General Conditions

Cool cloudy skies last weekend have slowly given way to blue; and daytime high temperatures have risen to the low 70s.  The clouds were accompanied by very widely scattered sprinkles; but there’s been no measurable precipitation since the beginning of the month.  Fall color is beginning to appear in some aspen groves where cold air collects overnight.  The Central Sierra Snow Lab web site (https://cssl.berkeley.edu/) has details, but CSSL is recalibrating instrumentation so some data streams may be temporarily unavailable.

Purple Air AQI around the Summit this morning is 5-20 (good air quality).  The Floriston Fire, which closed westbound I-80 for several days between the Nevada line and Truckee, is 96% contained at one square mile.  The Mineral fire is 70% contained about 5 miles east of Colfax at 19 acres.  Otherwise there are no active fires near Donner Summit, and neither of the above has had a noticeable effect on Summit activities.  USFS and Truckee Fire both rate the fire danger today as “very high”.

Sunrise/Sunset: Today’s (September 24) sunrise was at 6:51 AM, about 7 minutes later than a week ago.  Sunset will be at 6:55 PM, about 11 minutes earlier than last week.  The days are getting shorter — by about 2-1/2 minutes each day; this combined rate will continue into mid-October.  The autumn equinox was Tuesday; we now have officially less than 12 hours of daylight each day.  But, because sunrise and sunset are measured from appearance/disappearance of the Sun’s upper limb, the difference between “sunset” and “sunrise” is still slightly greater than 12 hours.

Star Gazing: The “Harvest” Moon will be full on Saturday, so evening stargazing will be less than optimum because of the scattered moonlight for the next few days.  However, you can see five planets if you have a favorable location and you’re willing to look in both the evening and early morning.  Check https://weather.com/2026/09/24/science/space/september-2026-stargazing-five-planets-harvest-moon for more information.  As for stars, Cassiopeia looks like a “W” rotated about 90° above the northeastern horizon; the Big Dipper is low to the northwest and oriented just about right to hold water at 10 PM.

Forecast

Conditions on Donner Summit will continue fall-like over the next two weeks with daytime highs ranging from the low 60s to the low 70s and overnight lows from the mid 30s to the mid 40s.  This weekend will be cooler than the two week average (63°/40°) and partly cloudy; next weekend will be warmer (70°/40°) and sunny.  Tomorrow will be more breezy than normal.  Chances of precipitation are in single digits except for 13% on October 5 and 6.

Summit News (date unspecific)

Truckee Fire Fuel Reduction: Tree thinning and removal has begun along Hampshire Rocks/Donner Pass Road between Cisco Grove and Kingvale. The goal is to improve emergency access and egress along these key roadways.

Donner Lake Rim Trail (South): The Truckee Donner Land Trust has completed 4 of a planned 15 miles of non-motorized trail on the south side of Donner Lake.  The newly completed section lies along Schallengberger Ridge.  For more information, visit https://www.truckeedonnerlandtrust.org/news-events/donner-lake-rim-trail-south-2026-update

Forestry Work in Serene Lakes: A forest health and wildfire resilience project has begun west of Hillside in Serene Lakes.  The Big Ben Trail and its feeders will be closed for about a month.  An earlier project  — north of Cascade, Pahatsi, and Kidd Lake Road and west of Soda Springs Road — is nearing completion.  For a map and more information on this second project, go to https://www.truckeedonnerlandtrust.org/news-events/royal-gorge-forestry-closure

DSA is Looking for an Administrative Assistant: This person would support the Donner Summit Association Board of Directors in day-to-day operations.  Expected average work load is 10 hours per month.  Pay is $25-40 per hour depending on experience and skills.  For more information see 260725a_duties

Nevada County Calendar: Look for community events throughout Nevada County on their calendar at https://gonevadacounty.com/community-calendar/

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 “very 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

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.  For more information and tickets, go to https://www.eventbrite.com/e/donner-summit-fest-2026-tickets-1999649730172?aff=oddtdtcreator.  Tickets are also available at the door.

September 30 (Wednesday) 8 AM: Reservations open for winter use of Frog Lake Huts.  Details at https://www.truckeedonnerlandtrust.org/frog-lake-huts

October 6 (Tuesday) 8:30 AM – 12:30 PM: Join the Truckee Donner Land Trust for a 3.3 mile hike in Johnson Canyon.  Details are at https://give.tdlandtrust.org/event/johnson-canyon-hike-2026-10-06/e796909

October 6 (Tuesday): Nevada County’s Board of Supervisors will discuss selection criteria for a cannabis dispensary in the Soda Springs area during their meeting in Truckee. 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.  Click on “Draft: Request for Application Submittal” to see the proposal to be discussed by the Supervisors.  The most recent update from the Cannabis Compliance Department is at 260926_update

October 11 (Sunday): Last day to request free curbside green waste pickup through Truckee Fire.  Details at https://www.truckeefire.org/greenwaste?ss_source=sscampaigns&ss_campaign_id=6a876cb10ed803148c74297a&ss_email_id=6a8c766ba7f16a1d9f68a273&ss_campaign_name=Emergency+Alerts%2C+Green-waste%2C+Firewise+Office+hours&ss_campaign_sent_date=2026-08-24T16%3A51%3A05Z

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

October 31 – November 1 (Saturday-Sunday, 10 AM – 4 PM): Tube or Treat at Sugar Bowl’s Sugar Rush.  Tubing, live DJ, trick-or-treating, cocktails, and a costume contest.  For more information, go to https://www.sugarbowl.com/tubing?utm_term=9.18.26&utm_medium=email&utm_source=email&utm_campaign=halloween&spMailingID=51945476&spUserID=MTMyMDEyNzA0NDQwMQS2&spJobID=3262326178&spReportId=MzI2MjMyNjE3OAS2

Resorts

Boreal/Woodward: Woodward Tahoe (indoor and outdoor) is open daily 1-8 PM, Saturdays and Sundays 10 AM – 8 PM.  Check https://www.rideboreal.com/explore/community/all-events/  for special events.

Sugar Bowl: Summer activities have been limited while the new gondola is being installed.  It’s Sugar Bowl’s fourth gondola.  For a gondola history see https://www.sugarbowl.com/gondola-history.  Tube-or-Treat on October 31 – November 1.  Winter opening day November 27 (conditions permitting) has been announced.  For other news go to https://www.sugarbowl.com/home

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.  Watch  https://www.skisodasprings.com/ for news.

Royal Gorge is closed for the season.  The resort is planning a Royal Gorge XC Ski Team for winter 2026-27; for more information, see https://www.sugarbowl.com/nordic-team.  Check https://www.royalgorge.com/home for other 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 lane restrictions and ramp closures (both day and night, both east and west) that cause backups between Colfax and Truckee.  The Hwy 20 eastbound merge with I-80 eastbound is closed weekdays.  Other restrictions are relaxed on weekends but not completely gone.  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.  Rattlesnake Canyon Road (FR85) north from Cisco Grove was closed for four years starting in 2024 for construction at Fordyce Dam.