Editors' picks across 8categories — the dock with the deepest channel, the winery with the view, the restaurant with the right wine list, the trail nobody's on at sunrise.
A breakfast-and-lunch spot on Donner Pass Road, best known locally for its huevos rancheros.
Fine dining inside the historic Truckee Hotel (1873), pairing a locally sourced menu with nationally touring jazz, soul, and R&B acts.
Visit ↗A restaurant hand-built from salvaged railroad ties in 1928 as one of the nation's oldest ski lodges, with a deck overlooking downtown Truckee and the Sierra.
Visit ↗A brewpub in downtown Truckee, known for its Eclipse barrel-aged imperial stouts alongside a full pub menu.
Visit ↗A Truckee Donner Land Trust project building a full loop around Donner Lake and Donner Summit — about 15 of a planned 23 miles complete. The full rim segment runs 13.3 miles with 2,339 feet of elevation gain; a popular shorter loop to Summit Lake via the Pacific Crest Trail covers about 6.5 miles.
Visit ↗A boat rental operator near the lake's boat ramp — stand-up paddleboards, kayaks, hydrobikes, jet skis, motorboats, and paddle boats, with two locations on the water.
Visit ↗A 240-foot arched concrete span completed in 1926 on Old Highway 40 (the original transcontinental Lincoln Highway route), with a compound-curve design that drew engineers from around the country — it overlooks Donner Lake directly from Donner Pass.
Visit ↗A 3,549-acre state park established in 1928 on the lake's east end, preserving the Donner Camp site — designated a National Historic Landmark. The visitor center's museum covers the Donner Party, the Washoe people, and the Chinese railroad workers who later built through Donner Pass.
Visit ↗A monument at Donner Memorial State Park completed in 1918, standing on a 22-foot pedestal at the site of the Donner Party's Breen cabin, facing west toward Donner Pass.