General Conditions

Spring continues at Donner Summit.  Daytime high temperatures were around 65° a week ago; they dipped to 47° last Sunday, but are back to 65° again.  Overnight lows were 40° a week ago, dipped to 30° Monday morning, and are back to 40°.  There are still patches of snow in shaded areas at 7000 ft, but most of the ground is clear. The Central Sierra Snow Lab (https://cssl.berkeley.edu/) reports no precipitation in the past week.  South Yuba River flow has peaked but is still respectable.  Trails have wet spots.  Mosquitoes are out when temperatures are above 45°; but they aren’t bad yet.

All ski resorts at Donner Summit have closed for the season.  The nearest operating lifts are at Palisades Tahoe where they are targeting Sunday, May 24, for closing; hours are 8 AM to 2 PM. Webcams at Sugar Bowl (http://www.sugarbowl.com/home), Donner Ski Ranch (http://webcams.donnerskiranch.com/), and Boreal (https://www.rideboreal.com/explore/webcams/boreal-mountain-cam/) provide views of current conditions on Donner Summit.

Sunrise/Sunset: Today’s (May 21) sunrise was at 5:42 AM; sunset will be at 8:13 PM.  Sunrise is 6 minutes earlier than last week and sunset is 6 minutes later, so the days continue to get longer by about 2 minutes per day.  We now have more than 14-1/2 hours of daylight.  We won’t quite get to 15 hours on the summer solstice (June 21); then the days start getting shorter.

Star Gazing: The Moon was new on May 16; it’s now a waxing crescent in the evening sky between the constellations Gemini and Leo.  It has moved east of Jupiter, the brightest star-like object in the sky at 10 PM.  Venus is brighter, but it sets around 9:30 PM.  The Big Dipper is almost overhead at 10 PM.  Follow the arc of its handle to Arcturus, the brightest real star in the sky overhead.

Other News: Summit Soups (21719 Donner Pass Road, Soda Springs; same building as the post office) continues to serve soups made from scratch.  They are also selling take-away deli items.  Hours are 1:30-6:30 Thursday and 2-7:30 Friday-Sunday.  A new flashing “OPEN” sign can be seen from the street.

Forecast

Daytime highs will be in the mid to upper 60s through the coming Memorial Day weekend, then tumble to 47° next Wednesday (May 27) before climbing back to the upper 60s for the following weekend.  Overnight lows will be in the upper 30s through this weekend, dip to around 30° next Tuesday-Wednesday, then climb back to low 40s in two weeks.  Skies will be mostly sunny for the next two weeks, but more clouds are expected tomorrow (Friday), early next week, and on Wednesday-Thursday in two weeks.  Days with more clouds have higher probability of precipitation; but no day in the next two weeks has a probability higher than 24%.

Summit Calendar

May 21 (Thursday) 5-6 PM:  The May meeting of the DSA Board of Directors at Soda Springs Mountain Resort.   Find an agenda at https://www.donnersummitca.com/dsa-meetings-info/.  Directions to the meeting are included.

May 21 (Thursday) 6:30-7:30 PM: Hybrid public informational meeting on the proposed cannabis dispensary in the Soda Springs area.  The in-person meeting will be at Soda Springs Mountain Resort.  The URL for a Zoom connection is https://us06web.zoom.us/j/83746303241?pwd=lWNPxweAViObXUGMDNF5rZ7LgLWcxB.1   The meeting ID is 837 4630 3241; the passcode is 676065.  For more details on the meeting, check poster_260424b.  For a summary of basic information on this topic, see Dispensary_FAQ_v1.

May 23 (Saturday) Noon – 3 PM: Grab your skateboard, scooter, or bike and head for Boreal/Woodward for The Sierra Meltdown. Be part of the first outdoor skatepark session of 2026 to celebrate with the community and for a chance to win some awesome prizes.  Outdoor park is open until 8 PM.  Details at https://www.rideboreal.com/explore/community/all-events/sierra-meltdown-26/

May 24 (Sunday) 10 AM – 2 PM: Art Faire at the Soda Springs General Store.  All kinds of art.

May 27 (Wednesday) 3-4 PM: Join Truckee Fire for a Defensible Space Work Plan virtual webinar.  It will cover the neighborhood inspection schedule which cycles through Truckee Fire’s jurisdiction every three years (will your neighborhood be inspected in 2026?).  Also covered will be defensible space and home hardening techniques and resources available to homeowners for reducing fire risk.  Register at https://events.gcc.teams.microsoft.com/event/f5840f90-f49c-4d8f-95d9-87e9dce05eaf@a4a55da3-2597-4512-811d-dc8ff72e5720

June 6 (Saturday) 9 AM – Noon: Join with Summit neighbors in trash pickup along Donner Pass Road.  Lunch at the Soda Springs General Store for volunteers.  For more details, click here clean_up_flyer_2026.  Advance signup at https://forms.gle/KskLc7f4MAxrEmtk8 will help us in planning; but walkups are welcome.

July 20-24 (Monday-Friday): Headwaters Science Institute “Water Week” day camp based out of Serene Lakes.  Aimed at kids ages 5-12 (or counselors-in-training, ages 13-15).  There is a second camp (July 27-30) on plants and wildflowers and a third (August 3-7) on animals and insects.  For more information, go to https://headwatersscienceinstitute.org/science-camp/summer-camps/

August 1-2 (Saturday-Sunday): Ragnar-Tahoe (the trail running team race) returns to Sugar Bowl.  Limited information is available at https://trailrunner.com/event/ragnar-trail-tahoe/

Resorts

Boreal/Woodward: Boreal (the Mountain) is closed for winter activities; but Woodward Tahoe (indoor and outdoor) is just getting started.  Open daily 1-8 PM, Saturdays and Sundays 10 AM – 8 PM.  Summer camps start June 8 (https://www.rideboreal.com/summer-camp/camp-overview/overview/).  Check https://www.rideboreal.com/explore/community/all-events/  for special events.

Sugar Bowl (the Mountain) is closed for the season. The Sugar Bowl Kids Summer Day Camp offers a mix of outdoor recreation, skill development, and hands-on discovery.  Camps are tailored for kids ages 4-7 and ages 8-17.  They run Monday-Friday 8:30 AM – 4:30 PM during four weeks in July.  For more information and registration go to https://www.sugarbowl.com/summer-camp?utm_term=5.20.26&utm_medium=email&utm_source=email&utm_campaign=summer&spMailingID=51760789&spUserID=MTMyMDEyNzA0NDQwMQS2&spJobID=3181793507&spReportId=MzE4MTc5MzUwNwS2

Donner Ski Ranch (the Mountain) is closed for the season.  DSR’s Old 40 Bar and Grill remains open 7 days a week.  DSR also offers beds, showers, and laundry to PCT thru-hikers.  Thru-hikers 21 years and older can claim a 40 oz beer.  Check the DSR web site at https://www.donnerskiranch.com for more information.

Soda Springs Mountain Resort is closed for the season.  Watch  https://www.skisodasprings.com/ for news.

Royal Gorge is closed for the season.  Tapas Friday and Saturday starts in late June.   Check https://www.royalgorge.com/home for updates.

ASC Training Center (formerly Auburn Ski Club) specializes in training for competition and sponsors events.  The ASC Training Center is closed for the season.  Check their web site — https://www.asctrainingcenter.org — for more information.

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

Avalanche Report

The Sierra Avalanche Center has posted general comments on avalanches on its website  https://www.sierraavalanchecenter.org/

Roads

I-80: The freeway is open and in good condition, but there are occasional lane restrictions and ramp closures for construction.  Plan ahead by following CalTrans reports at https://roads.dot.ca.gov.  Check I-80 webcams at https://caltranscameras.app/cameras/route/I-80

General: Paved secondary roads around the Summit should be in good condition.  Off Highway Vehicle roads will be challenging as snow melts and muddy sections dry.  Rattlesnake Canyon Road (FR85) north from Cisco Grove was closed for four years starting in 2024 for construction at Fordyce Dam.