Long drive today, more than 380 miles. Hundred miles through the most gorgeous western scenery you could imagine. Then we turned south to run through this lush verdant Valley passing by Bryce Cannon and Zion national Park. Arrive at the spectacular campground, just as the sun was setting. The stars in the sky are multitudinous, each a diamond in its own way.
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I’m trying to dictate all of my blog postings. I think I annunciate the pretty well. However, Apple’s dictation on the iPhone and iPad are rather bad and so please do your best to interpret what I dictated not what Apple transcribed. The Grenadier appears from time to time as Greta deer, the granite deer, the grand deer, among many other variations. It’s too bad Apple’s facility is not as sharp as ChatGPT.
We arrived at Cave Lake at 5 PM on the dot. It took us an hour and a half to go through the evenings routine, starting with feeding Annie, and just finished as the sun was setting. Perfect timing. I am hopeful that soon the multitudinous stars I saw in 2001 will appear again since there is not a cloud in the sky and there hasn’t been rain for days. And I don’t see the mischievous full moon anywhere in sight.
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Just as I had to make a decision somewhere between Donner Lake and the Samuel P Taylor campsite, or right after the latter, I will be called on to make another decision tomorrow while I am on the road, heading east. Do I head south, or do I head southeast, or do I continue heading east. I have no idea at all what I will do. But since I do not believe in free will, we will see what happens. Sent from my iPhone
It has already been through the washer twice, and will probably get another one tomorrow. Just as my defender 90 was perhaps the only one ever used for the purpose it was built in the USA, I guess the same thing is happening with the grenadier. what a shame, it is quite a capable vehicle.
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A little more crowded than I thought it would be, but those here are kindly respected my intentions to occupy site 25, which is where Laban and Ida and I camped in 2001. I spent over one hour lying on the picnic table late at night gazing at the heavens that were full of millions and millions of stars, the likes of which I have never seen before. Unfortunately, tonight is a full moon, so I may not get that view.
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Just as I was trying to figure out which work to take in this isolated dirt road, with Garminproviding no help whatsoever, I get a call from the Mormons inviting me to church on Sunday. I guarantee you they will never invite me to church again, I am taking the right fork, and open for the best
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The road was as rough as the view was dramatic and spectacular. Often we would come to Forks in the road, and Garmin was no help deciding which, for we had to compass our way out.
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Clearly, this is one of my parks, I first discovered in 2001 one can never tire of the view
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What are the more enjoyable events on these trips is when I see a dirt road eating somewhere off into the unknown distance, I can take it in the defender or the Grenadier. But I need to make sure that I have enough gas and water to return.
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They call this highway the loneliest road in the world. But it raises a very profound philosophical question: if it’s the loneliest road in the world, why is there a Walmart supercenter just a couple miles behind me.
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Cold this morning, so time for Annie’s new coat. Off today to the Nevada desert again, south of where we were before.
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For those new to my blogs, do not for one minute think that just because the main purpose of the trip, to follow the Donner party trail, has ended, it does not mean that the excitement has ended. For instance, if you look at the 2016 blog, among among many other things, the defenders engine went out on me on the Alaskan highway in the Yukon with grizzly bears, walking beside the vehicle, and we were stranded there for over five weeks until we were able to get a new engine installed. Then, further down the line on that very same trip, the vehicle broke down two other times, and after the second time, I had a ship back by truck, and Donner and I flew home, which was an adventure and itself, as you can read. Then, in 2018, Donner took violently ill at the Grand Canyon South after drinking from of all places, Donner Lake three days earlier,and had to be hospitalized and Flagstaff Arizona for three days. Then, in 2019, my transmission end or transfer case went out on me in the middle of a snowy trip across the plains of Kansas, Kansas, and we had to be towed to Topeka. But after three days there, I found a holler to take the defender back to DC and Donner and I rented a van to get home. Sent from my iPhone
Sanag, Laban, but not Erda, and Donner love to head right for the tent as soon as it was set up. It must be this thing with dogs. I am getting very tired of apples ability to transcribe dictation. So I will leave it to those who know my dogs to figure out what I just dictated. I think Apple needs to take some lessons from ChatGPT. ChatGPT has a 100% performance for figuring out what I dictated or wrote.
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Google omitted this from my last message that I posted.
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After a 220-mile drive from our campsite—often precarious but just as often beautiful—we approached Lake Tahoe on Route 50 and arrived at Campground by the Lake, at the very southern end of Tahoe. Despite its name, the campground is not directly on the water, although we can see the lake in the distance across the road. It is a little pricey at $60 for the night, including a $2 charge for Annie, but the location cannot be beaten. Just as attractive was the abundance of available campsites. It is not the prettiest campground of the trip, but it is convenient, comfortable and exactly where we needed it to be. In the past, I stayed twice at Camp Richardson—once in each of its two campgrounds, Badger’s Den and Eagle’s Nest. Although the property remains on federal land, it is now managed by a new private concessionaire that no longer allows dogs other than service dogs. Apparently, the new operator is afraid of dogs. Perhaps that is just as well: the bear that tried to break into my Defender there around 2018 may remember me and decide to try its luck with the Grenadier. Tomorrow, we will probably continue east for roughly 190 miles to Berlin–Ichthyosaur State Park, a wonderful campground reached by traveling about 50 miles south from Route 50 into the Nevada desert. After Berlin, we will return to Route 50 and continue toward another favorite campground, Cave Lake State Park, just beyond Ely, Nevada. Somewhere farther down the road, I will have to decide whether to remain on schedule and return home in time for Macbeth, or take a diversion of several days that might cause me to miss it. Two possibilities have already entered my mind: another—and perhaps my last—visit to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, or a day or two in the desert around Monument Valley or one of the national parks, if I can secure a campsite. We shall see. Sent from my iPhone
Got a late start. My decision is to head east, but not necessarily home. There are a couple of diversions. I may wish to take along the route that I intend to take, route 50 to route 70 to home. While my hope is that I can still make Macbeth on October 11 at the Met, if something else takes over the top priority spot, I will defer to it. Sent from my iPhone
The Donner Party Trail
Independence, Missouri, to Sutter’s Fort, California
Travelers: Ed and Annie,
Wagon: INEOS Grenadier
September 12–25, 2026
This is the chronological record of our Donner Party Trail journey, beginning at the traditional jumping-off place in Independence, Missouri, and ending at Sutter’s Fort in Sacramento. It includes not only the principal historic sites, but the camps, wrong turns, mechanical problems, unexpected assistance and remote roads that became part of our own crossing.
How the places are identified
This record deliberately distinguishes among four kinds of locations:
1. Visited — we reached the location and stopped there.
2. Passed — we traveled through or immediately beside the historic area but did not stop.
3. Attempted — we actively searched for it but access, time or unreliable directions prevented us from reaching it.
4. Missed at the time — a historically relevant place along our route that we did not recognize until later. These are included so that a future traveler can improve upon our journey.
That distinction is important because the California Trail was not one immutable line, historic place names and spellings changed, and some exact campsites remain uncertain. Primary diaries, later memoirs, local tradition, trail markers and modern books do not always agree. Where the evidence is uncertain, this itinerary says so rather than turning a plausible interpretation into a fact.
September 12 — Independence, Missouri, to Perry Lake, Kansas
● Began the trail at Courthouse Square and the Historic Truman Courthouse in Independence, Missouri, the symbolic eastern starting point for our journey.
● Passed but did not identify the Donner–Reed Party’s first-night corridor. Hiram Miller’s diary says the families left Independence on May 12, 1846, traveled only about four miles and camped. The exact modern campsite is not securely identified here.
● Missed at the time: Heart Grove. This is the name I had remembered imperfectly as “Hargrove.” The Miller diary places the May 14–15 camp at Heart Grove on the Big Blue, in Jackson County near the old Indian boundary, approximately 22 miles from Independence. The trail crossed the Blue River and climbed the hill in the vicinity of present-day Minor Park. We passed through the broader southern Kansas City trail corridor without making this a stop.
● Missed at the time: Lone Elm Campground near present-day Olathe. Lone Elm—earlier called Round Grove—was an important Santa Fe, Oregon and California trail rendezvous. John Breen later remembered the lonely elm and the warning from returning hunters that the emigrants did not yet understand what they would suffer. Our route toward Gardner carried us through this general corridor, but we did not stop.
● Drove west into Kansas and visited Gardner Junction Park, where the Oregon, California and Santa Fe trails divided. Annie and I walked and took photographs.
● Attempted a detour toward Bluejacket Crossing, but the directions led us toward the wrong winery area. We abandoned the search rather than chase uncertain directions.
● Continued by way of Four Corners Road to Perry State Park/Perry Lake, near Ozawkie.
● Camped in the Lakeview area. A storm arrived, and one of the small tarp tie-downs pulled loose.
September 13 — Perry Lake to Beatrice, Nebraska
● Continued on or near U.S. 24 to St. Marys, Kansas, and found the emigrant-trail marker on Mission Street.
● Reached Alcove Spring, one of the most important and satisfying Kansas stops:
● Walked to the spring and waterfall.
● Saw the James F. Reed rock carving.
● Visited the Sarah Keyes memorial/gravesite.
● Examined the emigrant landscape and wagon-trail traces.
● Lost the route temporarily after leaving Alcove Spring when internet service disappeared.
● Reached Marysville, Kansas, then continued north on U.S. 77 toward Beatrice.
● The first intended campground at Chautauqua Park was full, but we secured a site at Riverside Park Campground in Beatrice, Nebraska.
September 14 — Beatrice and Fairbury to Fort Kearny
● Followed the emigrant route west through southeastern Nebraska.
● Drove gravel and dirt roads north of Fairbury to the George Winslow grave and nearby Oregon–California Trail country. The surrounding soybean fields and isolated farm roads made this feel like a genuine search rather than an ordinary roadside stop.
● Visited Rock Creek Station, after first having to distinguish it from another place with the same name.
● Continued through the Little Blue River corridor.
● Investigated the Grenadier’s highway-speed rattle. Mechanic Braxton, at a Pontiac/Chevrolet shop, discovered that the culprit was simply a carabiner striking a tie-down point and removed it.
● Encountered a sudden storm, confusing ramps and a detour around Grand Island.
● Arrived at Fort Kearny State Recreation Area after the weather cleared and found an excellent campsite.
September 15 — Fort Kearny through the North Platte Valley
● Visited the Fort Kearny area, the great trail post on the Platte.
● Continued west along the Platte and North Platte corridor.
● Passed Lake McConaughy while traveling U.S. 26 toward Lewellen.
● Visited Windlass Hill at Ash Hollow, looking down the exceptionally steep descent taken by the wagons into the North Platte Valley.
● Continued to Courthouse and Jail Rocks and then Chimney Rock, two of the great emigrant landmarks.
● Reached Lake Minatare State Recreation Area and camped alone in the West Wind campground, using the accessible site.
● Water was difficult to find. I located water at the fish-cleaning/community-sink area, boiled it and supplemented it with an extra liter. The campground had LTE service but only primitive facilities.
September 16 — Scotts Bluff, Robidoux Pass and Fort Laramie
● Left Lake Minatare and reached Scotts Bluff National Monument.
● Drove the Summit Road and looked across the route toward Gering and the North Platte Valley.
● Followed the trail country through Carter Canyon/County Road 15 and the Robidoux Pass area, despite Garmin confusion on the gravel roads.
● Continued to Fort Laramie National Historic Site, the former Fort John and one of the principal landmarks and resupply points of the overland trail.
● During this part of the trip, I set a cup of very hot coffee on the dashboard while rearranging the Grenadier and letting Annie out. I forgot it was there; when I started off, the hot water spilled over me. From then on, the regular reusable cup replaced flimsy paper cups.
● Continued toward Guernsey and chose the Sandy Beach campground rather than the similarly named Sandy Cove, Cottonwood Cove or Sandy Point alternatives.
September 17 — Guernsey to the Sweetwater and South Pass country
● Walked the Oregon Trail Ruts at Guernsey in the rain. The deeply worn rock was impressive, although the wet climb was difficult with my mobility and balance problems. Annie, meanwhile, investigated everything.
● Visited Register Cliff and its emigrant inscriptions.
● Continued west to Independence Rock, saw the historic names carved into it, and considered the Donner–Reed Party’s July 1846 stop and layover there.
● Reached the Devil’s Gate/Martin’s Cove area.
● Passed Split Rock without stopping.
● Followed the Sweetwater corridor toward Atlantic City and South Pass.
● Missed the Upper North Platte crossing because traffic and the lack of a safe pullout made stopping impractical.
● Camped at Twin Pines RV Park & Campground after the long Wyoming day.
September 18 — Fort Bridger and Echo Canyon
● Continued west across Wyoming to Fort Bridger.
● Fort Bridger became one of the very best stops of the entire trip. We visited the museum and reconstructed fort, and I received an unusually good personal historical tour.
● Investigated the Donner–Reed Party’s first day west from Fort Bridger: past Blue Spring, toward Bridger Butte and the foot of the first steep hill. The precise first-night location did not have a reliably verified public marker or access point, so it remained a historical approximation rather than a claimed visit.
● Continued through the Echo Canyon country.
● Visited the Weber Crossing area.
● Camped at Echo State Park, Dry Hollow Campground, positioning us for the Wasatch crossing.
September 19 — The Wasatch Mountains and Donner Hill
● Left Echo State Park and tried Henefer, then stopped at Henefer Pioneer Trails Park, where we found no useful historical marker.
● Continued by Route 65 and East Canyon toward Mormon Flat and the Donner–Reed route into the Wasatch.
● A navigation error produced an approximately 60-mile detour before we returned to Mormon Flat and corrected the route.
● Followed the historic sequence through Big Mountain, Mountain Dell/Little Dell country, Little Mountain Summit and Emigration Canyon.
● Reached Donner Hill, where the exhausted party hauled its wagons over the final brutally steep obstacle into the Salt Lake Valley.
● Continued west through heavy Salt Lake City traffic—a particularly unpleasant return to modern congestion after days in trail country.
● Tried to camp at Great Salt Lake State Park, but it was full.
● Continued after sunset to Grantsville Reservoir/Town Campground, where sites were available. The campground proved absolutely terrific.
September 20 — Hastings Pass, the Great Salt Lake Desert and Pilot Peak
● Left Grantsville and followed the Hastings Cutoff country toward the Stansbury Mountains, Skull Valley and the Cedar Mountains.
● Took the road from the Aragonite area toward Hastings Pass. After an earlier confusing fork and turnaround, continued far enough to reach the summit and then returned.
● Rejoined I-80 and stopped at the Bonneville Salt Flats westbound rest area, looking out across the Great Salt Lake Desert that had taken the Donner–Reed Party about six punishing days to cross.
● Continued through Wendover/West Wendover after some confusion involving Alternate 93 and the return to I-80.
● Drove Pilot Road toward Pilot Peak and stopped at the Hastings Cutoff kiosk.
● Continued roughly nine miles into Pilot Valley but turned around before Donner Spring. Reaching the spring would have required more time and involved uncertain or private access; it was not worth overshooting the intended campsite.
● Continued through Wells, U.S. 93, NV 229/Secret Pass, and NV 767/County Road 788 into Ruby Valley.
● Reached South Ruby Campground by remote dirt roads and camped in another absolutely terrific place.
September 21 — Ruby Valley and Overland Pass
● In the morning at South Ruby, a large bird of prey with a dark mask around its eyes landed only about four feet away, prompting concern for Annie.
● Left South Ruby and drove south on Ruby Valley Road toward the Donner route over the Ruby Mountains.
● Missed the correct Overland Pass turn once and had to reverse course.
● Followed County Road 3 to NF-112/White Pine County Road 6, aided by auto-tour-route signs and directions from hunters.
● Reached Overland Pass, the actual pass used by the Donner–Reed Party through the Ruby Mountains.
● Descended by Big Wash Road.
● At the critical fork, turned north toward Huntington Road/Elko–Hamilton Stage Road rather than continuing west on the Pony Express route.
● Corrected another mistaken turn toward Road 101 and rejected a misleading southbound Google route.
● Reached paved NV 228, continued through Jiggs and followed the South Fork road.
● Camped at South Fork State Recreation Area, site 16.
September 22 — Elko, Gravelly Ford country and Rye Patch
● Completed essential chores in Elko: car wash, laundry at Jet Coin Laundry, fuel and Walmart supplies.
● Drove west on I-80.
● Took a wrong turn onto old U.S. 40 through Carlin Canyon, ending at a dead end and having to retrace the route.
● Searched for Gravelly Ford from Exit 261. Incorrect coordinates led onto tracks and dirt roads and finally to a gated private road, so the precise ford was not reached.
● Gravelly Ford was the major missed historic location of the trip. It was not merely another campsite: it was an important Humboldt River crossing and emigrant gathering place, and it lay directly within the story we were retracing. We entered the correct general landscape and made a determined search, but it must be recorded as attempted—not visited. A future traveler should settle the legal access, exact coordinates and approach road before leaving reliable service.
● Continued to the Iron Point area associated with the death and burial of John Snyder—also recorded as Schneider—after James Reed killed him during the wagon-train quarrel. Reaching this isolated and historically pivotal landscape was one of the journey’s most profound accomplishments.
● Drove to Rye Patch State Recreation Area after dark and became confused among the campground roads.
● At about 7:30 p.m., Jim, driving a Toyota Land Cruiser, found us and personally led the Grenadier and Annie to the campsite.
September 23 — Humboldt Sink, Forty Mile Desert, Reno and Donner Lake
● Left Rye Patch and investigated the Humboldt River crossing and camping area.
● Continued west toward the Humboldt Sink and the beginning of the Forty Mile Desert.
● Stopped at Trinity Rest Area, Exit 83, and read the interpretive panels about the Forty Mile Desert.
● Skipped Fernley and continued west.
● Crossed the Truckee River, marking the practical end of the desert ordeal for the emigrants.
● Passed Painted Rock.
● Visited the Emigrant–Donner Camp at Donner Party Park in Reno, considering the approximately 82 people and 14 wagons then moving toward the Sierra.
● Chose the safe, direct I-80 route to Truckee rather than attempting the rough Dog Valley back route.
● Arrived at Donner Memorial State Park. Frances—with an “e,” as she firmly specified—was extraordinarily helpful and selected campsite No. 4 for us.
● The new Garmin repeatedly shut itself off; a 12-second hold on the power button finally restored it.
September 24 — Alder Creek and Donner Lake
● Went into Truckee and returned the EcoFlow solar panels at the UPS store after discovering that the supplied cables did not connect to the EcoFlow power station without an additional XT60i cable.
● Searched for and ultimately found the George and Jacob Donner families’ camp at Alder Creek. After the long journey across the continent, reaching this relatively obscure site became one of the great highlights of the entire trip.
● Rediscovered the Alder Creek campground where Donner and I had stayed in 2018 and found it open, despite information indicating otherwise.
● Refueled and washed the Grenadier.
● Returned to Donner Memorial State Park and visited the museum, buying several books about the Donner Party—some of which I may already own at home.
● Visited the Pioneer Monument, whose pedestal represents the depth of the 1846–47 snow, and considered the nearby Breen cabin site.
● Tried to visit the Murphy cabin boulder, but dogs were no longer permitted on the short trail. Because Annie could not go, I did not make the walk; I had visited it in 2018 and obtained photographs instead.
● Walked beside Donner Lake and studied the steep Sierra slope and pass the emigrants had tried to cross.
● Managed refrigerator and EcoFlow problems after the refrigerator lost power and the Grenadier’s 120-volt outlet proved unable to handle the desired charging load.
September 25 — Johnson’s Ranch and Sutter’s Fort
● Prepared the refrigerator and EcoFlow for the final trail day, including the useful expedient of freezing water bottles to extend cold storage.
● Left the Donner Lake area and traveled west toward the Sacramento Valley.
● Encountered an I-80 traffic stop of roughly ten minutes, apparently involving lane work and a truck brake inspection.
● Reached Johnson’s Ranch near Wheatland, an essential endpoint in the rescue story. The memorial was excellent and moving.
● At a Wheatland grocery store, an attendant named Austin told me about another nearby memorial about a mile away and helped direct me to it.
● Visited the Overland Emigrant Trail marker commemorating the departure of the first Donner rescue party on February 5, 1847.
● Returned toward I-80 through slow modern traffic.
● Reached Sutter’s Fort in Sacramento, the destination toward which the emigrants had struggled and the proper western conclusion to this part of our journey.
● Because Annie could not enter, we walked around the exterior. Someone took our photograph together in front of the fort.
The End
At Sutter’s Fort, the east-to-west retracing was complete. From Independence to Sacramento, we had followed the Donner–Reed Party across prairie, river valleys, wagon ruts, desert, isolated mountain passes and finally the Sierra Nevada. We had also accumulated a parallel modern story: storms, false directions, dead ends, equipment failures, generous strangers, exceptional campsites and roads so remote that the trail sometimes felt close again.
The drive onward to Samuel P. Taylor State Park and the unexpected visit to Point Reyes Lighthouse belong to the turning point rather than this completed itinerary. At Point Reyes—after passing its road for twenty-six years—I finally turned down it, drove to the accessible end of the road, and looked out over the Pacific. That spectacular diversion marked the moment when the journey stopped being a westward pursuit of the Donner Party and became the beginning of the road home.
A Note on Fact, Tradition and Folklore
The Donner Party story accumulated interpretations almost from the moment the survivors reached California. Some evidence is contemporary: diaries, letters, official records and physical inscriptions. Some comes from memoirs written decades later. Some locations are identified by archaeology or strong geographical agreement; others survive through local tradition, later markers or repeated statements that may ultimately trace back to a single uncertain source.
Even the Miller–Reed diary, one of the essential day-by-day sources for the early trail, did not become publicly known until the Reed family papers were given to Sutter’s Fort in 1945, and historians have debated when portions of it were written. That does not make it useless; it means its statements must be weighed alongside other contemporary accounts.
Accordingly, this itinerary will not treat every colorful story, precise coordinate or modern sign as equally certain. Later revisions should identify information as documented, strongly supported, probable, traditional or disputed whenever the distinction materially affects what a future traveler would look for.
