News

General Conditions

We’ve now reached a summer-like weather pattern at Donner Summit with mostly sunny skies and temperatures in the 60s and 70s.  The Central Sierra Snow Lab in Norden (https://cssl.berkeley.edu/) reports no new snow since May 13; but we have 102% of median snowfall compared to 1991-2020 and 98% of median precipitation.  You can’t get much more “normal” than that.  However, the snow we still have is melting quickly and that’s not a good sign for fire season.  Check web cams at Sugar Bowl (http://www.sugarbowl.com/home) and Donner Ski Ranch (http://webcams.donnerskiranch.com/) for up-to-the-minute views of current conditions.

Sunrise/Sunset: Today’s (May 22) sunrise was at 5:41 AM; sunset will be at 8:15 PM.  Sunrise is drifting earlier by about 6 minutes each week. Sunset is drifting later by about 7 minutes each week. The days continue to get longer — by about 2 minutes each day.  Sunrise turns around (becoming later) in early June, sunset turns around (becoming earlier) in the first week of July.  The two cross over at the summer solstice (June 20), when we have the longest day.  We’re now getting more than 14-1/2 hours of sunshine each day.

Star Gazing: Roughly 20° above the western horizon after sunset (9 PM) you should be able to spot Jupiter, which is now the brightest star-like object in that part of the sky. At the same time, look for Mars; it’s more than halfway from the Gemini twins to Leo (a left-to-right flipped question mark).  The Moon will be new on May 26.  At midnight you should be able to spot the Big Dipper nearly overhead; the pan opens to the northeast and the handle stretches southeast.  If you’re up at 5 AM and have a good view of the eastern horizon, you should be able to spot Venus.

Forecast

Today will be cool (hi/lo temperatures 59°/34°).  Tomorrow will be a couple degrees warmer.  For the Memorial Day weekend expect 67°/40° temperatures Saturday-Sunday, then 59°/38° Monday.  It will be sunny today through Saturday; there will be more clouds Sunday-Monday.  Next week sun returns and by Friday-Saturday (June 6-7) the temperature range will be 79°/49° .  Sunday will be cooler and the first week of June averages out to about 72°/46° with sunny skies.  Only two days in the next 14 have probabilities of precipitation higher than 8%; the most likely (20%) is this Saturday (May 24).

If you want to recreate outdoors at Donner Summit, this holiday weekend (May 24-26) looks pretty good — mid 60s but with some clouds.  Next weekend (June 7-8) is 10° warmer and sunny.

Events

May 23-26 (Friday-Monday): Open tavern and bar and overnight lodging for the public at Rainbow Lodge.  For details, go to    https://www.therainbowlodge.com/events.  Guest rooms may be booked at https://therainbowlodge.client.innroad.com/ 

May 24 (Saturday), 3-5 PM: Join DSA at Rainbow Lodge for a briefing on plans to upgrade Gould Park in Cisco Grove (https://www.donnersummitca.com/project/gould-park-upgrades/).  This is your chance to provide feedback on improvements that will make the park more appealing to both locals and visitors.  Proposed changes include new signs, walking paths, an artists’ corner, and a bike repair station.  Light refreshments will be provided.  If you can’t attend but have suggestions or comments, send e-mail to  admin@donnersummitca.com.  See also Gould_Park_Poster

June 7 (Saturday), 9 AM – Noon: Join DSA for the annual Summit Clean-Up Day.  Wear sturdy footwear; bring gloves and sun protection.  Sign-in at the Soda Springs General Store 9-10 AM; get an area assignment and supplies.  Return to the Store for a free lunch after dropping trash in a local dumpster (provided).  For more info, text 530-448-1837 or see  clean up flyer

June 10 (Tuesday) 6 PM: Stephens-Townsend-Murphy Party, a history talk by Ron Grove at Truckee Tahoe Airport (10356 Truckee Airport Rd., Truckee).  For more info, go to https://museumoftruckeehistory.org/

July 11 (Friday) 6-9 PM: Join the South Yuba River Citizens League for their annual Wild for the Yuba dinner and auction in Nevada City — a benefit for their scholarship program.  For more information and tickets, go to https://yubariver.org/

July 12 and 13 (Saturday and Sunday): Trails and Vistas Art Hikes — A fusion of art experiences and forest immersion.  Guides lead small groups from one performance setting to the next, where award-winning musicians, dancers, poets, and visual artists present their works.  For more information, go to https://www.trailsandvistas.org.

October 4 and 5 (Saturday and Sunday): Donner Party Hikes.  Choose from among 8 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/

Resorts

Donner Ski Ranch has closed for the season — “The snow has gone.”   DSR’s Old 40 Bar and Grill is open daily from 8 AM. Check the DSR web site at https://www.donnerskiranch.com

Sugar Bowl winter operations are closed for the season.  For summer activities, check  https://www.sugarbowl.com

Boreal (the winter mountain) is closed for the season.   Woodward (indoors) is open Monday-Friday 1-8 PM and weekends 10 AM – 8 PM.   There will be a summer outdoor program.  Check https://www.rideboreal.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 is closed for the season.  Check http://www.royalgorge.com/home for more information.

Kingvale Resort (on the south side of I-80 at exit 171) offers tubing, sledding, and a rope tow terrain park. Their web site is http://www.kingvaleresort.com. For snowmobile tours, you can check the web site of their Kingvale partner at https://www.hlatours.com

Avalanche Forecast

The Sierra Avalanche Center issued its final avalanche forecast on April 19.  The forecast advised caution where heavy wet snow overlies weak layers, especially on steeper slopes.  Check the SAC web site (https://www.sierraavalanchecenter.org) for details.

Roads

I-80: 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 — the worst between Kingvale and Soda Springs.  You can get onto “Old 40” at Cisco Grove and drive at a more leisurely pace along Hampshire Rocks Road and Donner Pass Road all the way to Truckee.  Plan ahead by following CalTrans road reports at https://roads.dot.ca.gov.

General: Paved secondary roads around the Summit should be open with no restrictions.  Off-highway vehicle routes (unpaved) will open as snow melts.  Roadside snow along I-80 begins at about 5500 ft elevation.