News

General Conditions

Cool, overcast weather a week ago has given way to warmer, sunny skies with temperatures reaching the mid-70s.  Fall color has begun to appear in some aspen groves where cold air collects overnight; but we need overnight freezing temperatures for color to develop fully.  The Central Sierra Snow Lab web site (https://cssl.berkeley.edu/) has details, but CSSL is recalibrating instrumentation so some data streams may be temporarily unavailable.

Purple Air AQI around the Summit this morning is 5-20 (good air quality).  There are no active fires near Donner Summit.  USFS rates fire danger in the Truckee Ranger District as “high”; Truckee Fire rates the fire danger as “very high”.

Sunrise/Sunset: Today’s (October) sunrise was at 6:57 AM, about 6 minutes later than a week ago.  Sunset will be at 6:43 PM, about 12 minutes earlier than last week.  The days are getting shorter — by about 2-1/2 minutes each day; this combined rate will continue into mid-October.

Star Gazing: The “Harvest” Moon was full last Saturday, so evening stargazing will be good for the next couple weeks.  The waning Moon is rising several hours after sunset.  Venus is the bright star-like object just above the western horizon half an hour after sunset.  Saturn is at opposition on October 4 meaning it is at its brightest and is south of overhead at about midnight. Saturn is brighter than most stars, but it doesn’t compare with Venus, Mars, or Jupiter at their brightest.  With a pair of good binoculars, you may be able to see Saturn’s rings.  As for stars, Cassiopeia looks like a “W” rotated about 90° above the northeastern horizon; the Big Dipper is low to the northwest and oriented just about right to hold water at 10 PM.

Forecast

Conditions on Donner Summit will be unseasonably warm and dry for the next 10 days.  The temperature extremes (high/low) on Saturday are forecast to be 78°/45° and they will hold in that vicinity until the following weekend when they will drop to 69°/42°.  The highest probability for measurable precipitation in the next two weeks is 8% on October 14; on most days the probability is 0%.

Summit News (date unspecific)

Truckee Fire Fuel Reduction: Tree thinning and removal has begun along Hampshire Rocks/Donner Pass Road between Cisco Grove and Kingvale. The goal is to improve emergency access and egress along these key roadways.

Donner Lake Rim Trail (South): The Truckee Donner Land Trust has completed 4 of a planned 15 miles of non-motorized trail on the south side of Donner Lake.  The newly completed section lies along Schallengberger Ridge.  For more information, visit https://www.truckeedonnerlandtrust.org/news-events/donner-lake-rim-trail-south-2026-update

Forestry Work in Serene Lakes: A forest health and wildfire resilience project is in progress west of Hillside in Serene Lakes.  The Big Ben Trail and its feeders will be closed for about a month.  An earlier project  — north of Cascade, Pahatsi, and Kidd Lake Road and west of Soda Springs Road — is nearing completion.  For a map and more information on this second project, go to https://www.truckeedonnerlandtrust.org/news-events/royal-gorge-forestry-closure

DSA is Looking for an Administrative Assistant: This person would support the Donner Summit Association Board of Directors in day-to-day operations.  Expected average work load is 10 hours per month.  Pay is $25-40 per hour depending on experience and skills.  For more information see 260725a_duties

Nevada County Calendar: Look for community events throughout Nevada County on their calendar at https://gonevadacounty.com/community-calendar/

Placer County General Plan Update: The General Plan covers many important topics, including where housing and businesses get built, how we travel around Placer County, protecting the natural environment, and providing parks and community services.  Half of Donner Summit is in Placer County.  Watch this space for more information on update activities and/or visit https://www.placer.ca.gov/10433/General-Plan-2050

Fire Safety: Fire danger on Donner Summit is currently rated as “high” to “very high”.  Residential burn permits, required since May 1, have been suspended throughout the Truckee Fire region.  Outdoor charcoal and wood fires — e.g., barbecues — are prohibited (gas only).   See https://www.truckeefire.org for more.

Defensible Space: A recording of a very informative Truckee Fire webinar on fire safety and defensible space is available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=COz0xBZ74FY&t=535s.  It runs about 51 minutes.  At least two other relevant videos — the documentary Standing Dead and a recording of a Steve Hawks (Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety) Zoom presentation — are available through the Eastern Regional Firewise Coalition web site at https://www.erfwc.org/.  You may need the passcode #2sK1jKw to view the Hawks recording.

Fire Inspections: With one exception, Donner Summit is scheduled for defensible space inspections by Truckee Fire this summer/fall.  The exception is Serene Lakes, which was inspected in 2024 and will be re-inspected in 2027.

Summit Calendar

October 6 (Tuesday) 8:30 AM – 12:30 PM: Join the Truckee Donner Land Trust for a 3.3 mile hike in Johnson Canyon.  Details are at https://give.tdlandtrust.org/event/johnson-canyon-hike-2026-10-06/e796909

**NEW** October 6 (Tuesday) 12 Noon: Truckee Fire is hosting a virtual panel discussion on home insurance options (including alternatives to California’s FAIR plan).  For more information and registration go to https://uphelp.org/events/oct6-r2p-ca/

**UPDATE** October 6 (Tuesday) 9:30 AM – ??: Nevada County’s Board of Supervisors will discuss selection criteria for a cannabis dispensary in the Soda Springs area during their meeting in Truckee. The agenda for the Board of Supervisors meeting is now available at agenda. Note that the cannabis discussion is in the afternoon session, which begins at 1 PM.  See page 6 of the agenda for public participation options.

See RFA Community and Stakeholder Letter for additional details.  The draft RFA for dispensary applicants is at https://www.nevadacountyca.gov/3905/Commercial-Cannabis-Dispensary-Applicati#docaccess-bbeff2aadd2f0d4c29aabb0d69227a76.  Click on “Draft: Request for Application Submittal” to see the proposal to be discussed by the Supervisors.  The most recent update from the Cannabis Compliance Department is at 260926_update.

October 11 (Sunday): Last day to request free curbside green waste pickup through Truckee Fire.  Details at https://www.truckeefire.org/greenwaste?ss_source=sscampaigns&ss_campaign_id=6a876cb10ed803148c74297a&ss_email_id=6a8c766ba7f16a1d9f68a273&ss_campaign_name=Emergency+Alerts%2C+Green-waste%2C+Firewise+Office+hours&ss_campaign_sent_date=2026-08-24T16%3A51%3A05Z

October 17 (Saturday): Oktoberfest at Rainbow Lodge.  Details at https://www.therainbowlodge.com/events

October 31 – November 1 (Saturday-Sunday, 10 AM – 4 PM): Tube or Treat at Sugar Bowl’s Sugar Rush.  Tubing, live DJ, trick-or-treating, cocktails, and a costume contest.  For more information, go to https://www.sugarbowl.com/tubing?utm_term=9.18.26&utm_medium=email&utm_source=email&utm_campaign=halloween&spMailingID=51945476&spUserID=MTMyMDEyNzA0NDQwMQS2&spJobID=3262326178&spReportId=MzI2MjMyNjE3OAS2

Resorts

Boreal/Woodward: Woodward Tahoe (indoor and outdoor) is open daily 1-8 PM, Saturdays and Sundays 10 AM – 8 PM.  Check https://www.rideboreal.com/explore/community/all-events/  for special events.

Sugar Bowl: Summer activities have been limited while the new gondola is being installed.  It’s Sugar Bowl’s fourth gondola.  For a gondola history see https://www.sugarbowl.com/gondola-history.  Tube-or-Treat on October 31 – November 1.  Winter opening day November 27 (conditions permitting) has been announced.  For other news go to https://www.sugarbowl.com/home

Donner Ski Ranch: DSR’s Old 40 Bar and Grill remains open 7 days a week.  DSR offers beds, showers, and laundry to PCT thru-hikers and disc golf to anyone interested.  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.  The resort is planning a Royal Gorge XC Ski Team for winter 2026-27; for more information, see https://www.sugarbowl.com/nordic-team.  Check https://www.royalgorge.com/home for other 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 about avalanches on its website  https://www.sierraavalanchecenter.org/

A short report on the February 17 Perry Peak avalanche near Frog Lake has been posted at https://www.sierraavalanchecenter.org/observations/#/view/avalanches/83ba330a-5eb4-446e-95b0-495c26faf06b.  It points to a more in-depth report on avalanche.org.

Roads

I-80: The freeway is open and in good condition, but there are lane restrictions and ramp closures (both day and night, both east and west) that cause backups between Colfax and Truckee.  The Hwy 20 eastbound merge with I-80 eastbound is closed on some (but not all) weekdays; details can be found at https://yubanet.com/regional/next-eastbound-hwy-20-closure-scheduled-in-nevada-county/.  Other restrictions are relaxed on weekends but not completely gone.  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.  Rattlesnake Canyon Road (FR85) north from Cisco Grove was closed for four years starting in 2024 for construction at Fordyce Dam.