Surrounded by the Tahoe National Forest, Truckee is a mountain town near California’s border with Nevada. It was established in 1863 as Gray’s Station and was later renamed Truckee after a Paiute chief yelled “Tro-kay” (“Everything is all right”) to early Europeans crossing the Sierra Nevada.
Things to do in Truckee
Stroll through Historic Downtown Truckee to admire its Old West-style buildings, many of which are occupied by independent boutiques, art galleries and cafes. Visit the 19th-century jailhouse that has been transformed into a museum and learn how the railway impacted the area at the Truckee Railroad Museum. Coincide your visit with one of the summertime “Truckee Thursdays” evenings featuring live music and alfresco eats.
On the edge of Donner Lake is Donner Memorial State Park, which preserves the site where a party of American pioneers became trapped in 1846. You can learn about the cultural history of the area at the visitor’s centre before following the interpretive trail that leads to the Pioneer Monument. It honours those who trekked over these mountains in the 1840s to reach California and its promised prosperity.
Hugging the banks of the Truckee River is the Legacy Trail, which connects Truckee River Regional Park with the suburb of Glendale. It’s accessible to walkers, runners and cyclists, with picturesque views across the river along the way. At Truckee River Regional Park, you’ll find a children’s playground and tennis courts, as well as an amphitheatre that hosts live music during the summer months.
Getting around Truckee
Truckee is around 35 minutes’ drive from Reno and 40 minutes to Reno-Tahoe International Airport, which has flights to destinations across North America. Amtrak trains connect from Sacramento to the Truckee railway station while buses travel to the West Shore of Lake Tahoe and Incline Village.