General Conditions

Weather has been pretty good at Donner Summit for the past week, though the Central Sierra Snow Laboratory (https://cssl.berkeley.edu) reports 2 inches of snow about a week ago.   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.  The ground at 7000 ft is mostly bare and has been drying out after two stormy periods in the past month.

Wildfire: 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 as “low”; Tahoe National Forest says fire danger is also  “low”.   Find more information at https://www.truckeefire.org/fireban    Purpleair AQI is in single digits around Donner Summit.

Sunrise/Sunset: Today’s (October 30) sunrise was at 7:27 AM; sunset will be at 6:02 PM.  Sunrise drifted later by 8 minutes compared to a week ago. Sunset has drifted earlier by about 8 minutes. The days continue to get shorter by about 2 minutes per day.

Star Gazing: The Moon is at first quarter, making star gazing more difficult in the evening.  But look for Orion, rising in the southeast around 11 PM.  If you want to see planets, your best bet is an hour before sunrise when Jupiter is close to overhead and Venus is very low on the eastern horizon.  They are both very bright.

Forecast

Pleasant fall weather will continue through this weekend with high temperatures in the low 60s and overnight lows just above freezing.  Temperatures will drop next week and clouds will move in.  There’s a 72% chance of rain on Wednesday when the daytime high will be only 42°.  When the rain moves out, temperatures will bounce back but only to the low 50s.  Expect the following weekend (November 8-9) to have highs around 51° and overnight lows around 30°; skies will be partly cloudy.  Those conditions will extend through most of the following week.

Summit Calendar

November 1 (Saturday) 11 AM – 4 PM: The 42nd Annual Ski and Snowboard Swap at the Steve Randall Community Recreation Center in Truckee.  Pros from local ski shops will be present to answer questions; there will be a silent auction and prizes such as season passes and lift tickets.  Entry is free, but bring a credit or debit card for transactions (no cash).  For more info, go to https://www.tdrpd.org/221/Truckee-Ski-Swap

November 8 (Saturday) 9 SAM – 2 PM: The Annual Cross-Country and Backcountry Ski Swap will be at Tahoe XC in Tahoe City. Entry is $5 for adults and free for kids.  Entry fees and commissions from sales support youth programs of the Tahoe Cross Country Ski Education Association.  For more info, go to https://tahoexc.org/event/ski-swap/

November 15 (Saturday) 12 noon: Applications for the Second Annual Snow Science School (January 14-16) are due.  For more information, go to https://www.csslsnowschool.com/

November 19 (Wednesday) 6 PM: The second of four avalanche awareness sessions sponsored by Tahoe Mountain Sports will be at Alibi Truckee.  This one is “Where/When to go”.  Following sessions are scheduled for December 17 and January 21 on “Rescue” and “Partnering Up”, respectively.  For more information, go to https://tahoemountainsports.com/blogs/events

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 closed for the season.  Check https://www.rideboreal.com for details

Sugar Bowl has no winter activities planned yet; check  https://www.sugarbowl.com for updates.  Season pass prices go up on November 1.  There has been a major overhaul of the main lodge and dining room … but not open yet.

Donner Ski Ranch has Disk Golf 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 is 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.

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 and ice on the highway when weather is bad (November 5).  Otherwise the forecast is generally favorable for the next two weeks.  Be alert to construction and lane closures — especially Monday-Friday.  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, snow, and slippery spots.  Forest Road 85 north from Cisco Grove is closed (for several years) while the Lake Fordyce Dam Seepage Mitigation Project is completed.