Donner Lake

Donner Lake is a beautiful alpine lake in Truckee, CA. There are many public docks on the north side of the lake, but most locals launch at Shoreline Park, about 2/3rds of the way up the north side of lake on Donner Pass Rd. This launch has side shore conditions and because it is closer to the west side of the lake, usually pretty flat water. Normal summer conditions are west to southwest afternoon winds 12-15 mph. When fronts influence the wind pattern, Donner can be wild with pretty decent waves downwind to the east from Shoreline Park. One downside to Donner Lake is the parking challenge. Shoreline Park has about 20 parking spots which are often full during the peak of summer. PRO TIP: there is a great webcam at the east end of the lake to see live conditions on Donner Lake. The photo is from just below the web cam.