Center of All the Fun

Beautiful public beach area.  Not open year-round. Located at West-Side.  Only 1.6 miles or 6 minutes away.  Really nice for the entire family. 

Donner Lake is a focal point for many activities. The usual water type activities of swimming, sailing, water skiing (35 MPH Limit), diving, and fishing.

1.5 miles of public boat docks along the North side of the Lake, from the Public Boat Ramp.

Hiking is very popular; take a tour with a Ranger at the State Park; visit the Indian "Petroglyphs" near Rainbow Bridge.

Rock Climbing near the Summit -- there are several climbs which have challenged even the best!

A cool cruise around the entire Donner Lake. Start at the Memorial Park and ride west on Donner Pass Road on the bike lanes. This is a famously historic route you will be riding on. Because of the abundance of water in the area the Washoe would spend summers here hunting, fishing and gathering food supplies for their winter months in the lower elevation valleys. The ride is named after the ill-fated Donner Party who perished here during the winter of 1846-1847.  Today, the historic Donner Pass Road is a Scenic Byway attracting visitors from around the world as they look and photograph the beautifully arched bridge to see the glacial valley and Donner Lake.

Since the mid 1800's, Truckee served as a major gateway to the west - attracting tough, pioneering spirits who built an authentic mountain town. Today, Truckee Big Life Locals are creating locally inspired art, sophisticated culinary experiences, historical theater and community gatherings to live and be well - holistically, spiritually, physically. All are welcome to explore, create and join - making Truckee, base camp for a big life.

Mini Triathlon (which inclues swimming about 1 mile, 40K bicycle race, then run around the Lake!); The 4th of July FIREWORKS; Donner Lake Swim; The Lake Tahoe Music Festival will be held exclusively in the Village at Northstar; Turkey Trot (run around the Lake). Throughout the summer there are all types of events happening, such as sailboat and windsurfing races. Check often with the Truckee Donner Park & Recreation's Event Calendar for what's happening while your visiting Donner Lake.Most of Donner Lake is within the Limits of the "Town of Truckee" with the exception of the area of Placer County which is NOT in the Town proper. We are also serviced by Special Districts that have jurisdictional control over Donner Lake: Tahoe Forest Hospital District (TFHD), Truckee Tahoe Sanitation Agency (TTSA), Truckee Sanitary District (TSD), Truckee Cemetery District, Truckee Fire District, Tahoe Truckee Unified School District (TTUSD), Truckee Donner Recreation and Park District (TDRPD), Truckee Donner Public Utility District (TDPUD), and Truckee Tahoe Airport District (TTAD).

Donner Lake has plenty of Mackinaw, rainbow and brown trout along with kokanee salmon, making it a popular location for serious anglers. The lake has a reputation for producing bigger Mackinaw than at nearby Lake Tahoe.  The lake is stocked with kokanee salmon and rainbow trout. Working from the shore near the launch ramp has produced some good fish. Others reports success fishing from the docks at the west end. If fishing from shore, your best chance of hooking a Mackinaw is in the spring and fall. Anglers are urged to catch and release any Mackinaw over 10 pounds to help sustain the lake's population of trophy fish.If you are fishing from a boat, the advice is to fish Deep in China Cove for Mackinaws. Trolling for rainbows is good at the west end of the lake near the mouth of the river and along the north shore.