yes
The pass has been used by the California Trail, First Transcontinental Railroad, Overland Route, Lincoln Highway (later U.S. Route 40 and still later Donner Pass Road), as well as indirectly by Interstate 80. Today the area is home to a thriving recreational community with several alpine lakes and ski resorts (Donner Ski Ranch, Boreal, and Sugar Bowl). The permanent communities in the area include Kingvale and Soda Springs, as well as the larger community below the pass surrounding Donner Lake. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Donner Pass (el. 7,056 ft (2,151 m)) is a mountain pass in the northern Sierra Nevada, above Donner Lake about 9 miles (14 km) west of Truckee, California. It has a steep approach from the east and a gradual approach from the west. Today the area is home to a thriving recreational community with several alpine lakes and ski resorts (Donner Ski Ranch, Boreal, and Sugar Bowl). The permanent communities in the area include Kingvale and Soda Springs, as well as the larger community below the pass surrounding Donner Lake. 3 Responses to Historical Donner Pass. says: September 19, 2011 at 2:55 pm. The old pioneer trail also known as the Donner Lake Wagon Rd is now open to the public from the base of east side of the pass on Hwy 40 (about 1/3rd of a mile after you leave Donner Lake heading west) to the summit. There is a small parking area and signage on the left hand side of Hwy 40 in the forest.  Omaha, Neb., November 23, 2009  Union Pacific Railroad opened its Donner Pass route to domestic double-stack intermodal container freight traffic Nov. 19, marking the completion of a 12-month project designed to move customer products over a shorter, faster and more efficient route. Union Pacific's Donner Pass route is as much as 75 miles shorter and up to three hours faster than the Feather River Canyon route, depending upon the destination. Our Feather River Canyon route will continue to play a strategic role in how we serve our customers, Kaiser said. The new museum is expected to open in late 2014. Expand Photo Margaret Moran / Sierra Sun |. When it opens this spring, the new Donner Memorial State Park museum will feature exhibits on the Donner Party, regional Native American history and history of railroad development through Donner Pass. Related Media. TRUCKEE, Calif. — Opening of the new Donner Memorial State Park museum has been delayed again. The approximately 10,000-square-foot building should open in summer or fall 2014 “barring any unforeseen circumstances,” said Vicky Waters, deputy director of public affairs for California State Parks. Two years ago, the Truckee-Donner Land Trust purchased the Summit Canyon area at the foot of the pass so that now the entire pass area is open space. The Old Lincoln Highway trail is now a great hike that winds down through the historic Donner Pass area.  UPDATE 3:30pm: RENO, Nev. -- The CalTrans website reports Interstate 80 is back open to passenger vehicles over Donner Pass. Chains are mandatory except on 4-wheel drive vehicles with snow tires on all four wheels. According to the website, 80 is still closed to commercial trucks due to spin-outs. She reports the California Highway Patrol (CHP) is letting cars through to Truckee. At Truckee, I-80 is closed because of spin-outs and other traffic accident
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donner_Pass https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donner_Pass http://onthesummit.net/wordpress/activities/trails/donner-pass-history/ http://www.uprr.com/newsinfo/releases/service/2009/1123_donnerpass.shtml http://www.tahoedailytribune.com/news/8175498-113/museum-state-donner-parks http://onthesummit.net/wordpress/activities/trails/lincoln-highway-trail/ http://www.kolotv.com/home/headlines/I-80-Closed-from-the-State-Line-to-Applegate-Due-to-Spin-Outs-184556531.html
is donner pass open