All Locations > California > Lake Tahoe > I-80 Corridor

Donner Summit Rock Climbing

Climbing Area Map

Areas in Donner Summit

Baboon Crag 6

Babylon Crag 11

Bastille (aka Nursery School) Slab 4

Bat Wall 5

Black Wall 66

Cuckoo's Nest 8

Donner Peak 12

Dragon's Nest 5

Freeway Slab 4

Gemstone Wall 4

Goldilocks Wall 7

Green Phantom Rock 20

Grouse Slab 39

Hidden Wall 2

Lake Angela Cliffs 10

Lower Slabs 4

North Star Wall 13

PCT Cliff 9

Peanut Gallery, The 15

Perch, The 6

Rest Stop Cliffs 35

Road Cut, The 12

School Rock 21

Shark Wall 5

Snowshed Wall 76

South Star Wall 26

Space Wall 11

Stealth Wall 8

Sun Wall 1

Talus Wall 5

Train Time Wall 9

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Use onX Backcountry to explore the terrain in 3D, view recent satellite imagery, and more. Now available in onX Backcountry Mobile apps! For more information see this post.

Elevation:	7,051 ft	2,149 m
GPS:	39.31776, -120.32418 Google Map · Climbing Area Map
Page Views:	1,289,012 total · 4,658/month
Shared By:	Brian Quiter on Oct 7, 2002 · Updates
Admins:	Aron Quiter, Lurk Er, Ky Bishop, Colby Wangler, Mike Morley, Adam Stackhouse, Salamanizer Ski, Justin Johnsen, Vicki Schwantes Page Updates (admin only)

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Description

Donner Summit is one of the crown jewels of climbing in Tahoe, featuring trad, sport, bouldering, and multi-pitch, all on high-quality granite, perched above Donner Lake and Truckee.

Donner Summit generally covers crags and boulders situated between Donner Pass Road (i.e., Old Highway 40) and Interstate 80. Most of the walls are accessed via Donner Pass Road, with a few exceptions accessed from I-80 (Babylon, Bat Wall, PCT Cliff, Freeway Slab).

Summer is the prime time to climb on the Summit, with spring and fall offering excellent conditions as well. The Summit is typically snowed-in in the winter, although a few crags (e.g., southwest face of Grouse Slab) can be climbed year-round.

Although many climbers will flock to popular walls like Snowshed, gems can be found everywhere, and it's not hard to find solitude if you're willing to hike a little further. A dip in Donner Lake and some beers on the dock can be a great way to finish off a day of sending.

Getting There

Drive on Interstate 80 from outside the Donner area.

From the west, take exit 174 at Soda Springs, and follow Donner Pass Road just past the ski areas where large rocks appear on both sides of the road.

From the east, take exit 184 just past Truckee for Donner Pass Road. Drive past the lake, and up to your destination.

Lots of this area's destinations use the Pacific Crest Trail -the local path of least resistance - as art of their approach, especially on the north side of the road.

Lodging

Camping near the climbing is illegal, but doesn't seem to be too severely enforced. If that troubles you, seasonally there's camping on the opposite side of Donner Lake (see Donner Memorial State Park's website for details), and both cabins and hotels accommodations in from there to Truckee, which is an ample source of nearby food and entertainment.

Granite Flat Campground opens earlier each year than Donner Memorial SP. It is located a few miles south of Truckee on highway 89. It currently costs $22/night for a single vehicle site. It's not the most remote campsite as it is directly adjacent to 89, but has decent toilets and well water.

459 Total Climbs

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Classic Climbing Routes at Donner Summit

Mountain Project's determination of the classic, most popular, highest rated climbing routes in this area.

5.8 5b 16 VI- 15 HVS 4c 241 ● Jellyroll Arch Trad 2 pitches Grouse Slab > E Face
5.9 5c 17 VI 17 HVS 5a 384 ● One Hand Clapping Trad 4 pitches Black Wall > 1. Black Wall - Left
5.9 5c 17 VI 17 HVS 5a 283 ● Black September Trad Black Wall > 3. Black Wall - Right
5.9 5c 17 VI 17 HVS 5a 133 ● Touch and Go Trad 4 pitches Black Wall > 1. Black Wall - Left
5.9+ 5c 17 VI 17 E1 5a 314 ● Nova Express Trad Snowshed Wall > E Face > 3. E Face Main
5.10a 6a 18 VI+ 18 E1 5a 285 ● Bottomless Topless Trad, TR Snowshed Wall > N Face > 1. N Face Main
5.10b 6a+ 19 VII- 19 E2 5b 272 ● Farewell To Arms Trad Snowshed Wall > E Face > 3. E Face Main
5.10b 6a+ 19 VII- 19 E2 5b 155 ● Firecracker Trad Black Wall > 1. Black Wall - Left
5.11a 6c 22 VII+ 22 E3 5c 266 ● Aerial Sport Snowshed Wall > N Face > 1. N Face Main
5.11a 6c 22 VII+ 22 E3 5c 229 ● Peter Principle Trad, TR Snowshed Wall > N Face > 1. N Face Main
5.11a 6c 22 VII+ 22 E3 5c 135 ● Made In Japan Sport Space Wall
5.11a/b 6c 23 VIII- 23 E3 5c 144 ● Little Feat Sport Snowshed Wall > E Face > 3. E Face Main
5.12a 7a+ 25 VIII+ 25 E5 6a 160 ● Monkey Paws Trad Snowshed Wall > N Face > 1. N Face Main
5.12a 7a+ 25 VIII+ 25 E5 6a 100 ● Cookie Mix Sport S Star Wall
5.12b/c 7b+ 27 IX- 27 E6 6b 83 ● Panic In Detroit Trad, TR Snowshed Wall > N Face > 1. N Face Main