Great museum. Lots of information, tons of history in the area. Decorated very well with loads of historic artifacts. I don't really want to spoil it. Go and check it out. Great value. read more

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The story of the Donner Party (1846-1847) [Truckee CA] The Visitor Center isn't very big but nice... it features exhibits highlighting the Emigrant Experience, the Donner Party, the Land of the Washoe, Chinese construction of the railroad, and early motoring adventures over Donner Pass. The park rangers are informative and helpful. I was able to stamp my travel book with the name of the park and image of a prairie wagon. Clean bathrooms. Everything we've wanted to learn about the Donner Party were explained to us by the park volunteer who gave us a free one-hour tour. Historical tours are offered at 11:00a and 1:00p. Thanks, Ron! Very informative! Included with the tour is a short walk to the Murphy Cabin. The inscription on the rock read "The face of this rock formed the north end and the fireplace of the Murphy Cabin." It also listed the names of the members of the Donner Party, those who perished and survived (see photo). Donner Pass is now fairly easily traversed, but the Donner Party were up against feet of heavy snow, and the wagons they were traveling in were no match for a modern four wheel drive. The terrain is famously rugged, so imagine passing over it with no road. Review #3556 read more

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This is a great place to stop on the way to Tahoe or Donner. Right off the freeway and easy to find. Lots of parking - also easy to park your camper... Parking is $10 per car but the entrance to the museum is free. This is the museum about the Donner Party. It's a small museum, but very nicely done. Clean restrooms, friendly staff. AWESOME - really awesome bookstore and gift store. Books about the local area, hikes, wildlife, etc. I feel like it's worth it just to stop at the bookstore. Bring the kiddos and have a little history lesson. read more

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My eldest son is starting 4th grade this fall, and with two educator parents, the whole family ended up marrying California history with our summer vacation. After exploring Gold Country, we drove up the 80 and checked this place out. A new museum has replaced the older facility, and it is definitely an improvement. The entire grounds are pretty polished, with museum, the gift shop, the historic cabins, and the monument all within the park proper. This isn't Disneyland, so if you come with expectations of 4D rides, a petting zoo, and a high wire fairy act, you're gonna have a bad time. However, for history nerds like me, this was a pretty informative and enjoyable experience. Noting that such hypocrisy only goes so far, there are also Pokémon Go gyms here... oh, and camping, hiking, and exploring opportunities in the adjacent state park. Worth checking out, especially if you're into history, pioneer spirit, or you know... cannibalism. read more

Emigrant Trail Museum & Bookstore - Museums Near Me - Truckee, California

For the past few months I became obsessed with the story of the Donner Party. Its odd, I know, but I heard a podcast about it and read an entire book about them and well I may be a minor historian at this point. One Friday night we decided the next morning we were going to get up early and drive to Truckee (this was in November 2018). We drove from the Bay Area directly the Museum. I learned that during open season you can actually camp at the campgrounds here. You know Im dragging the kids here. You park in the lot and walk in. You pay for parking depending on the number of people in your party, or something like that. When you walk in there is a big TV screen that tells you what day in history the Donner's were at the same day you get to the museum. The day we got to the museum was the same day they arrived at Donner Lake. Which was November 4th, and there was already 3 ft of snow on the ground bak then. The day we came it was a beautiful sunny fall day. It was amazing to think about the magnitude of the their decisions and the differences we have now and what they went through. Did I say I was a little obsessed? The museum is small it only takes a few minutes to get through. I did take a seat and watch a short film about the rescuers. They have a small replica covered wagon. They even had a few of the artifacts from the actual Donner campsites. In the actual store I got some great books for the kids. I bought my son a comic book based on the Donner Party. It was a great way to introduce the history to your kids. We grabbed a magnet for the fridge to remember our visit. I loved it. I loved every second of it. If you're at all into this type of history stuff I would definitely recommend coming to visit. read more

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This is a MUST just for historical reasons......... A 26min video is with the viewing on the Donner Party! 8.00 parking fee witch in the winter you need to pay at the museum. This is just one of the "MUST" museums to see. read more

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I have always been fascinated with the story of the Donnor Party but never had a complete picture. This little museum was amazing. I did watch the 26 minute movie which felt like something you would have watched in elementary school in the 60s. But it was so interesting and gave an easily understood timeline. I then toured the rest of the museum to see the types of food/clothing, tools and other items they carried with them. They did a great job in preserving this part of history and I came away with more questions to investigate on my own. read more

I'm giving this 5 stars because I think history should always be preserved. This is the 2nd time I've come with visiting friends and the movie ended up being different than the 1st time a couple years ago. Both are essentially old slideshow type presentations with old photos or artist depictions. Like something you saw in elementary school in the 60s I imagine. BUT, I found both to be informative and engaging. Anyone complaining that it was old or corny should feel free to donate more funding to the CA Parks Dept. The museum is small but if you take the time to look at and read everything along with the film, you should walk out of there amazed at what people were willing to do to start a new life (versus today when we complain about slow wi-fi or no Starbucks on this particular corner.) Plus you pay $8 to park, see the museum, the movie and hang out in park as long as you want. Bargain if you ask me. read more

This is a cool little museum they have on a historic trail. Nice place for a pit stop before heading up hill to Rainbow Bridge.

Ok, the "video" is an ancient slide show. This is the Parks Dept. they don't have funding for fancy movies. Regardless of how crappy the visuals are, it's super interesting and tells the complete story of the Donner party and the other wagon trains. The lack of quality is actually kind of hilarious. The room where you see the movie also has an amazing butterfly collection from a local historic naturalist as well as lots of great paintings of the pioneers, gold rush era, etc. The gift shop has a really great selection of guide books/nature books, local history books, outdoorsy stuff... They also have an awesome case of taxidermied local animals. I mean, ranger stations are cool and if you're not into them you won't be into this place. The coolest part, though, is the room of really well done dioramas depicting every aspect of western history, complete with cases of real artifacts. Check it out, and don't bitch about paying for parking: they have to get their funding somewhere and it's not going to be Sacramento. read more

Really enjoyed this. Being a descendant from the graves family that was in the Donner party, I found the history here very interesting.

Great little museum with interesting information about not only the Donner Party but also all of those who walked across the country in order to start a new life in the west. The area is beautiful to hike around and there are picnic tables for lunch. Great place for history buffs. read more

A wonderful look at the Donner party and it's misfortunes as well as other historical events that shaped the area. The "movie" they show is okay but don't wait to see if it you need to get somewhere or you have to wait 30 mins or more as it's very low budget. The parking fee also covers the museum entrance fee for everyone in the car. read more

It's worth visiting if you are in the area. The lack of funding is obvious, but having a museum based around such a specific event is rare and this place should stay open. I come every time I'm in the area. Such a great educational opportunity. They charge $8 for parking but nothing for admission. read more

Emigrant Trail Museum & Bookstore - Museums Near Me - Truckee, California

I couldn't go through this area without seeing this part of CA history regarding the Donner Party and the other families. It does cost $8/car to park, but the upside is you can use the same pass throughout the day at other state parks that charge by the car. We used it at the Marshall Gold Discovery State Park later in the day. The museum has been recently done. I thought they did a great job. I read everything from top to bottom and watched the video; all this took about 1 1/2 hours. If you ask the rangers, they will give you a map where each family's cabin was located. The museum is located where the Murphy Family had their cabin. And the statue is located where the Breen family had their cabin. read more

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While in Truckee, it's worth the time to tour this museum of California history. The museum is free; parking is $10. You could circle through the exhibits in half an hour, or stay longer for the Donner Party Film. Reminisce about the hardships of travel 150 years ago through artifacts, journal excerpts, and commentary. Steps away is the memorial to California pioneers (not exclusively the ill-fated Donner party). And Beyond the memorial are great hiking trails, to extend the homage to all of those adventure-seekers who traversed the Sierra-Nevada Range before trains, roads, cars, or (importantly) GPS. read more

This museum is sad, triumphant, fun, educational, and beautifully designed. It won't take a huge bite out of your day, but it will have a significant impact on your understanding of history. read more

They just reopened this museum and we happened to go on grand opening, which meant it was free. It's really very compelling and engaging. My children asked me a lot of questions and we were able to discuss everything from Henry Ford to China to the Gold Rush. It invites questions and tells the stories well. It's small so also very manageable to pop in for 30-45min. read more

A bit of a disappointment. Exhibits lack substance and are on the thin side. Nice building and there is no cost if you park outside the park. read more

We came all the way up here and discovered it is closed on Tuesdays. When we drove back up on Wednesday (because I just had to see it) it was a very nice museum. The movie on filmstrip is AWFUL... so old and corny and bordering on hysterically funny. I almost can picture Joel and the bots from MST3000 sitting in the bottom of the screen commenting on this miserable piece of cinematography. I'm sure the Donners, the Reeds and all the rest turn over in their graves every time that film is played. Still, it is a nice museum, and they are building a new one adjacent to this old one. I hope they get a new movie too! read more

This is a wonderful museum off the highway to stop and visit. We were able to see everything the museum offered, the exhibits, sites, and video. We were also able to enjoy a nice picnic and take some great family photos of our visit. Great experience, definately worth a stop! read more

Very interesting. You don't need to spend hours here but it is very informative. Has the memorial. There is a short movie that also goes into the story. Although the museum is free, you have to go in and pay for the parking - go back out and leave on your dash. Went through time and you can see the story and progression of the area. Worth stopping by if you are in the area. It was warm and not sure if the air conditioning was working. read more