Donner Pass I-80 Traffic Cameras: Sierra Nevada Live

Donner Pass on Interstate 80 is the Sierra Nevada's primary east-west crossing, reaching a summit elevation of 7,056 feet (2,151 meters). The pass connects Sacramento and the Central Valley to Reno, Nevada, and serves as the primary approach to Lake Tahoe ski resorts including Palisades Tahoe, Northstar, Sugar Bowl, and Boreal. Per Caltrans, eastbound chain controls typically start at Applegate (Exit 135) or Kingvale (Exit 165), while westbound controls start at Truckee Scales (Exit 186) or Nyack (Exit 174). Chain requirements include R1 (chains required except vehicles with snow tires or AWD/4WD), R2 (chains required except AWD/4WD with snow tires on all four wheels — most common during storms), and R3 (chains required on ALL vehicles with no exceptions). I-80 over Donner Pass typically closes multiple times each winter during major storms. Caltrans and QuickMap operate extensive Sierra Nevada camera coverage.

Donner Pass Camera Coverage

Major Events Affecting Donner Pass Traffic

• Ski season weekends (mid-November through mid-April) — peak Friday afternoon eastbound and Sunday afternoon westbound. See the Ski Season Mountain Passes guide.
• Major Pacific storms — multi-day closures during severe winter events. See the Winter Storm Season guide.
• Memorial Day / Labor Day / 4th of July — summer Tahoe tourism peaks with heavy east-west traffic
• Burning Man departures (early September) — I-80 from Reno back to Sacramento compounds Sunday post-festival traffic. See the Burning Man traffic cameras guide.

For California Sierra visitors, see our California traffic cameras guide, Nevada traffic cameras guide, Sacramento traffic cameras guide, Ski Season Mountain Passes guide, Winter Storm Season guide, and I-80 corridor guide.