Donner Lake is a freshwater lake in Northeast California on the eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada and about 20 miles northwest of the much larger Lake Tahoe. The lake is located in the town of Truckee, between Interstate 80 to the north and Schallenberger Ridge to the south. Summer activities include: camping, picnicking, boating, fishing, water-skiing, wind-surfing, hiking, and mountain biking. Winter activities include cross-country skiing and snowshoeing. Donner Lake holds some of the biggest lake trout in the state.
Winter is a particularly beautiful time at Mono Lake. The crowds are gone, a quiet stillness prevails, and snow crystals sparkle on the tufa towers. Mono Lake is a majestic body of water in California covering about 65 square miles. It is an ancient lake, over 1 million years old -- one of the oldest lakes in North America. Many columns of limestone rise above the surface of Mono Lake. This type of limestone rock is referred to as tufa, which is a term used for limestone that forms in low to moderate temperatures.
