From Castle Peak to the headwaters of the South Yuba River, Van Norden Meadow and Serene Lakes, Donner Summit is a recreationist’s dream. With miles and miles of hiking and
Donner is a name synonymous with the Sierra Nevada and the Tahoe area for one reason or another, but with so many things barring the Donner name it can be hard to keep these locations straight.
After a hard day of high-elevation backpacking a dozen miles around Ebbetts Pass, I would have settled for crackers, peanut butter and water. Instead, a
California has the Sierra Nevada; the east coast has the Appalachians. But whereas the Sierra crests out at over 14,000 feet, the highest peaks of the Appalachians barely top six thousand.