At the eastern end of Donner Lake, this state-run park occupies one of the sites where the doomed Donner Party got trapped during the fateful winter of 1846–47. Though its history is gruesome, the park is gorgeous and has a sandy beach, picnic tables hiking trails and wintertime cross-country skiing and snowshoeing. The entry fee includes admission to the excellent Emigrant Trail Museum , which has fascinating, if admittedly macabre historical exhibits and a 25-minute film re-enacting the Donner Party’s horrific plight.
The new and more multicultural High Sierra Crossing Museum sits completed across the parking lot; it's scheduled to replace the other museum when funding becomes available. Outside, the Pioneer Monument has a 22ft pedestal – the exact depth of the snow piles that horrendous winter. A short trail leads to a memorial at one family’s cabin site.
