Maps of the Donner party

Trail of the Donner Party

November October September August July June May April

James Reed’s Map of the Humboldt River and Sierra Nevada

James Reed’s map

Routes of the Snowshoe party and Relief parties

Map of the Snowshoe Party route

Locations of Camps and Trails

Map drawn by William Graves for C.F. McGlashan, 1879

William Grave’s map

  1. Truckee's (now Donner) Lake
  2. Schallenberger's Cabin - Breens (site of present Donner Monument)
  3. Keseberg's Addition to Schallenberger Cabin
  4. Big Rock (in Donner Memorial park)
  5. Cabin built against Big Rock - Murphys and Eddys
  6. Graves’ Cabin, with Addition for Reeds, Stanton, Luis and Salvadore (on Donner Creek north of present Interstate 80 Agricultural Inspection Station)
  7. Roads (present Hwy 89 from Alder Creek to Truckee, old Hwy 40 from Truckee to summit via north shore of Lake, and trail up Coldstream Canyon south of Lake)
  8. Branch of Truckee's River (now Donner Creek)
  9. Donner Tent
  10. Donner Tent (It is not known exactly where these tents were, but Mrs. Wolfinger stayed with the George Donners, and the teamsters apparently built another tent nearby.
  11. (now Alder) Creek
  12. (now Prosser) Creek

Camps and trails shown with present roads
Trail location based on Graydon’s Trail of the First Wagons Over the Sierra Nevada

Map of camps and trails

For further details, including how to locate the Trail today, see the books listed in the bibliography of Donner sources.