Donner Summit and Serene Lakes

Serene Lakes Real Estate

Mountain cabins and custom homes begin at $450,000 up to $950,000. Lakefront homes start around $2M. Lot prices range from $70,000 to $250,000 depending upon setting, access and view. Lakefront lots range between $550,000 and $650,000. There is an active homeowners association.

Donner Summit and Sugar Bowl Real Estate

Home prices start in the high $200,000s, and go up into the $2M+ plus range for properties around Sugar Bowl Ski Resort. Residential lots range from $40,000 to 60,000 and up to $600,000 for those near Sugar Bowl.

Donner Summit History

“Donner Summit has its beauty of high crags and gleaming granite…” but it does not rival Yosemite. Donner Summit is special because “it has kept a rendezvous with history, and its interest to the person who passes here should be historical as much as scenic…”

George R. Stewart
Donner Pass and Those Who Crossed It

Donner Summit and Serene Lakes are steeped in history. Within one square mile so much occurred and the Donner Summit Historical Society web site is an excellent resource to take you back in time.

Donner Summit Area

Serene Lakes is a small, quiet neighborhood adjacent to Royal Gorge Cross Country Ski Resort and Tahoe National Forest. In its center are two pristine lakes, Dulzura and Serena with an isthmus separating the two. Soda Springs, Norden, Kingvale and Cisco Grove also are quiet neighborhoods with a slow, peaceful pace. Cabins, ranging from small and quaint to grand and luxurious, are nestled by pristine alpine lakes, the Yuba River, and sleepy streets surrounded by towering pines. Donner Summit and Serene Lakes offer an unmatched four-season high altitude mountain experience. These neighborhoods are conveniently located close to Interstate 80 making access easy to Truckee for dining, shopping and entertainment.

Sugar Bowl Ski Resort

Sugar Bowl has been in operation for over seventy years and its many improvements have kept Sugar Bowl a modern world-class ski resort. The old lifts are only in photos and modern lifts and a gondola take skiers to the four area peaks accessing 1650 skiable acres with 1500 vertical feet. Sugar Bowl was home to Olympic metal skiers. Now it is home to Sugar Bowl Academy, a college predatory high school for Olympic hopefuls. 

Wintertime on the Summit

With 400-500 inches of annual snowfall and close proximity to world-class ski resorts, Donner Summit is a winter paradise. Skiing options include Sugar Bowl Ski Resort, Soda Springs, Donner Ski Ranch, and Boreal. Royal Gorge X-C Resort is adjacent to Serene Lakes with some lots back right to the Nordic center. Royal Gorge Cross-Country Ski Resort, the largest x-c resort in the US was recently purchased by the Truckee Donner Land Trust to preserve this land for future generations from development. Snowshoeing and other winter sports are right out your door accessing Tahoe National Forest. Minutes away are Alpine Meadows/Squaw Valley Ski Resort and Northstar California Resort.

Summertime on the Summit

Summer months reward residents with tranquility, comfortable temperatures and low humidity. With an average 300 days of sun each year and most during summer could be the reason locals say they came for Tahoe’s winters, but stayed for the summers. Numerous hiking and biking trails are a wonderful way to take in the beauty of this area. The lakes’ clean water is ideal for windsurfing, sailing, fishing, swimming and paddleboarding. As a friendly reminder, water sports and fishing are restricted to Dulzura. Serena, true to its namesake remains an untainted source of drinking water for locals.