General Conditions

Although we aren’t quite there officially, summer has arrived at Donner Summit.  Daytime temperatures have been 70-75° over the past week; overnight lows have been in the 46-55° range.  There has been no precipitation, and skies have been mostly sunny, though there is some haze.  Find details on the Central Sierra Snow Lab web site (https://cssl.berkeley.edu/).  Purple Air AQI around the Summit is 20-55 (acceptable but not great); AQI is slightly higher in Truckee and around Lake Tahoe.

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 overviews of current conditions on Donner Summit.  There are still traces of snow in ravines near the top of Mt. Lincoln.

The ground surface has been dry, but moisture percolates upward overnight and it is easy to find damp spots on sheltered sections of hiking trails in the morning.  Thauvette’s Frolic combined with Half Hitch and Reindeer in the Royal Gorge trail system is a good 30-minute walk with excellent wildflowers and views of Castle Peak.  Download the Truckee Donner Land Trust wildflower guide for Royal Gorge (https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5d08182b47d25c000181faf8/t/69d81194d232761f6f0cee61/1775767956366/royal+gorge+40+flower+final.pdf) and get outdoors. Mosquitoes are out but manageable; use insect repellent and sun protection.

Sunrise/Sunset: Today’s (June 18) sunrise was at 5:34 AM; sunset was at 8:31 PM.  Sunrise is the same as a week ago and sunset is 3 minutes later, so the days continue to get longer but by less than half a minute per day.  Sunrise has started turning around — becoming later on a daily basis, though barely noticeable — but sunset will continue drifting later until early July.  The summer solstice is Sunday (June 21), when the two cancel and we have our longest day (a few minutes shy of 15 hours of daylight).

Star Gazing: The Moon was new on June 14 and is now a crescent in the evening sky — a little higher than Venus.  Venus and Jupiter went through “conjunction” on June 8-9; Venus is now above (and continues to be brighter than) Jupiter in the northwestern sky.   If you have a good view toward the northwest, the pair should be easily visible until at least 10 PM.  The two stars to the right of (and slightly below) Venus are Castor and Pollux (the Gemini twins).  The Big Dipper is slightly northwest of overhead at 10 PM.  Follow the arc of its handle to Arcturus, the brightest star in the sky slightly south of overhead.  On the southern horizon, you may be able to spot the constellation Scorpius.  The scorpion’s tail looks like an anchor lying on its side; the red ‘star’ in the anchor’s shank is Antares, which is actually a binary.

Forecast

The daytime high will be near 80° today, then drop to 66° tomorrow.  WE had a thundershower this evening, which will contribute to the temperature drop tomorrow.  There is a one-in-four chance of more showers tomorrow.  Saturday will remain cool; then daytime highs will return to the mid-to-upper 70s for the next two weeks with overnight lows in the mid-40s.  Chances of precipitation are no higher than 4% for the two weeks starting Saturday.

Summit News

Fire Safety: Fire danger in the area is currently rated as “moderate” (Serene Lakes) to “high” (Truckee).  Residential burn permits, required since May 1, have been suspended.  Outdoor charcoal and wood fires — e.g., barbecues — are prohibited (gas only).

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.

Soda Springs Cannabis Dispensary: See the new DSA web page at https://www.donnersummitca.com/project/cannabis-dispensary for background and news.

Summit Calendar

June 21 (Sunday) 7:30-10 AM: Truckee Donner Land Trust is offering a guided hike in Johnson Canyon that doubles as a bird walk.  For more information and registration, go to https://www.tdlandtrust.org/hiking-schedule.

June 27 (Saturday) 9 AM – 1 PM: Join the Truckee Donner Land Trust Rowton Peak wildflower walk led by Gail Rankin.  For more information and registration, visit https://www.tdlandtrust.org/hiking-schedule

July 2 (Thursday) 5:30-6:30 PM: Community Workshop at Soda Springs Mountain Resort main lodge on the cannabis dispensary applicant selection process.  Nevada County Cannabis Compliance staff and Nevada County Economic Development Office staff will provide an overview of the selection process.  There will be an opportunity for public comments and questions.

July 14 (Tuesday): Nevada County Board of Supervisors will meet in Truckee.  Final scoring and selection criteria for the cannabis dispensary in the Soda Springs area will be on the agenda.  Location, time, and a full agenda will be announced later.

July 16 (Thursday) 5-6 PM:  The July meeting of the DSA Board of Directors will be at Nancy O’s Gallery and Glass in Soda Springs.   Find an agenda in the week before the meeting at https://www.donnersummitca.com/dsa-meetings-info/.  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/

July 25 (Saturday) 7 AM – 5 PM: The second running of Mountain Tiger Donner Summit is a 12.5 mile point-to-point race over Sugar Bowl/Royal Gorge trails with 3300 feet of elevation gain.  The route includes single track, technical trails, fire roads, ridge lines, and four summits.  Entry includes shuttle transportation back to the start.  For more information and registration, go to https://www.mountaintiger.com.

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 22 (Saturday) 11 AM to August 23 (Sunday) 4 PM: The “Crumble + Hard Head” event at Donner Ski Ranch for serious mountain bikers is sponsored by the Sacramento Pacific International Trials Society.  For more information go to https://www.sactopits.org/event-details/crumble-hard-head

September 19 and 20 (Saturday and Sunday): Donner Party Hikes — Seven hikes around Donner Summit with a historical theme.  Choose one hike each day.  For more information and registration go to https://www.donnerpartyhike.com

September 26 (Saturday) Noon – 3 PM: DSA’s annual SummitFest at Soda Springs Mountain Resort.  A benefit with live music, food, drinks, auctions, and fun.  Details later; for now, just save the date.

Resorts

Boreal/Woodward: Woodward Tahoe (indoor and outdoor) is up and running.  Open daily 1-8 PM, Saturdays and Sundays 10 AM – 8 PM.  Summer camps started 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 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: DSR’s Old 40 Bar and Grill remains open 7 days a week.  DSR offers disc golf for those interested.  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; but there are lots of special events (see Calendar above).  Watch  https://www.skisodasprings.com/ for news.

Royal Gorge is closed for the season.  Tapas service, originally announced for Friday and Saturday starting in late June, has been canceled because of construction.   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/

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 occasional lane restrictions and ramp closures (for example, Drum Forebay eastbound) for construction.  The Hwy 20 eastbound merge with I-80 eastbound is closed weekdays.  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 still have muddy sections..  There have also been a lot of downed trees on back roads.  The Old Donner Summit Road (along the north side of Van Norden Meadow) has serious mud/ruts 100 yards west of Sheep Pens.  Its connector across the railroad tracks to Sugar Bowl Road and Donner Ski Ranch is physically closed.  Rattlesnake Canyon Road (FR85) north from Cisco Grove was closed for four years starting in 2024 for construction at Fordyce Dam.