General Conditions

Stable summer weather continues at Donner Summit.  Daytime high temperatures over the past week have been in the mid-70s with overnight lows in the 40s.  Clouds build during the afternoon but there has been no precipitation.  Find details on the Central Sierra Snow Lab web site (https://cssl.berkeley.edu/).  Purple Air AQI around the Summit is in single digits — excellent air quality.

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 just under the Sierra Crest in and around Tinker Knob.

The ground surface has been dry, but moisture percolates upward through the soil overnight and it is easy to find damp spots on sheltered sections of hiking trails in the morning.   Mosquitoes are out but manageable; use insect repellent and sun protection.

Earliest wildflowers (phlox, stickseed, Sierra wallflower) are gone.  Later wildflowers (mules ears, paintbrush, lupine, cinquefoil, groundsel, etc.) are still around, but becoming harder to find.  A later wave — helianthella, pennyroyal, and asters — is gaining ground.  There are also fireweed and Sierra alpine lily flowers here and there; in ‘normal’ years, they wouldn’t appear until August.  What you find will depend on elevation and soil moisture.

Sunrise/Sunset: Today’s (July 9) sunrise was at 5:43 AM; sunset will be at 8:30 PM.  Sunrise has moved 5 minutes later compared to last week; sunset is 2 minutes earlier.  So the days are getting shorter — by about a minute each day.

Star Gazing: The Moon will be new on Tuesday (July 14); it’s not rising until after midnight, so evening stargazing will be good for the next week.  Venus is the bright star-like object above the western horizon just after sunset.  If you have a good view toward the west, you can see it after 10 PM.    The Big Dipper is slightly northwest of overhead at 10 PM with the handle on top.  Follow the arc of its handle to Arcturus, the brightest star in the sky slightly south of overhead.  Cassiopeia looks like a “W” just above the northern horizon.  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.  Sagittarius (a constellation that looks like a 5-pointed star or teapot) is to the east of Scorpius.

Forecast

The weather for the next couple weeks should continue to be sunny with daytime highs in the mid-to-upper 70s and overnight lows in the mid-to-upper 40s.  Precipitation during the next two weeks is predicted to be no higher than 8%.

Summit News

Van Norden Meadow Restoration: The South Yuba River Citizens League has received the Forest Service’s Rise to the Future Partnership Award for its work in Van Norden Meadow.  See https://www.yubariver.org for more information.

Fire Safety: Fire danger on Donner Summit is currently rated as “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.

Soda Springs Cannabis Dispensary: See the new DSA web page at https://www.donnersummitca.com/project/cannabis-dispensary for background and news.  There will be a Board of Supervisors meeting in Truckee on July 14 to discuss selection criteria.  See Calendar item below.

Summit Calendar

July 10 (Friday) 9 AM – 12 Noon: Join Truckee Donner Land Trust and the Serene Lakes Safety Committee for a few hours of defensible space work behind Hillside Dr.  For more information click defensible_260710

July 14 (Tuesday): Nevada County Board of Supervisors will meet in Truckee (it’s an all day meeting).  Originally, they were scheduled to discuss final scoring and selection criteria for the proposed cannabis dispensary in the Soda Springs area.  That discussion has been postponed to their October 6 meeting, also in Truckee.  See RFA Community and Stakeholder Letter for details.

July 16 (Thursday) 5-6 PM:  The July meeting of the DSA Board of Directors will be at the Nancy O 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 18 (Saturday) 9-11 AM: DSA volunteer work day at Gould Park in Cisco Grove.  Refresh walking trails that were cleared last year; help to develop a new trail that has been marked but not cleared yet.  Free lunch at Soda Springs General Store and Deli for volunteers.  Get more details at Poster

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 historical themes.  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.

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

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 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; but there are lots of special events (see Calendar above).  Watch  https://www.skisodasprings.com/ for news.

Royal Gorge is closed for the season.  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 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 occasional lane restrictions and ramp closures (both day and night).  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 may still have muddy or rutted sections.  The Old Donner Summit Road (along the north side of Van Norden Meadow) has serious 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.