Welcome to Donner Summit.
7,000 feet and 34 feet average annual snowfall. Beautiful scenery. Fascinating history. Lots to do.
Stand in one spot on Donner Summit and you see opportunity: mountain peaks, meadows, the source of three major California rivers, forests, trails, bike routes, and hiking paths.
You also see the parade of a rich history that formed California: the path of the Native Americans who left petroglyphs and grinding stones; the trails of the wagon trains; the bed of the first transcontinental railroad and its great 1867 Sierra Tunnel; the Lincoln Highway, America’s first transcontinental highway; and Interstate 80, one of California’s major arteries. Many of the people who formed California, came over Donner Pass.
Donner Summit is also the Sierra Divide where storms spend most of their time, dropping 35-40 feet of snow a year, making skiing a major industry and making the Sierra a "reservoir" for the rest of the state.
Arguably, Donner Summit and Donner Pass across it, is the most important square mile in California. Read an "Introduction to Donner Summit" (click heer for the PDF). See a brochure, "Introduction to Summit Valley, An Owner's Manual." (click here.)
Summit Valley is exquisite: butterflies, birds, geology, wild flowers, and history. Check it out. Then learn about the issues regarding its future (click here).
Introduction to Summit Valley: birds, butterflies, geology, wildflowers, pictures, and history.