I-80 at Donner Lake
Donner Pass now
No chain controls at Donner Pass (Caltrans). Checked .
I-80 road conditions · Every pass camera, with its chain control →
Storm alerts
A notification on this device when chain control starts, changes or lifts, or a road closes or reopens. Pick your roads:
An alert is a heads-up that something changed, not a road report, and it can arrive a few minutes after the change. Before you drive, check Caltrans QuickMap or Nevada 511 (nvroads.com), or call 511. A few alerts a day at most; no account, no email, and you can turn them off here any time (what we keep).
Caltrans's live video for this camera is not answering; its still image was taken (checked ), a new one about every minute.
Live camera on I-80, with the current status of the road it sits on and the forecast at the nearest pass.
Weather at Donner Summit
- Today
- Sunny
- Temperature
- 67°F
- Wind
- 5 to 12 mph
- Zone
- CAZ133
This forecast could not be refreshed on the last run and may be out of date.
Forecast read
Where this camera is
This camera is the red marker; the blue dots are the other cameras on I-80. Click one to open it.
What this camera shows
This camera sits at 6,394 feet, positioning it almost exactly at the Donner Lake Interchange chain-control point. Because this elevation is lower than the nearby Castle Peak checkpoint at 7,247 feet, the view here often serves as a critical indicator of whether conditions are deteriorating or improving. If this frame shows clear pavement or light rain while cameras higher up at the summit display heavy accumulation, it suggests that chain controls may soon be adjusted or extended downward. Drivers should use this view to gauge the transition between the Truckee basin and the steeper climb ahead.
This feed is live video, not a still refreshing once a minute. Because of this interval, a single dark or obscured frame does not necessarily indicate a road closure or total whiteout. If the image appears blocked by fog or heavy precipitation, check the feed again after a few minutes to confirm if the visibility issue is temporary or persistent. Watching it for a few seconds gives a much more accurate assessment of the current weather than any single frame.
I-80: questions answered
Chain-control points on I-80
Caltrans does not control the whole road at once — it sets controls at whichever point matches the snow level, so the same storm produces controls at different places on different days. These are the California-side points, highest first:
| Point | Elevation | Near | Now |
|---|---|---|---|
| Castle Peak, (@ DRA Holding only) | 7,247 ft | Norden | Clear |
| DLI (Donner Lake Interchange) | 6,404 ft | Truckee | Clear |
| Kingvale | 6,076 ft | Soda Springs | Clear |
| Rainbow | 5,921 ft | Soda Springs | Clear |
| Truckee | 5,905 ft | Truckee | Clear |
| Overland Trail - OTL Truck Screens | 5,820 ft | Truckee | Clear |
| Yuba Gap | 5,770 ft | Emigrant Gap | Clear |
| Cisco Grove | 5,659 ft | Soda Springs | Clear |
| Boca | 5,531 ft | Truckee | Clear |
| Eagle Lakes | 5,449 ft | Emigrant Gap | Clear |
| Floriston On-ramp | 5,403 ft | Floriston | Clear |
| Nyack | 5,400 ft | Emigrant Gap | Clear |
The cameras either side
More cameras on I-80
- Hwy 80 at Applegate
- Hwy 80 at Colfax
- Hwy 80 at Whitmore Grade
- Hwy 80 at Kingvale Eastbound 2
- I-80 at Kingvale - Eastbound
- I-80 at Kingvale - Westbound
All the cameras around Truckee →
Other roads
Camera: Caltrans. Chain-control status and closures: Caltrans District 3 (public domain) and Nevada DOT / nvroads.com. Nevada Explorer is not affiliated with any of them. Always confirm at roads.dot.ca.gov or nvroads.com before you travel.