Donner Lake Infrared Vista - Truckee California
by Mike Lee
Title
Donner Lake Infrared Vista - Truckee California
Artist
Mike Lee
Medium
Photograph - Digital Photography
Description
On a camping trip to the area in May 2025, my wife and I took a drive up Old Highway 40 out of Truckee, California, to see if we could access some popular railroad tunnels there. Alas, the snow was still too deep for us (although some more ambitious types were giving it a go). But on the way up there I pulled off at a scenic overlook and grabbed this image of Donner Lake using my full-spectrum modified camera fitted with a 720-nanometer near-infrared filter.
Donner Lake, nestled in California’s Sierra Nevada, lies just west of Truckee and is named after the ill-fated Donner Party of 1846. The lake sits at an elevation of about 6,000 feet and is over 300 feet deep. It was formed by glaciers during the Ice Age. Today, it's a hotspot for boating, fishing, and hiking. The scenic area offers a glimpse into both natural beauty and dramatic pioneer history, especially in nearby Donner Memorial State Park.
Rainbow Bridge, also known as the Donner Summit Bridge, spans a dramatic granite canyon above Donner Lake along the historic Old Highway 40. Built in 1926, it was an engineering marvel of its time and remains a beloved photo spot with panoramic views of the lake and surrounding Sierra peaks. The bridge is near the site of early transcontinental travel routes, including wagon trails and the first transcontinental railroad. It’s especially stunning when dusted with winter snow.
𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯𝘧𝘳𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘋𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘳 𝘓𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘣𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘴𝘯𝘰𝘸, 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘭 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘬𝘦𝘳𝘴, 𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘩𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘤 𝘮𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘴. 𝘈 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘢𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘢𝘣𝘪𝘯-𝘴𝘵𝘺𝘭𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘴, 𝘮𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘴, 𝘰𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘴𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘴. 𝘈 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘱𝘪𝘦𝘤𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘛𝘳𝘶𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘦 𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘴 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘏𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘸𝘢𝘺 40.
Uploaded
June 3rd, 2025
Embed
Share
