High in the snow-laden Sierra Nevada of California, nestled above Donner Lake and surrounded by jagged cliffs, lies one of the most haunting and historically rich hiking routes in the American West: the Donner Pass Tunnels. These abandoned railway tunnels, cut through solid granite in the 1860s, are more than remnants of an industrial past—they are a living monument to labor, resilience, and survival.
Located near the town of Truckee, these tunnels were built by the Central Pacific Railroad as part of the first Transcontinental Railroad. One of the most iconic segments is Tunnel #6, hand-dug by Chinese immigrant workers under brutal winter conditions, with little more than dynamite and primitive tools. They bore through over 500 feet of solid mountain, at altitudes where snowstorms can bury the land for months.
Today, hikers can explore the Donner Pass Railroad Trail, a roughly 1.5-mile (2.4 km) route that weaves through multiple abandoned tunnels, offering jaw-dropping views of alpine forests, granite ridges, and the distant glimmer of Donner Lake. Inside the tunnels, graffiti mixes with natural decay. Water drips from cracks. Echoes amplify every footstep. The effect is eerie, reverent, and unforgettable.
But the region holds deeper stories still. In 1846, just below these very cliffs, the ill-fated Donner Party became snowbound and, facing starvation, turned to cannibalism. That infamous episode haunts the pass to this day, casting a shadow over even the brightest summer hike. As you walk through the cold, echoing darkness of the tunnels, it’s hard not to feel the weight of history pressing in.
The tunnels are technically open to the public year-round, though no official amenities exist. Visitors should come prepared with flashlights, sturdy footwear, and weather-appropriate clothing. Snow and ice linger long into spring, and the area can be slippery or disorienting. But for those who venture in, the reward is profound: a passage not just through rock, but through memory.
Donner Pass is not a theme park—it’s an unpolished fragment of the past, where ghosts of steam engines, miners, and pioneers still seem to linger in the shadows.
