Donner Peak

Donner Peak is located one mile southeast of Donner Pass, on land managed by Tahoe National Forest. It is situated in the Sierra Nevada mountain range, with precipitation runoff from the peak draining to Donner Lake. Topographic relief is modest as the summit rises {{convert|2,100|ft|m|abbr=off|sp=us}} above Donner Lake in 1.5 mile. Neighbors include George R. Stewart Peak, {{convert|1|mi|km|spell=in}} to the north, and line parent Mount Judah, {{convert|0.73|mi|km}} to the south. The Pacific Crest Trail traverses the west slope of the peak, providing an approach from Donner Pass. Round-trip hiking distance to summit is {{convert|3.5|mi|km}} with {{convert|940|ft|m}} of elevation gain.Caroline Hinchliff (2020), Moon Drive & Hike Pacific Crest Trail, Avalon Publishing, {{ISBN|9781640492134}}

This landform's toponym was officially adopted in October 1940 by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names, having appeared on an 1873 topographic map made by California Geological Survey. The mountain was also called "Donner Peak" during 1865 construction of the route for the Central Pacific Railroad.George Edward Gray (1865), Central Pacific Railroad of California: Report of George E. Gray Upon the Constructed Road and the Located Route, Made July 31, 1865, H.S. Crocker & Company, p. 7 The railroad originally traversed the steep north cliffs of the peak via tunnels and snow sheds before the 10,322-foot-long (3,146 m) Tunnel #41 running under Mount Judah and Donner Peak was opened in 1925. The peak, pass, and lake are named for the ill-fated Donner Party who spent the winter of 1846–1847 snowbound at the east end of Donner Lake.[https://highways.dot.gov/highway-history/general-highway-history/back-time/hastings-cutoff-and-highway-80-tragedy-donner Rickie Longfellow, The Hastings Cutoff and Highway 80 Tragedy of the Donner Party, fhwa.dot.gov]

According to the Köppen climate classification system, Donner Peak is located in an alpine climate zone.{{cite encyclopedia |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Sierra-Nevada-mountains/Climate |title=Climate of the Sierra Nevada |encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica}} Most weather fronts originate in the Pacific Ocean and travel east toward the Sierra Nevada mountains. As fronts approach, they are forced upward by the peaks (orographic lift), causing them to drop their moisture in the form of rain or snowfall onto the range. Donner Pass averages {{convert|51.6|in|mm}} of precipitation per year,{{cite journal|url=http://www.sierracollege.edu/ejournals/jscnhm/v2n1/climatesummary.html|title=Climate Summary of Donner Summit, California 1870–2001|journal=Journal of the Sierra College Natural History Museum|date=Winter 2009|volume=2|issue=1|access-date=2022-07-05|archive-date=2013-02-24|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130224175517/http://www.sierracollege.edu/ejournals/jscnhm/v2n1/climatesummary.html|url-status=dead}} and with an average of {{convert|411.5|in|m|2}} of snow per year, it is one of the snowiest places in the contiguous United States.{{cite web|url=http://www.thestormking.com/Weather/Sierra_Snowfall/sierra_snowfall.html|title=Donner Summit Snowfall and Snowpack 1879–2011|work=Central Sierra Snow Laboratory|publisher=University of California, Berkeley}} There are five ski areas at Donner Pass.

• {{Portal-inline|Mountains|size=tiny}}
• Donner Pass

{{reflist}}

• Donner Peak Rock Climbing: [https://www.mountainproject.com/area/119154101/donner-peak Mountainproject.com]
• Donner Peak weather: [https://www.mountain-forecast.com/peaks/Donner-Peak/forecasts/1500 Mountain-forecast.com]

Category:Two-thousanders of the United States

Category:Mountains of Northern California

Category:Tahoe National Forest

Category:Mountains of the Sierra Nevada (United States)

Category:Mountains of Placer County, California