Schallenberger Ridge

Looming above Donner Lake, just off Interstate 80 in the central
Sierra Nevada, Schallenberger Ridge would make a spectacular ski resort
in this popular year-round tourist area. The ridge is named for Moses
Schallenberger, who wintered there in 1844, two winters before the
Donner Party of emigrants got trapped nearby to begin a legendary
episode of pioneer hardship. Development on Schallenberger Ridge would
dramatically alter the atmosphere of Donner Lake Memorial State Park,
which commemorates that event, and protection of the ridge has been a
conservation priority for years.

Working with the Truckee Donner Land Trust, TPL completed the
protection of the entire 1,923-acre Ridge in April 2003. The addition of
the ridge to an existing state park will triple its size and provide a
magnificent keystone to the new 25-mile Donner Lake Rim Trail, a popular
hiking and biking route.