A Hike Through Miles Of Abandoned Train Tunnels Near Lake Tahoe Is Like Visiting A Graffiti Art Gallery

It's hardly newsflash material that Lake Tahoe is a treasure trove for the budding adventurer. The colossal body of water on the California-Nevada state line has beaches hemmed in by alpine forests, some of the finest hiking in the Sierra Nevada, and fantastic high-end ski hotels. But there are still secrets in these hills. Head north from Tahoe on either the 267 or the 89 for about 20 minutes and you'll come to the railroad town of Truckee, which is the gateway to what's surely one of the most unique walking paths in the Golden State: the Donner Pass Summit Tunnel Hike.

Covering three miles each way, the route shuns the views of uncrowded Donner Lake and the surrounding pine woods by passing through an abandoned train tunnel. Walkers brave this dark, dank cavern for several miles, with long sections where the only sources of natural light are a few breaks in the concrete walls. It's a photographer's dream and offers something a little different from the usual Californian mountain trek.

There are moments when the tunnels drop away to offer sweeping panoramas of the region, along with intriguing graffiti art displays inside the caverns themselves. You'll also be walking in the footsteps of history – the 1,659-foot tunnel is a leftover from the age of Westward Expansion, built by Chinese immigrants in the 1860s.

One thing you simply can't ignore while making your way through the shadowy tunnels of Donner Pass is the montage of eye-catching graffiti that marks the walls. It comes in a multitude of shapes and sizes, from basic tags to bigger works that depict skeletons, big lettering, and human figures. As the light shifts through the gaps in the tunnel walls, it will illuminate different pieces of graffiti throughout the day, while other bits of spray paint are always in the sun, out on the exterior walls of the tunnel itself.

The transformation of these centuries-old tunnels into an ad hoc graffiti art gallery has been the source of some controversy and debate. There are hikers who find the displays intriguing, and as previously mentioned, the walk is now a well-known haunt for photographers. However, there are some that see it as little more than public damage and a blight on an otherwise fascinating historical monument.

Speaking to Tahoe Magazine in 2023, Phil Sexton, a former director of the North Lake Tahoe Historical Society, remarked that "it's not so much graffiti any more as it is vandalism. A lot of it is obscene, some of it's political, a lot of it is just nonsense." As such, the local summit society has now instituted graffiti clean-up programs in the tunnels and there's even a push to get the area officially classified as a National Historic Landmark.

If you want to check out the Donner Pass Summit Tunnel, start by heading west out of the mountain hub of Truckee on the snaking Donner Pass Road. It's an indisputably scenic section of highway that weaves north around the pine-speckled ridges of Donner Peak. You'll pass over the arched Donner Summit Bridge, where lookouts offer some gorgeous views back towards Donner Lake, and, about 20 minutes into the drive, hit the parking lots close to the local ski resort. That's where you begin the hike.

Go straight southeast from there, crossing the iconic Pacific Crest Trail, and then passing the Lamson-Cashion Donner Summit Hub, where you can get information about weather conditions and safety on the trail, plus a taste of local history. Soon you'll see the entry point to the main section of tunnel that makes up this hike. It's known as Tunnel 6, and it's the longest of 15 separate covered sections that lead through the mountains. The tunnel takes you all the way, eventually emerging onto a crest just below Donner Peak, where you can take in the fresh air before turning back.

Though the route is fairly straightforward to navigate, there are some words of warning on this hike. Firstly, reviewers on AllTrails regularly mention how treacherous it can be in winter, and many recommend bringing a flashlight along since the interior of the tunnels has no natural light source. Ground within the tunnel is also notoriously uneven, with loose rocks and scree all over the place. Lastly, this hike is officially on private land that's still owned by the Union Pacific Railroad, so hikers go at their own risk.