California's Best Trips 2 - Full PDF eBook

(Dana P.) #1
trails radiating out from
High Camp.

The Drive » Backtrack out of
Squaw Valley, turning left onto
Hwy 89 and driving north for
about 8 miles. Before reaching
I-80, turn right onto W River St
for another mile to downtown
Truckee.

4 Truckee
Cradled by mountains
and forests, this speck of
a town is steeped in Old
West history. Truckee
was put on the map
by the railroad, grew
rich on logging and ice
harvesting, and found
Hollywood fame with the

TRIP HIGHLIGHT

Start: 4 Truckee
Donner Summit is where the infamous Donner Party
became trapped during the fierce winter of 1846–47.
Their grisly tale of survival – and cannibalism – is
chronicled at the museum (h10am-5pm, closed Tue &
Wed Sep-May) inside Donner Memorial State Park
(%530-582-7892; http://www.parks.ca.gov; 12593 Donner Pass Rd;
per car $8; c), where tree-lined Donner Lake offers
sandy beaches. Further west, popular municipal
West End Beach (%530-582-7777; http://www.tdrpd.com; adult/
child $4/3; c) has a roped-off swimming area for kids,
and kayak, paddleboat and stand-up paddle boarding
(SUP) rentals. The state park and lakeshore are just a
few miles east of Truckee via Donner Pass Rd.

DONNER LAKE


DETOUR:


MARTYN GODDARD / CORBIS ©

CENTRAL.CALIFORNIA.

18


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