Donner Summit
Donner Pass (near Truckee) · near Truckee · Sierra Nevada / Yosemite
Rock Climbing
At a glance
- Skill level
- intermediate
- Grade range
- 5.6 to 5.12 · Good sport and trad options across the spectrum
- Best season
- June–October · Snow at 7,000ft closes the area in winter
Permits and booking
- Permit
- No permit for most Donner Summit crags. Some areas accessed through Donner Memorial State Park — standard day use fee applies.
Worth knowing
- Good for a first timer
- Yes
Rock Climbing detail
- Climb types
- trad · sport · top-rope
- Rock type
- Granite — glacially polished, excellent friction and features
- Route count
- 400+ routes on multiple crags in the Donner Summit area
- Signature routes
- Body Surfin' USA (5.8) · For Your Eyes Only (5.10a) · Old and In the Way (5.7)
- First timer note
- Donner Summit is the best transition area in the Sierra Nevada for gym climbers stepping outside for the first time. Sport routes are well-bolted and accessible, the rock is excellent granite, and guide services are available. The setting is stunning without being intimidating.
- Intl tip
- Truckee, 10 minutes from Donner Summit, is one of the most complete small mountain towns in California — craft breweries, excellent restaurants, and a historic commercial strip that feels genuinely western. Combine climbing with an evening in downtown Truckee and a night under Sierra stars at Donner Memorial State Park.
The guide
Donner Pass is where the transcontinental railroad crossed the Sierra Nevada in the 1860s, and where the Donner Party made thei…
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to Donner Summit — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 39.3198, -120.3373