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State park

Donner Memorial State Park

California

About

Donner Memorial State Park is a California state park managed by State Park and Recreation, about 5 miles from the town of Soda Springs. It sits within the Truckee Ranger District of Tahoe National Forest, so the surrounding land is a mix of state park and national forest. Summer is the most comfortable time to visit. Typical averages from a nearby weather station show July highs around 82°F with lows near 44°F, and only about two wet days that month. Winter is much colder, with January highs around 41°F and lows near 17°F. Several outdoor spots lie close by. Black Wall Boulder is about a mile away, and Donner Creek offers canoeing at a similar distance. The Emigrant Trail is about 1.7 miles off, and Granite Flat campground is roughly 4 miles away.

Park size

3,607 acres

Inside this park

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Location

Donner Memorial State Park

California

Data source: USGS PAD-US 4.1 (Protected Areas Database, public domain)

Facts about this place

When to go

Best time to go: May–Oct. The mildest months here, with typical highs of 63–82°F and lows of 29–44°F.

Typical monthly averages (not a forecast) from the Donner Mem Sp, CA weather station, 2.7 mi away. High / low in °F.

  1. Jan41° high17° low
  2. Feb43° high18° low
  3. Mar48° high22° low
  4. Apr53° high26° low
  5. May63° high33° low
  6. Jun73° high38° low
  7. Jul82° high44° low
  8. Aug81° high42° low
  9. Sep74° high36° low
  10. Oct63° high29° low
  11. Nov49° high23° low
  12. Dec39° high17° low

Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020

Where it is

Nearest town
Soda Springs, California · 5.2 mi
Managed by
State Park and Recreation

Source: USFS EDW boundaries; USGS PAD-US 4.1; USGS GNIS populated places

Conditions

Active alerts for Tahoe National Forest as of Oct 9, 2026:

Source: USFS forest alerts

Nearby

Source: Roamze catalog (indexable pages within 10 miles, PostGIS distance)

Is Donner Memorial State Park open right now?

Alert in the area

The Forest Service lists 2 alerts for Tahoe National Forest.

As of · Source: USFS · Tahoe National Forest. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.

Best time to visit Donner Memorial State Park

Best months: May–September. Best months have typical highs of 55–85 °F, lows of 30 °F or warmer (32 °F where the station doesn't record snow), at most one snowy day and no more than 12 wet days.

  1. Jan

    41° / 17°

    11 wet

  2. Feb

    43° / 18°

    10 wet

  3. Mar

    48° / 22°

    10 wet

  4. Apr

    53° / 26°

    7 wet

  5. May

    63° / 33°

    6 wet

  6. Jun

    73° / 38°

    3 wet

  7. Jul

    82° / 44°

    2 wet

  8. Aug

    81° / 42°

    2 wet

  9. Sep

    74° / 36°

    2 wet

  10. Oct

    63° / 29°

    4 wet

  11. Nov

    49° / 23°

    7 wet

  12. Dec

    39° / 17°

    10 wet

Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Donner Mem Sp, CA, 2.7 mi away at 5,937 ft. We don't have this place's elevation, so higher spots nearby can run cooler. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.