General Conditions

Stable summer weather continues at Donner Summit.  Daytime high temperatures over the past week have ranged from the low 70s to the low 80s; overnight lows have been around 50°.  There have been a few clouds but no precipitation.  Find details on the Central Sierra Snow Lab web site (https://cssl.berkeley.edu/).  Purple Air AQI around the Summit is between 0 and 2 — 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.

The ground surface continues to dry, but moisture percolates upward through the soil overnight and it is still possible to find damp spots on sheltered sections of hiking trails in the morning.   The soil moisture profile supports  tall plants with deep roots.  If you have fireweed, it should either be blooming or soon will be.  Angelica is the tall, large, white flower.  Tall paintbrush (red) and tall lupine (blue) are still easy to find at knee height.  The small flowers don’t compete well under current conditions.

There are still mosquitoes, but they are becoming less bothersome.   A little insect repellent should do the job unless you’ll be in a very wet area.

Sunrise/Sunset: Today’s (July 16) sunrise was at 5:48 AM; sunset was at 8:26 PM.  Sunrise has moved 5 minutes later compared to last week; sunset is 4 minutes earlier.  So the days are getting shorter — by a little more than a minute each day.

Star Gazing: The Moon was new on Tuesday (July 14); it will be a waxing crescent for the next week, making evening star gazing progressively more difficult.   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 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 and west 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 will be a copy of the last two weeks, but maybe a bit cooler.  Look for peak temperatures in the upper 70s during the day and lows around 50° overnight.  There will be a few clouds on Sunday extending to next Wednesday; but the probability of precipitation is no higher than 5% for any day in the next two weeks.

Summit News

Soda Springs Cannabis Dispensary:  Nevada County’s Board of Supervisors postponed discussion of selection criteria for a dispensary in the Soda Springs area until their meeting (in Truckee) on October 6. See RFA Community and Stakeholder Letter for details.  The draft RFA for dispensary applicants is at https://www.nevadacountyca.gov/3905/Commercial-Cannabis-Dispensary-Applicati#docaccess-bbeff2aadd2f0d4c29aabb0d69227a76

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”.  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

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.

July 25-26 (Saturday-Sunday): The Donner Lake Triathlon extends over two days because it includes many variations on the swim/bike/run theme.  Sunday includes a cycling event (7B AM – 2:30 PM) along Donner Pass Road between Donner Lake and Cisco Grove which will impact vehicular traffic.  For more information, go to https://donnerlaketri.com/

July 27 (Monday) 5-6 PM: South Yuba River Citizens League hosts a public meeting on Phase 2 of the Lytton Fan restoration in Van Norden Meadow (including road conditions) at the Main Lodge of Soda Springs Mountain Resort (10244 Soda Springs Road).  For more information, see Van_Norden_260727

July 31 (Friday) 9:30-11:30 AM: Join the South Yuba River Citizens League for a tour of Van Norden Meadow with emphasis on SYRCL’s restoration project.  For more information and registration, see Tour_Van_Norden_260731

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

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 10 (Thursday) Morning: Join DSA and Sugar Bowl for graffiti abatement on the exterior of old railroad tunnels.  More details later.

September 17 (Thursday) 5-6 PM:  The September meeting of the DSA Board of Directors at a location to be announced later.   Find an agenda at https://www.donnersummitca.com/dsa-meetings-info/    during the week before the meeting.  Directions to the meeting will be included.

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.