Donner Memorial State Park - California

Address:12593 Donner Pass Road
Truckee, California
Tel: (530) 582-7892

Scuba divers will adore the Underwater Park, where there are remains of boats from the 1800s submerged beneath. The lake's shoreline is great for picnicking and sunbathing, and one of the more intriguing attractions here is the Balancing Rock, which rests on a slender stone base and weighs in at 130 tons. The great group and family campsites seal the deal, making this park a definite blissful getaway.

Located in the beautiful Sierra Nevada, Donner Memorial State Park offers the summer vacationer opportunities for camping, picnicking, boating, fishing, water-skiing, and hiking. In winter, visitors can cross-country ski and snowshoe on trails and enjoy the season's beauty. Visitors are welcome year-round at the Emigrant Trail Museum and at the Pioneer Monument, built to commemorate those who emigrated to California from the east in the mid-1800s. Included in the museum are displays and information about one of the earliest pioneer wagon trains, the Donner Party, forced by circumstances to camp at the east end of Donner Lake in the winter of 1846-47, resulting in human suffering and loss of life.