Donner to Squaw

by Bill Oudegeest

For years my neighbor and I wistfully looked at the topo map contemplating a hike from Donner Summit to Squaw on the Pacific Crest Trail. Were we really men enough for the mountains though?

It turns out - yes - and it was a great hike. Most of the trail is really dramatic, following knife sharp ridges almost all the way. You can see it really is the Pacific Crest Trail. There are some huge trees, lots of great views, interesting rock formations, and creeks.

There are no people, roads, litter, or fast food stands. Since you can see each following major landmark, you can't get lost. We recommend the hike highly. Its is long, 15+ miles, but not overly strenuous unless you decide to go up to the top at the end. Leave one car at Squaw and park another car down the road from the Alpine Skills Institute at Donner Summit. The signs there mark the PCT to the summit.

The first 2.5 miles to Mt. Lincoln are all uphill, the steepest part at the beginning. Stop and see Roller pass before you get to Lincoln and imagine the wagons being hauled up one at a time by teams of oxen. Go on to Lincoln and imagine the first intrepid skiers hiking up the mountain a few times a day to ski down.

From Lincoln to Anderson Peak is four miles and on to Tinker's Knob is two more. It's relatively easy going with a little down hill even. At Tinker's there's a turn off for Truckee through Cold Stream Canyon. That looks good but if your car is at Squaw, you'd better go there.

The trail drops down into a valley and over some streams. You can see their sources which are sources of the North Fork of the American. Then it reaches the junction with the old PCT, the Painted Rock Trail which heads for Old Soda Springs and The Cedars (see the Old Soda Springs article). Take the fork that doesn't have a sign. It forks a little beyond there, the left fork (unmarked) heading for the Squaw Valley floor, the right uphill and steep to the top of Shirley Lift and Granite Chief.

We arrived at the top of Squaw at lunch time and had lunch with our wives. I would not suggest doing that though. The end of the hike, doing that, is really long and steep. The lunch waiting at the top is not that much to look forward to. Better would have been to turn of where the trail forked and headed for the valley floor. Lunch there, a drive to Tahoe, or into Pizzeria Classico in Truckee would have been better. We had earned it!

We could easily have broken the hike in two as well. A picnic lunch at Tinker's Knob with the fantastic views all around including Lake Tahoe, would have been great.