Day 96 - West Lake Tahoe, Donner Lake & Donner Railway Tunnels, CA

We packed up camp and left Lake Tahoe. Our plan today was to drive along the west side of the take to Tahoe City, a side of the lake we had never seen before. The drive was very pretty despite the smoke. We enjoyed the pull outs along the way with stunning views, our favourite being the ones looking out at Fannette Island in Emerald Bay. It is the only island in Lake Tahoe.

Many of the towns along the west shore were Swiss themed, we assume due to the ski resorts near by rather than the number of Swiss residents. There was a cycle path running along W Lake Blvd for almost the entire journey and we were surprised by the number of cyclist using it. Maybe those who would typically ski in the winter take up cycling as a sport in the summer? The cycle ride around the lake would be stunning but there were far too many steep hills for my liking. 

When we reached Tahoe City, we saw two Olympic signs. I hadn't realised until this trip that the 1960 Winter Olympics were at Squaw Valley, a huge ski resort next to Lake Tahoe. I'd always wanted to come to Lake Tahoe in the winter to try the skiing but now knowing it just how big of a resort it is and that it was the center stage in the 60's for winter sports, makes me want to come back even more! 

At Tahoe City, we turned west and headed to Donner Lake. a smaller but just as pretty lake right next door to Lake Tahoe.

Our first planned stop for the day was at the Donner Lake Railway Tunnels. We'd heard about these tunnels from a couple of websites and blogs we had viewed when planning the trip but they're not an official tourist attraction so finding them can be quite difficult. 

We used this website as a guide.

The tunnels are now abandoned but they were built for the transcontinental railroad and was the route where the first wagon train entered California. They were built in 1867 by Chinese laborers and only took 15 months to complete, impressive given they would have drilled and blown out the rock to make the tunnels. They were used until 1993 when the railway was rerouted. The tunnels now sit on private property (owned by the railway) so technically you probably shouldn't go trespassing but several thousand people come to visit them both in the summer and snow shoeing in the winter. Whilst we were there, there were plenty of visitors so we didn't feel too guilty. 

We started at the American Petroglyphs which are right next to the roadside and seem to cover the rock although I wonder how many are originals and how many might have been added to by more modern people. 

We then hiked up the hill to the tunnels, there is no real path and there is a lot of scrambling over rocks but we saw very young children (2-3 year olds) and a couple who were over 70 doing this so its not that bad. Once at the tunnels, the view is spectacular. Even without the tunnels, its worth the hike up just to see it. 

We visited the 3 main tunnels (there are more if you're willing to go on a long hike). Tunnel 6 was the most impressive and the scariest, this one has been built into the rock and has a real eerie feel to it.  Tunnels 7 & 8 are called snowsheds, they are square tunnels which look like they protect the train from falling rocks rather than going through the rock itself. 7 & 8 have a lot of graffiti, some of which is actually really good and others which just looks a mess. Rather than spoil the tunnels, I thought the graffiti made them more interesting especially as tunnel 8 is so long. 

There was a small bridge where the old road used to go underneath the railroad along with an old Lincoln Highway Sign. Its a very small tunnel and wouldn't be able to cope with the monster trucks we see on the road today. 

Finally, there is a the China Wall. This is a wall built by the Chinese workers to support the railroad and now is a historic monument to remember the hardship they went through in building the railway, the bravery and the many that died. 

China Wall

Bridge for Cars

Tunnel 7

Tunnel 6

Tunnel 8

Leaving a bit of us in the tunnels

We left Donner Lake and the Donner Tunnels and headed north to our destination for the evening, Lassen Volcanic National Park. The journey took us through forests, lakes, farmland and a couple of small towns before making our way into the National Park.