Donner Memorial State Park

Donner Memorial State Park
Donner Lake, with Donner Memorial State Park at the far end, right, viewed from near Donner Peak
Map showing the location of Donner Memorial State Park
Map showing the location of Donner Memorial State Park
Map showing the location of Donner Memorial State Park
Map showing the location of Donner Memorial State Park
LocationNevada and Placer Counties, California, US
Nearest cityTruckee, California
Coordinates39°19′12″N 120°14′30″W / 39.32000°N 120.24167°W / 39.32000; -120.24167
Area3,293 acres (13.33 km2)
Established1928
Governing bodyCalifornia Department of Parks and Recreation
Donner Camp
The Donner Party Memorial at Donner Memorial State Park
Donner Memorial State Park is located in California
Donner Memorial State Park
Donner Memorial State Park is located in the United States
Donner Memorial State Park
Nearest cityTruckee, California
AreaCalifornia
Built1846
NRHP reference No.66000218[1]
CHISL No.134[2]
Significant dates
Added to NRHPOctober 15, 1966
Designated NHLJanuary 20, 1961[3]
Beach at China Cove in Donner Memorial State Park

Donner Memorial State Park is a state park of California, US, preserving the site of the Donner Camp, where members of the ill-fated Donner Party were trapped by weather during the winter of 1846–1847. Caught without shelter or adequate supplies, members of the group resorted to cannibalism to survive. The Sierra Nevada site has been designated a National Historic Landmark. The state park contains the Emigrant Trail Museum and the Pioneer Monument dedicated to the travelers of the Emigrant Trail.

Donner Memorial State Park is located outside Truckee, California. It has 2.5 miles (4.0 km) of hiking trails, campgrounds, and 3 miles (4.8 km) of lake frontage on Donner Lake, east of Donner Pass. The 3,293-acre (1,333 ha) park was established in 1928.[4]

  1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. January 23, 2007.
  2. ^ "Pioneer Monument". Office of Historic Preservation, California State Parks. Retrieved October 10, 2012.
  3. ^ "Donner Camp". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. Archived from the original on November 14, 2007. Retrieved June 17, 2008.
  4. ^ "California State Park System Statistical Report: Fiscal Year 2009/10" (PDF). California State Parks: 32. Retrieved December 12, 2011. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)