A Fertile Well Watered Wide Level Rock Free Valley and Rail Road that Joins the fabled Donner Pass from the West .
Soda Springs, CA. The main Interstate I-80 over the Sierras, from Sacramento to Nevada, several miles North of here, parallels the former Historic California Trail over What is Known As Donner Pass here. I was able to find and drive over Donner Pass, on what was once the main highway which I believe was old Rt40 & Rt95, prior to the Interstate. This road still serves as a marginal road for the California Trail towns of Gold Hill, Cisco, Soda Springs, Norden, Donner, Donner Lake, and Trukee. This old highway is well maintained and is a very scenic tourist route with access to a mountain ski lift at Donner Pass. But you will have to study your map and look hard to figure out how to find it from I-80. To see a map, request Donner, CA on http://www.mapquest.com/ and zoom in. Lake Tahoe is about 30 miles Southeast of Donner Pass. The otherwise arrow straight California–Nevada border takes a “dog-leg” change of direction in the middle of Lake Tahoe.

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(Photo = 122-2294+1 ...... ZMM Page = None ...... WayPt = 073 ~6000ft)