Back in 2017, a friend who I had met through Yelp first introduced me to this hike.
At the time, I remember one of the women in our carpool referring to it as "China Wall," but I never really knew what that name meant, until yesterday.
I had set out to hike to Donner Pass and back from the I-80 PCT trail head, but, once I got to Summit Haus, I decided that I wanted to continue on to the tunnels.
Even though it was close to 9am on Sunday, I seemed to be the only person there. This surprised me, because it's usually more on the crowded side.
Back in 2017, a few of us had wanted to hike through all of the tunnels, but not everyone in our group agreed. To be fair, it was only June, and we were wading ankle-deep in snow melt.
Ever since then, I've wanted to come back and hike through all of the tunnels. Yesterday, I was able to make that dream come true (by myself).
As you can see from my photos, I was walking for a long time. I didn't track the mileage, but it felt like I walked well over a mile each way.
I must have been out there for over two hours, because I didn't get back on the PCT at Donner Pass until noon (after a detour by Donner Ski Ranch).
In mid-August, there was barely any melted snow left on the ground. There were puddles in the middle of the tunnels, but they were relatively easy to avoid by walking closer to the walls.
However, at the end of the hike, where the tunnel disappears all the way into the pitch black mountain, I noticed icicles still hanging from the ceiling.
The further I hiked, the more bats I heard, smelled, and eventually saw. Some of the videos I took near the end of the tunnel show dozens of bats flying around.
If you are afraid of bats, this might not be the right hike for you.
To be honest, the graffiti art inside of the tunnels has always been one of the features that has drawn me back to this hike repeatedly. I enjoy walking through miles of graffiti. Some of it is really good.
But, once I reached the spot where the graffiti stopped, I saw the tunnels differently. There was something majestic and almost spiritual about the place where the sunlight stops shining into the caverns.
Here, you could clearly see what looked like infinite amounts of chisel marks. The rock surface was unlike any other I had ever seen.
Back at the other end of the tunnels (two miles away?), I noticed a mother discussing a sign very intensely with her son.
The sign asked visitors not to leave graffiti, explaining:
"The Chinese railroad workers spent two years on Donner Summit risking their lives and health to lay the rails and build the summit tunnels of the transcontinental railroad. They faced avalanche, accident, pneumonia, explosion, rock slide, disease, and cold, continual cold, in winter.
The railroad was the engineering marvel of the 19th Century. It opened California to the world and the world to California.
The sacrifices of the Chinese changed California and the nation. Their legacy and memorial are important features on Donner Summit-- the summit tunnels and the snowsheds. They celebrate the heroism of the Chinese and as such, are almost sacred spots."
After going home and reading a lot more about the Chinese railroad workers, I agree that something should be done to protect the tunnels, going forward.
On the other hand, a lot of people enjoy the miles of graffiti, to the extent that it's practically a landmark of its own.
Maybe there could be a compromise where certain sections can be used for graffiti, while the rest are better maintained and protected.
Whether you are more interested in the history or the art, the tunnels are definitely worth checking out.
The path at the top of the hill ends just across the street from the Pacific Crest Trail from Donner Summit to Castle Pass and Summit Lake.
Nearby places to eat include Summit Haus and Donner Ski Ranch. read more