Donner Pass

American  

[don-er] / ˈdɒn ər /

noun

1. a mountain pass in the Sierra Nevada, in E California. 7,135 feet (2,175 meters) high.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Donner Pass

The group set out from the Johnson Canyon, on Donner Pass, and rode to nearby Castle Peak, according to the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 6, 2026

For Californians, crossing the fabled Donner Pass and descending to Lake Tahoe is one of those essential rites of passage.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 9, 2025

The area near Donner Pass, a famously bad place to get stuck in the snow in a covered wagon, had its snowiest March since 1952.

From Slate ● Apr. 3, 2023

The Central Sierra Snow Lab off Interstate 80 near Donner Pass, near 7,000 feet, measured a “rain-soaked” 9.3 inches of snow Friday and has tallied 617 inches of snow since October.

From Washington Post ● Mar. 11, 2023

The most famous of these is the one across Donner Pass and through Emigrant Gap.

From The Lake of the Sky Lake Tahoe in the High Sierras of California and Nevada, its History, Indians, Discovery by Frémont, Legendary Lore, Various Namings, Physical Characteristics, Glacial Phenomena, Geology, Single Outlet, Automobile Routes, Historic Towns, Early Mining Excitements, Steamer Ride, Mineral Springs, Mountain and Lake Resorts, Trail and Camping Out Trips, Summer Residences, Fishing, Hunting, Flowers, Birds, Animals, Trees, and Chaparral, with a Full Account of the Tahoe National Forest, the Public Use of the Water of Lake Tahoe and Much Other Interesting Matter by George Wharton James

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