Donner Pass is a gorgeous pass in the Northern Sierra Nevada mountains near Reno, Nevada and Truckee, California. The pass is famously named after the ill-fated Donner Party who spent the winter there in 1846. The Donner Party was a group of pioneers who migrated from the Midwest to California and after a series of misfortunes, had to spend the winter at the pass and resorted to cannibalism to survive. Of the 87 members of the party, only 48 of them survived.
We briefly visited Donner Memorial Park on our way to San Francisco. Located right outside of beautiful Truckee, California, the park contains exhibits about the history of the area, including Native Americans, the Donner Party and the builders of the First Transcontinental Railroad. The park also contains the Pioneer Monument, which was built in honor of those pioneers who made the trek across the country to California during the 1840’s. Also on site is the Donner Party’s Murphy family cabin site.
Right off the Interstate 80 in a very scenic and peaceful area, this park is well-worth the stop. We were not able to spend as much time here as we would have liked but would love to go back someday, hike, have a picnic and do more exploring. Being in a place where so much tragedy occurred is sobering but the park is a fitting tribute to the spirit and perseverance of the American pioneer.