The Balanced Rocking Stone is a 17 ton granite boulder that overlooks the town of Truckee. Some…read morecall it an irrelevant roadside attraction, a non notable geological anomaly, a boring local landmark, a incurious curiosity... whatever. Thus making this an irrelevant review. Supposedly in the past, the Washoe Native Americans took interest in it... some say revered it. In the 1860s, a museum was built next to it by the "prominent" citizen, CF McGlashan. That is long gone and what is next to it now is the Truckee Veterans Memorial Building and parking lot. The boulder no longer rocks as legend had it. There is a gazebo built on top of it and a steel staircase to the top. From the top, you can view parts of the town below and the mountain range in the distance. The view is nice. But it didn't take my breath away. Actually I had to hold my breath... beware the top of the boulder and gazebo is filled with bird poo and is not consistently maintained. Watch where you step. The landmark can be viewed in less than 10 minutes. But if you enjoy history and local folklore, it's worth checking out at least once if you have the time and inclination to do so. Sorry folks, my pics aren't very good. I don't have a full on view of the rock boulder.

"Bittersweet Story."…read more Right off the interstate, you can check out the history of this former town. There's not a lot to see, but the History Trail is mildly interesting, and also not too long. There's a rough little parking area right at the history trailhead. The trail is paved, and only slightly steep. It will probably take you 30 minutes round trip. I found the trail mildly interesting, but honestly, probably not worth repeating. There's a bathroom right at the parking area, but besides that, there are no facilities.

To experience 61 years of history in one hour, we stopped alongside Interstate 80, between Reno and…read moreTruckee, to explore the old Boca town site. From 1866 until 1927, the hard-working people of Boca labored on the railroad, milled local timber, harvested clear mountain ice, and brewed their famous Boca beer. Walking an easy quarter-mile long trail with interpretative signage, we saw the old school house flag pole rusted and bent by time. On our way to the hilltop cemetery, we found flattened cans, bedsprings, square-headed nails, broken whisky bottles and chips of porcelain littering the entire area. Boca, meaning "mouth" in Spanish, was originally established in 1866 as a Central Pacific Railroad construction camp, at the confluence of the Little Truckee and Truckee rivers. To process nearby timber for railroad ties, telegraph poles, and snow sheds, a lumber mill was set up in Boca in 1868. When the millpond froze in the winter of 1869, the Boca ice harvesting industry was born. Large blocks of clear ice, cut from the pond were used to air condition the deep Comstock mines and refrigerate railroad box cars full of fresh California produce heading east. We wandered around the crumbling foundation of one former ice storage house still standing alongside the railroad tracks. Boca ice was also used for the low temperature fermentation of lager beer, the town's greatest claim to fame. In 1876, Boca Brewery started a lager revolution on the west coast with its release of the first true California-made lager. The brewery was lost to fire in 1893, over-harvesting closed the saw mill in 1908, and modern refrigeration technology ended the ice industry. In 1927, the town of Boca was permanently dismantled. Our visit to the old Boca town site to experience its industrious 61-year history was an accessible stop and great value, costing us only one hour of our time. Directions: Take I-80 to Hirschdale exit, 6 miles east of Truckee. Follow the sign toward the Boca/Stampede Recreation Area. Go north 0.3 miles and turn right on the road immediately after the railroad tracks. The trail begins next to the restrooms.

Since our kids moved here several years back, we find ourselves traveling to this town pretty often…read morenow. They have tried to lure us to move here, but we keep reminding them we don't like snow. Accommodations are quite expensive-- especially during the high season, which is actually summer, not winter. But don't expect a deal in winter either. There is a lot to do in Truckee. For those who like mountain biking or hiking, there are tons of trails around. Naturally, there are several world-class ski resorts nearby as well. Expect to pay a lot. Truckee is one of the most beautiful places in Northern California. There's a good reason that people flock here. One of my favorite places to visit in town is the Fifty-Fifty" brewery. It is very close to Sierra Bible Church. On Sunday mornings you can get your spiritual enlightenment, and then follow it up with some liquid refreshment. If you go to the second service, the brewery will open about the time the church lets out. I'm not sure if they coordinated those times or not, but it works out well, at least for me. Truckee has so much snow, they have developed a world-class system of maintaining the roads. They actually teach other cities how to do it. There is an excellent State Park based upon the Infamous Donner party history. It's well worth taking the tour there. Now that our kids own a house here, we can avoid paying the expensive hotel bills. But I'm afraid our kids might make us shovel snow.

What more can I say then, Thank you, thank you, thank you, Town of Truckee-Truckee Donner…read moreRecreation & Parks Dept; for once again outdoing yourselves with the BEST fireworks show in California. Donner Lake was literally LIT up last night, with the MOST spectacular fireworks & finale show of all time! I can honestly write this, as I've had plenty of experiences with 4th of July firework shows, from around California (ie: numerous Bay Area locations, San Francisco Bay, North & South Lake Tahoe, boating at the Delta-fireworks put on by the Hilton Family), but none to date, have come even close to comparison, of the fireworks put on by the, Town of Truckee-Truckee Donner Recreation & Parks Dept, year after year. Because I can't personally thank each person, I'd like to take this opportunity to express my & my family's gratitude to EVERYONE; from the Town of Truckee, Town of Truckee personnel & road crew, Truckee Donner Rec & Parks Dept, Truckee Police Dept, Truckee Fire Dept, Truckee Hwy Patrol & to all those that volunteered, to make this day a special one. Thank you, for your time, patience & all of the hard work that was contributed & performed by every single person involved in making this years, 4th of July celebration at Donner Lake, amazing, fun & safe! You rock.

To write a complete review I must start 50 years ago. when I first became a fan of Truckee…read more Downtown Truckee was a quiet mix of rundown buildings with a few cool shops and awkward restaurants, think Viginia City without the mining. Hippies and the first wave of Subaru Wagons ruled the streets and alley ways of Downtown. The working-class people that worked around the north & west shores of Lake Tahoe mostly lived in Truckee or Kings Beach. Over the years Truckee grew and so did the tourism. Along came the rejuvenation and fancier shopping, eating, traffic, parking and gas prices that should make you blush. As Truckee took on a new persona of a Tahoe-esque destination. The housing got expensive and so did everything else. In 1993 Truckee incorporated and became a city. Along with this shiny new title this ushered in ways to support a city government. The Truckee Police and other city services were all in place by 2001. By 2005 the beginning of the question "now that we can attract tourists, how can we extract the most out of them?" Yes, paid parking, parking enforcement, traffic reduction, parallel parking, new taxes and fees. Today it is Sierra Nevada Mountain charm with unique shops, nice hotels and B & B inns, wine bars, expensive restaurants, art galleries, and 4 season recreation & adventure. Truckee is a short distance from Lake Tahoe and Donner Lake, and serves as a gateway to the growing areas like Northstar and Squaw Valley (don't come for me, that IS the name}. Downtown Truckee has charm and allure. The railroad museum is cool if you can figure out the hours. The Original Squeeze Inn has always been the draw for me and my family for more than 50 years, Thank You Shila and Crew. Oh, and the people that own the Sock Parlour are a horrible example of what the typical vibe is supposed to be in Historic Downtown Truckee.

This is a great community theatre and I am glad I was reintroduced to it! Easy parking, nice seats,…read moregood stage and good performances.

We went to see Fiddler On The Roof. What a great performance. The price is reasonable $28.00 a…read moreticket. Plenty of seating available. Seats were comfortable. Definitely would return to see other performances.

Located along the Donner Pass Road near the Donner Summit Historical Society, this marker points…read moreout some of the history of the area as travelers came and went, passing through here prior to the superhighway being built. Since then, the roadway is mostly used for local traffic and access to the ski resorts. "Before the coming of the hotels and ski areas, the only Summit industry was the railroad. There had been a few dairies, two ice houses, sheep and some lumbering, even a still on the hill, but the railroad was key to the Summit." "After the Summit Hotel burned along with a few hundred feet of snow sheds in 1892, there were few accommodations for travelers from Colfax to Donner Lake. That didn't much matter because most people, traveling over the Summit, came by train and were headed elsewhere. With the coming of the automobile, people wanted to travel and they wanted to travel freely. Hotels began springing up along popular routes." "Oscar Jones saw what was coming and took advantage. In 1924 he bought the land for the Soda Springs Hotel for $5,000. On December 10, 1927 the hotel opened to the public (top picture). Oscar's brother, Herstle, opened the Rainbow Tavern (Lodge) at the same time (and he would later open Nyack Lodge). With a railroad stop at Soda Springs, the popularization of skiing and the coming of ski resorts (Beacon Hill, Clair Tappaan, Lake Mary/Signal Hill) Highway 40 would be packed with fun seekers and the Soda Springs Hotel would do a good business. The railroad was no longer the chief Summit industry." "The coming of I-80 in 1960 took traffic away. People could go faster and farther. There was less need for Summit lodging." If you do decide to explore, be careful crossing the railroad tracks as there are more than one track so look both ways. [Review 17671 overall - 462 in California - 1192 of 2022.]

I went to this plaza on Saturday, March 23, 2019 to go to Jamba Juice. I also stopped in Starbucks…read moreand Panda Express. I should have stopped by Payless ShoeSource, as they are closing nationally and have good deals, but I didn't have time. I have been here many time over the past four plus years. This plaza is located at the southwest corner of US Route 395 and Topsy Lane, just past Clear Creek Plaza and the Carson City limit. It is technically in Douglas County, but has a Carson City postal address, as it is served by that post office. It has two entrances on US Route 395, one entrance on Topsy Lane, and a back entrance on Vista Grande Boulevard (by Costco). It is also right next to Clear Creek Plaza to the north, on Topsy Lane. This shopping center has a variety of useful and somewhat higher-end stores than the neighboring Clear Creek Plaza. The stores are: Armed Forces Career Center AT&T Bank of America Bed Bath & Beyond Best Buy Bike Habitat Boot Barn China Jade Horse Cost Plus World Market Dollar Tree EyeZone Nevada Famous Footwear Farmer's Insurance GameStop GNC In-N-Out Burger Jamba Juice La Salsa Grill Marshalls Mattress Firm Maurices Michaels Panda Express Payless ShoeSource (going out of business soon) Petco Pier One Imports Play It Again Sports Qdoba Mexican Eats Roger's Carpet One Floor & Home Round Table Pizza Senior Care Plus Sierra Sewing, Quilting, & Vacuums Starbucks (with drive-thru) TeamClips The UPS Store Ulta Beauty Verizon Wireless There used to be a Claire's, Quiznos, and Styles for Less here, but they closed. I love coming here as I always feel safe and have plenty of stores to choose from. I have always found there to be plenty of parking. It is a clean and well-maintained plaza, with just a few vacancies. The views from this plaza are also spectacular, as you can see the mountains on the west end and hills and desert on the east end.

Iconic hike with incredible, ever-changing views!…read more Round trip: ~11 miles, about 6-7 hours. Parking: Free, plenty of spaces. Restrooms: 4 unisex restrooms (very smelly). Water: No water fountain at the trailhead, so bring plenty of water. Cell service is poor. The hike starts at about 8,900 ft and climbs roughly 2,500 ft to the 10,776-ft summit. The first 2.5 miles are relatively flat and easy, making it a popular turnaround point for the waterfall. After that, it becomes a steep, strenuous climb with very few switchbacks. Dogs are allowed but must be leashed. During our hike, one unleashed dog kept running up and down the narrow trail at full speed, startling hikers and creating a safety hazard on the loose, steep sections. We asked the owner to leash the dog, but she ignored us. The summit is an extinct volcano. We hiked in mid-June 2026, there was still a section of snow and ice near the top that was extremely slippery. Hiking poles are highly recommended: I slipped and landed on my butt several times, and I'm grateful my friend was there to help me. The descent can be just as challenging because of the loose gravel and dirt, especially if you have bad knees. Definitely bring hiking poles. The scenery kept changing throughout the hike: Lake Tahoe views, forests, wildflower meadows, volcanic terrain, and snow near the summit. It was a tough hike, but the beautiful scenery made every step worth it.

We didn't hike to the real mountain summit, that's for the Sierra Clubbers. We got to the summit of…read morethe Mt Rose Highway. There's a nice parking area here and trail starting spots for hiking. We had our pick up truck on the super hot day down in the valleys. Here at over 8900 feet, the temps were much cooler and pleasant. We're on our way to Reno cause there's better food choices there than in North Tahoe. If you're not used to high altitude, it might be a little hard to breath. Living down in the Sac Valley in Red Bluff, I don't get much high altitude heavy breathing practice. Well, at high altitude anyways! If you're driving over the pass here, stop and check out this stopping spot.