KYBURZ FLAT INTERPRETIVE SITE

We imagine you have this magazine issue folded up and tucked under one arm as you head out to tackle every hike in this story. If so, Kyburz Flat Interpretive Site is just down the road from the Donner Camp Picnic Site, providing easy access for your adventures. Just continue north along HWY 89 for about 12 miles, pulling onto the dirt road on your right that leads to the historical site located a mile up. Kyburz Flat, listed in the National Register of Historic Places, will take you on a journey of anthropological history from the area’s Native American population to the Basque.

First, consider the lives of early humans as you experience 2,000-year-old petroglyphs known as cupules. Then, head over to the boardwalk lined neatly with markers telling the story of the original Henness Pass Road. This former bustling highway allowed for travel to mining camps along the Yuba River. See where More’s Station and Hotel used to stand, see the remnants of an old well, and imagine what life was like for the Basque as you gaze at their still-standing Sheep Camp Bread Oven.

Find out: How deep was the well at More’s way station that offered guests fresh drinking water?

Donner Lakeshore Interpretive Trail

Probably the prettiest interpretive hike on this list, the Donner Lakeshore Interpretive Trail is an easy 2.5-mile round-trip path with markers that discuss the area’s history and ecology. Children, leashed pets, and adults will enjoy this easy and informative walk.

The first markers remind us that we’re borrowing “these forests from our children.” Fifth graders at Glenshire Elementary created the ceramic tiles as part of a project to help students understand the complexity of the forest. Enjoy the hand-drawn images and words of wisdom created by some of Truckee’s past youth. A little further down, find informative markers outlining Donner Lake’s basic geology, local ecology, and Native American lives.

To access the hike, drive into Donner Memorial State Park ($10 per car entry fee applies) and leave your car at the Donner Lake Swim Area parking lot, where the trail begins.

Find out: The Glenshire students’ ceramic tile project was completed sometime in the 1900s. How old are those former 5th graders now?