Donner Memorial State Museum

Surreal experience revisiting the Donner Party missteps

The massive Pioneer bronze Monument adjacent to the Museum overlooks the Donner Pass where the cabin once stood in 1846. The base is 22 feet in height, representing the depth of the snow in that fate...

A Gem

Donner Lake is a gem!!! Beautiful water and setting. Best of all it is not as crazy busy as Tahoe. Well worth a visit. RV park is almost impossible to get a reservation at, but if you do score, it is ...

Great Birding Spot

Although we did visit the excellent museum, our primary interest was birding. We saw a white-headed woodpecker, which somehow eluded us at Lake Tahoe. The area was very birdy, including fall migrants ...

The Donner Party dilemma….why?

The Donner Party had good intentions, high expectations, and terrible decisions as they migrated westward. The museum provides a guided tour that is an absolute “must do” if you want to understand the...

Informative up to a point

Interesting and informative, up to a point. The museum seemed to downplay the cannibalism that took place and did not provide details about the fraud perpetuated on the party by Lansford Hastings. W...