Just a few miles west of Truckee, California, William and I found ourselves in an astonishing area that once connected people to the west of the United States with train service. We had a difficult time finding access to the China Wall and the tunnels due to construction and road closures. Once we parked and walked a small distance around a short bend in the road, we finally set eyes on this interesting part of Donner Pass history.

Ascending the gentle flat rock area toward the China Wall and tunnels we discovered Native American petroglyphs that were etched into the rock thousands of years before Europeans arrived. Amazing!! Then we began the climb toward the summit and where the train tracks were once laid. Several miles of tunneling were built by Chinese immigrants to allow trains to pass through during the brutal winter months. It was an historic site to behold that told just how difficult it was to build a passage to the western United States.

Hiking the Donner Pass train tunnels in the summer or fall months is ideal. During these months you’re less likely to encounter snow, ice, or standing water (from the previous winter) within the tunnels.

Lastly, the historic train tunnels form a makeshift art gallery for many graffiti artists. Regardless of your thoughts about graffiti, at this point in history the graffiti has become a mainstay. And, in fact, many people visit the tunnels specifically to see the graffiti.

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We would like to invite you to watch our adventures as we explore hiking trails around California, and the occasional historical sites. This is a lighthearted channel, and we are by no means documentarians, historians or professional presenters. We are recording our life experiences, and thought this might be a good format to share with other like-minded people. If you enjoyed our videos, please hit the like button, or even consider subscribing to our channel, but most of all, thank you for stopping by.