General Conditions

Last week’s forecast of “mostly sunny … no day in the next two weeks [has a precipitation] probability higher than 24%” didn’t quite capture the extremes in the 7-day weather.  Memorial Weekend was great — clear and sunny with daytime highs flirting with 70°.  But the preceding Friday had hail, thunder, and lightening starting at 11 AM followed by two hours of light-to-moderate rain.  After the nearly perfect weekend, the Summit woke to sleet Tuesday morning, followed by blue skies and sun; it was snowing at 11:30 AM.  Since then, there’s been a mix of rain and snow with daytime highs barely reaching the mid-30s.

There are patches of old snow in shaded areas at 7000 ft; the new snow provides only a light cover in some locations. The Central Sierra Snow Lab (https://cssl.berkeley.edu/) reports no new snow in the past week; but their own webcams have suggested otherwise, though there’s not been a lot.  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.  Palisades Tahoe finally closed on May 24; so put the boards away or book travel to the southern hemisphere.  When operational, 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 28) sunrise was at 5:38 AM; sunset will be at 8:19 PM.  Sunrise is 4 minutes earlier than last week and sunset is 6 minutes later, so the days continue to get longer by about 1-1/2 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) but we’ll be close.  Then the days start getting shorter, and you can begin tuning your gear for another winter.

Star Gazing: The Moon will be full on May 31 — the second full Moon of the month.  Its presence in the evening sky makes stargazing more difficult.  But the Moon is not the big show for the next couple weeks.  Look northwest until about 10 PM to see Venus and Jupiter; they are at “conjunction” on June 8-9.   There is a great set of graphics and text at https://www.earthsky.org explaining this.  If you have an unusually good view toward the northwest, you may also be able to spot Mercury.   For those with smaller skies, the Big Dipper is almost overhead at 10 PM.  Follow the arc of its handle to Arcturus, the brightest star in the sky overhead.

Forecast

Daytime highs today and tomorrow (May 29) will reach only the low 40s on the Summit; overnight lows will be around 30°.  Snow showers will clear tomorrow morning and the weekend looks sunny but cool (highs 55° Saturday, 64° Sunday).  Next week will be mostly sunny with temperatures rising to 70° by next Thursday.  On the following weekend (June 6-7) there will be a few more clouds and temperatures will drop to the low 60s before returning to 70° two weeks from today.  Probability of precipitation is in the single digits for this weekend (May 30-31) and the first 10 days of June.

Summit Calendar

May 21 (Thursday) 6:30-7:30 PM: This hybrid public informational meeting on the proposed cannabis dispensary in the Soda Springs area has passed.  DSA is preparing a web page in its Projects section to provide additional information.  Stay tuned.  For a summary of basic information on this topic, see Dispensary_FAQ_v1.

May 27 (Wednesday) 3-4 PM: This Truckee Fire Defensible Space Work Plan virtual webinar has passed.  For those who could not attend (or want to review the material), there is a recording of the meeting at https://truckeefire-my.sharepoint.com/personal/sofiahuston_truckeefire_org/_layouts/15/stream.aspx?id=%2Fpersonal%2Fsofiahuston%5Ftruckeefire%5Forg%2FDocuments%2FAttachments%2F2026%20Defensible%20Space%20Work%20Plan%20Webinar%2D20260527%5F215613UTC%2DMeeting%20Recording%2Emp4&ga=1&referrer=StreamWebApp%2EWeb&referrerScenario=AddressBarCopied%2Eview%2Ea7697249%2D5ef3%2D4c96%2Dba5b%2D91c8bd6f6401.  The presentation begins at 5:50 of the recording.  If this link does not work, the recording should be posted on the Truckee Fire web site next week; the link here will be updated.

May 29 (Friday) 12-1 PM: Several Tahoe/Truckee organization are hosting a noon virtual webinar on Wildfire Risk.  Get wildfire-ready by setting up emergency alerts, learning evacuation routes, and ensuring your home insurance will protect you.  Register at https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/hrXQL7RSRs-PGNvRRy3xQg#/registration

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 is encouraged at https://forms.gle/KskLc7f4MAxrEmtk8; but walkups are welcome.

June 18 (Thursday) 5-6 PM:  The June meeting of the DSA Board of Directors at a private residence in Sugar Bowl.   Find an agenda at https://www.donnersummitca.com/dsa-meetings-info/ early in the week before the meeting.  Directions to the meeting will be included.

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 (Saturday) 8 AM: Point Mariah Trail Marathon (~26.4 miles, ±4300 ft vertical, 8 hour limit) starts and ends at Soda Springs Mountain Resort.  There are solo, pair, and team options.  Volunteers to support the event are needed.  For more information go to https://donnerpartymountainrunners.com/point-mariah-trail-marathon/

August 1-2 (Saturday-Sunday): Ragnar-Tahoe (the trail running team race) may return 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 example, Baxter eastbound) 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.  There are also a lot of downed trees on back roads.  Rattlesnake Canyon Road (FR85) north from Cisco Grove was closed for four years starting in 2024 for construction at Fordyce Dam.