Truckee Springs
There are so many different things that you can go and see at the Truckee Springs. No matter who you are with or what time of the year there is always something for everyone. Below are just some of the amazing options that Truckee Springs has to offer. To see a full list of the activities click here.
Truckee Springs
On the south side of the Truckee River in downtown is a conspicuous piece of open space filled with aspen, sage and bitter brush known as Truckee Springs. Developers have long eyed this beautiful 26-acre riverfront property, which provides critical wildlife habitat and contains some of Truckee’s richest history. The Truckee Donner Land Trust, working closely with the Town of Truckee, is now under contract to purchase Truckee Springs, preserving and opening this previously inaccessible Land forever as natural open space for public enjoyment. (Source)
The timing of this conservation effort couldn’t be more perfect. Concern that Truckee is losing its charm, character and funkiness has grown in recent years; protecting open space in the downtown core, rather than building yet another subdivision, will help preserve what we love about this place. (Source)
This property is Truckee’s golden spike. It will connect downtown to the river. Connect the public to inaccessible lands all along the south bank of the river. And maintain a critical connection for wildlife between the water’s edge and thousands of acres of upland habitat. If there’s ever been a rallying cry for the community, it’s this rare chance to preserve Truckee Springs. (Source)
Access and Recreation
Trapped behind a legacy of historic industrial uses, the Truckee River has been blocked and fenced off from downtown Truckee for decades. For nearly 20 years, the Truckee Donner Land Trust has dreamt of protecting these 26 acres and opening dozens more of inaccessible public lands to the public, creating miles of access along the south bank of the Truckee River. (Source)
Imagine grabbing a to-go bag from your favorite downtown restaurant and heading to a picnic table alongside the Truckee River under an aspen tree. Or running along the Legacy Trail to the Riverview Sports Park. Or as a visitor without the need for a car, arriving on Amtrak and jumping on a bicycle to pedal from downtown to Donner Lake. (Source)
The Ice Palace
Preserving this land is preserving a piece of our collective history. C.F. McGlashan, a driving force in Truckee’s early days famous for putting the Donner Party’s story to paper, picked this property to be the site of his Ice Palace and the “Fiesta of Snows” in 1913. (Source)
It was an early attempt at moving beyond railroad and timber as the engines of Truckee’s economy, vying for the attention of tourists in the winter months. He picked the property’s pond for an ice-skating rink, and built a dance hall and several rooms with fireplaces for people to rest after a day of playing in the snow. Two new toboggan runs made for exciting rides of more than a mile from Hilltop down to the front of the Ice Palace. A mechanical lift transported riders back up the hill. (Source)
The event was a success, and an even larger one took place the following winter – but it would unfortunately come to an end when the palace burned to the ground in 1916. (Source)
Source: Land Trust, Truckee Donner. “Truckee Springs.” Truckee Donner Land Trust, 2022, https://www.truckeedonnerlandtrust.org/truckee-springs.
There are so many different things that you can go and see at the Truckee Springs. No matter who you are with or what time of the year there is always something for everyone. Below are just some of the amazing options that Truckee Springs has to offer. To see a full list of the activities click here.
Truckee Springs
On the south side of the Truckee River in downtown is a conspicuous piece of open space filled with aspen, sage and bitter brush known as Truckee Springs. Developers have long eyed this beautiful 26-acre riverfront property, which provides critical wildlife habitat and contains some of Truckee’s richest history. The Truckee Donner Land Trust, working closely with the Town of Truckee, is now under contract to purchase Truckee Springs, preserving and opening this previously inaccessible Land forever as natural open space for public enjoyment. (Source)
The timing of this conservation effort couldn’t be more perfect. Concern that Truckee is losing its charm, character and funkiness has grown in recent years; protecting open space in the downtown core, rather than building yet another subdivision, will help preserve what we love about this place. (Source)
This property is Truckee’s golden spike. It will connect downtown to the river. Connect the public to inaccessible lands all along the south bank of the river. And maintain a critical connection for wildlife between the water’s edge and thousands of acres of upland habitat. If there’s ever been a rallying cry for the community, it’s this rare chance to preserve Truckee Springs. (Source)
Access and Recreation
Trapped behind a legacy of historic industrial uses, the Truckee River has been blocked and fenced off from downtown Truckee for decades. For nearly 20 years, the Truckee Donner Land Trust has dreamt of protecting these 26 acres and opening dozens more of inaccessible public lands to the public, creating miles of access along the south bank of the Truckee River. (Source)
Imagine grabbing a to-go bag from your favorite downtown restaurant and heading to a picnic table alongside the Truckee River under an aspen tree. Or running along the Legacy Trail to the Riverview Sports Park. Or as a visitor without the need for a car, arriving on Amtrak and jumping on a bicycle to pedal from downtown to Donner Lake. (Source)
The Ice Palace
Preserving this land is preserving a piece of our collective history. C.F. McGlashan, a driving force in Truckee’s early days famous for putting the Donner Party’s story to paper, picked this property to be the site of his Ice Palace and the “Fiesta of Snows” in 1913. (Source)
It was an early attempt at moving beyond railroad and timber as the engines of Truckee’s economy, vying for the attention of tourists in the winter months. He picked the property’s pond for an ice-skating rink, and built a dance hall and several rooms with fireplaces for people to rest after a day of playing in the snow. Two new toboggan runs made for exciting rides of more than a mile from Hilltop down to the front of the Ice Palace. A mechanical lift transported riders back up the hill. (Source)
The event was a success, and an even larger one took place the following winter – but it would unfortunately come to an end when the palace burned to the ground in 1916. (Source)
Source: Land Trust, Truckee Donner. “Truckee Springs.” Truckee Donner Land Trust, 2022, https://www.truckeedonnerlandtrust.org/truckee-springs.