| Donner Pass is a formidable mountain pass and the | | | | hundred miles per hour. |
| high point along Interstate 80 in Northern California's | | | | In 1968, the Central Pacific Railroad completed |
| Sierra Nevada Mountains. The pass is located nine | | | | construction of the first railroad to cross the Sierra |
| miles west of Truckee, California. At an elevation of | | | | Nevada Mountains. Construction of this stretch of |
| 7,085 feet, the pass has significant historical | | | | railroad took more than five years to complete, with |
| significance in terms of its barrier to travel and | | | | the last phase being a 1,506-foot tunnel through |
| resulting loss of human life. In the winter of | | | | Donner Pass. In 1913, a road, called the Lincoln |
| 1846-1847, over forty people from the Donner Party | | | | Highway, was completed over Donner Pass. Lincoln |
| perished as a the result of their inability to get over | | | | Highway was the first road to cross America. In the |
| the pass. Donner Pass is narrow and has a steep | | | | early 1960's, Interstate 80 opened, greatly increasing |
| accent from the east, with a more gradual rise from | | | | the accessibility of the pass. |
| the west. | | | | The pass is now a popular recreation spot for skiing, |
| For early western settlers in the mid nineteenth | | | | hiking, rock climbing, and ice climbing. It is located one |
| century, traveling through the pass was highly | | | | hundred eighty miles northeast of San Francisco, |
| treacherous. The pass receives large amounts of | | | | making it the closest ski destination to the Bay Area. |
| snow, averaging 415 inches of snowfall per year, | | | | Donner Pass is home to two ski areas, Boreal Ski |
| making it one of the snowiest places in the United | | | | Resort and Sugar Bowl Ski Resort. Make plans to visit |
| States. The pass can also be extremely windy with | | | | the pass today! |
| winter storms bringing wind speeds in excess of one | | | | |