The finished trail will provide spectacular views of the Sierra Crest, Donner Lake, and Mt. Rose as well as wonderful walking, mountain biking, or horseback riding through a diversity of ecosystems.

Like the Tahoe Rim Trail, the purpose of the Donner Lake Rim Trail is to provide a complete circle of Donner Lake on its surrounding ridge tops. Visitors will be able to hike the entire trail without backtracking or shuttling automobiles.
Starting at Donner Memorial State Park and hiking clockwise, the tentative route is as follows:
--Through the park and the edge of Coldstream Canyon to Schallenberger Ridge.
--Follow the ridge for several miles to the southwest.
--Head northwest between Mount Judah and Donner Peak.
--Intersect the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT); follow it north to Highway 40, and then continue on the PCT toward Interstate 80.
--Heading east on the PCT, intersect the Summit Lake Trail.
--At Summit Lake, take the Summit Lake Road for about 1 mile; turn east onto the Donner Lake Rim Trail, which is complete across the canyon to the Tahoe Donner trail system.
--Follow the trail system south and east of Tahoe Donner to the Interstate 80 crossing and, hence, back to Donner Memorial State Park.

For people who wish to mountain bike the rim, the Land Trust will begin construction in the summer of 2006 on a route to bypass the Pacific Crest Trail, which is closed to cyclists.

When will the trail be completed? To a great extent the answer depends upon how many people volunteer to help the Truckee Donner Land Trust build the trail.

Why volunteer? Those who have participated so far find that the experience is extremely satisfying. The work is hard at times, but the scenery is an eye full, and the camaraderie is warm. Each person involved is adding to the history of the Donner area.

The Tahoe Rim Trail’s 165-mile loop took 17 years to build, mostly by volunteer labor; there were over 200,000 volunteer hours. Organizers of the Donner Lake Rim Trail have high expectations that the people of the area will turn out and the trail will be completed in just a few years.
For information on volunteering, contact Susan Sheffield at the Truckee Donner Land Trust at 530-582-4711 or susan@tdlandtrust.org.