnerskiranch.com/) provide up-to-the-minute views of current conditions.

Wildfire: Although it looks pretty wet right now, the seasonal campfire ban remains in effect.  No open fires — including campfires, charcoal grills, etc.  Gas grills are OK.  Truckee Fire rates its fire danger on the Summit as “moderate”; Tahoe National Forest says fire danger is  “low”.   Find more information at https://www.truckeefire.org/fireban    Purpleair AQI is 0-4 around Donner Summit, Lake Tahoe, and western Nevada.

Sunrise/Sunset: Today’s (October 2) sunrise was at 6:58 AM; sunset will be at 6:41 PM.  Sunrise drifted later by 6 minutes compared to a week ago. Sunset has drifted earlier by about 12 minutes. The days continue to get shorter by about 2-1/2 minutes per day with most of the action in the evening.

Star Gazing: The Moon will be full on October 7, meaning evening stargazing will be challenging even in cloud-free areas.  Look for the Big Dipper, visible to the northwest; it rests on the northwestern horizon in the correct position to “hold water” at about 9 PM.  Earlier in the evening, follow the arc of its handle leftward to Arcturus, the only bright star in that part of the sky.  You should be able to see Saturn about 45° above the southern horizon at 10-11 PM; it’s bright but not dazzling.  Being a planet, it does not twinkle.  With a pair of binoculars, you should be able to make out its rings.  The Milky Way is a very diffuse band of light that is close to overhead in the late evening hours.  We’re part of the Milky Way, orbiting its center and about two-thirds of the way toward the edge.  The easiest planet to spot is Venus — very bright at 6 AM and about 15° above the eastern horizon.  Much higher in the eastern sky (and not quite so bright) is Jupiter.

Forecast

High temperatures will remain in the mid-40s today and tomorrow.  Overnight lows will be in the low 30s.  Rain will transition to snow overnight, then back to rain tomorrow before the system moves out.  Expect mid-50s this weekend (October 4-5) with more sun than clouds.  Next week there will be continued clearing; highs by Wednesday will be around 63°.  Next weekend will be cooler (low 50s daytime) and those conditions will continue through most of the following week.  There’s about a 25% chance of precipitation any day during that week.  Cooler, wetter weather should accelerate appearance of fall colors.

Summit Calendar

August 26 – October 15 (approx): Reconstruction of the Van Norden Dam Road near Sheep Pens.  New culverts have been installed and the road is now open.  The Sheep Pens parking area has been moved east.

October 4 and 5 (Saturday and Sunday): Donner Party Hikes.  Choose from among eight Saturday hikes with a guide who provides historical commentary.   Distances range from 2 to 6 miles.  There will be a Sunday tour at Alder Creek and an exploration at Donner Memorial State Park.  For more information and registration, go to https://donnerpartyhike.com/general-information/

October 7 (Tuesday) 5:30-7:00 PM: The Eastern Regional Firewise Coalition presents a panel discussion about insurance with an emphasis on wildfire risks.  In person at Alder Creek Adventure Center or remotely via Zoom (https://us06web.zoom.us/j/84184109569?pwd=DLMOORcHbAbagz0rK6OaeIjVpINUk9.1#success passcode 714300).  For more information, see ERFC Flyer Oct 7

October 11 (Saturday) 10 AM – 12 Noon: Join with neighbors and help DSA improve walking trails in Gould Park, just east of the Cisco Grove bridge on Hampshire Rocks Road.  There’s a free lunch if you register early (at https://www.donnersummitca.com/contact/) and do two hours of work.  For details, see poster

October 11-12 (Saturday and Sunday): Oktoberfest at Rainbow Lodge.  The Lodge and bar are open to the public starting at 3 PM Saturday.  Food service is available 5-9 PM, and Manzanita Music is live 6-9 PM.  For more information, go to https://www.therainbowlodge.com/events

October 12: Last day to request Measure T (free) green waste pickup in areas served by Truckee Fire Protection District.  For more information go to https://www.truckeefire.org/greenwaste

October 16 (Thursday) 5-6 PM: Monthly meeting of the Donner Summit Association Board of Directors at Sugar Bowl.  An agenda will be posted here as the meeting approaches.  One of the discussion topics will be the economic status and future of Donner Summit.

Resorts

Boreal/Woodward (indoors) is open Wednesday-Friday 1-8 PM and weekends 10 AM – 8 PM.   The Castle Peak chair and MTB trails are now closed for the season.  Check https://www.rideboreal.com for details

Sugar Bowl Summer activities have ended; for new activities check  https://www.sugarbowl.com.  Sugar Bowl is making major upgrades to its main lodge.  For a 3-minute video about the project, go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zL7imGrXCt0

Donner Ski Ranch is closed for the season; but Disk Golf is open.   DSR’s Old 40 Bar and Grill is open daily 8 AM – 9 PM. Check the DSR web site at https://www.donnerskiranch.com

Auburn Ski Club is closed for the season. Check their web site — https://www.asctrainingcenter.org — for more information.

Soda Springs Mountain Resort is closed for the season.  For more information, visit https://www.skisodasprings.com/

Royal Gorge Royal Gorge is ow waiting for snow.  Watch https://www.royalgorge.com/home for the latest information.

Kingvale Resort (on the south side of I-80 at exit 171) is closed for the season.

For those heavily into speculation, three resorts (none on Donner Summit) have announced target opening dates for the winter season (https://epaper.sierrasun.com/html5/reader/production/default.aspx?pubname=&pubid=3ee86800-0b96-47c1-92da-da9138ad31aa): Heavenly November 21, Northstar November 21, and Kirkwood December 5.  Announcements include wording such as “based on weather and conditions”.

Other Activities

If you’re looking for things to do in the foothills and mountains, Nevada County has some suggestions.  These are spread more broadly but some specifically include the Summit area.  Some link to other parts of this web site.

https://gonevadacounty.com/ways-to-beat-heat-that-arent-swimming/ (like ice cream)

Roads

I-80: Watch for snow in the highway in the early morning hours of October 3 and 4.  Otherwise the forecast is generally favorable for the next two weeks, but be alert to construction and lane closures.  There are at least three possible choke points eastbound — Crystal Springs to Drum Forebay, at the I-80/CA20 split, and between Rainbow Road and Soda Springs.  You can avoid the third by exiting at Cisco Grove and driving at a more leisurely pace on Hampshire Rocks Road, which parallels the freeway on the north side.   Continue across I-80 on Donner Pass Road, then go all the way to Donner Lake and Truckee.  Note that several ramps between Gold Run and Donner Summit are closed while being reconstructed.  Plan ahead by following CalTrans road reports at https://roads.dot.ca.gov.

General: Paved secondary roads around the Summit should be open but be prepared for repair work and occasional delays.    Off-highway vehicle routes (unpaved) are mostly open, but watch for pot holes, rocks, ruts, and (with the new rain) slippery spots.  Forest Road 85 north from Cisco Grove is closed (for several years) while the Lake Fordyce Dam Seepage Mitigation Project is completed.