Donner Pass Summit Tunnels 🚂
Truckee, California

Feeling a bit like I was within a 5th grade unit of study on Westward Expansion, I walked through the train tunnels created for the Transcontinental Railroad, named after the Donner family, pioneers who wanted so badly to make it to the Golden west that they attempted to cross the Sierra Nevadas. And we know how that ended. Anyway, it was fitting since I would be starting September back in an elementary classroom. And it was fitting because I spend many of my photo expeditions exploring abandoned places. Here is my exploration of these historical tunnels.

Very easy access from this location. You can just walk right in. But be prepared for lots of other people… families with children, international travelers, mall-walking seniors with walking sticks and headlamps.

Looking at this rock it is difficult to not acknowledge who is responsible–the most dangerous tasks while constructing the Transcontinental Railroad were carried out by Chinese immigrants… so all those that involved blowing up the mountain with dynamite. Would any of them know that their tunnels would be used for 125 years for train travel and then hold the exploring feet of countless explorers thereafter? I bet not.

The first tunnel gets very dark, as does the last one. A flashlight or headlamp is necessary. The tunnels in-between have dramatic light pouring through… which you’ll see below.

Some of the art is very impressive. Some of it is not.

This shot orientates you a bit.

Did I mention the bats? Parts of the tunnels have tons of bats. Play this with the volume on to hear them.

The last, very dark, tunnel. It’s about 2 miles one way.

The tunnels from afar.

This was a very cool stop! I was looking forward to seeing the tunnels and they did not disappoint. Again, I was taken aback by how many people were also exploring, but they wound up being a pleasant addition to the experiences.