Top 5 Under the Radar Attractions in Truckee

Donner Pass Summit Tunnels, 58977 Old Donner Summit Road

Webber Falls, Near Truckee

Truckee River Bike Trail

Kayaking

Rafting

Snowshoe Thompson Memorial Statue, 19470 Donner Pass Road in Norden

Located just 8 miles outside of Truckee, the “Snowshoe” Thompson Memorial Statue pays tribute to a different type of hero, the American postman! Today their jobs are a little easier as they drive from mailbox to mailbox, but no less important as they deliver the mail without fail. John “Snowshoe” Thompson, however, had the near-impossible task of delivering mail through the Sierra Mountains, which were nearly impassible during the winter months. Strapping on a pair of snowshoes and carrying mailbags that never weighed less than 60 pounds and were quite frequently as heavy as 80 pounds, Snowshoe would twice a month take nearly a week to deliver the mail (three days there and two days back) without ever getting paid for his duties. He is known to have saved some stranded travelers, and he never stopped until he died in 1876 from appendicitis and pneumonia. Today, this humble statue pays honors the original super-postman for his heroic journeys and is a sweet destination to add to your bucket list!

The Old Jail Museum, 10142 Jibboom Street

During the wild west days Truckee was a rowdy place, filled with brawling loggers that just needed to let off a little steam after long and dangerous days of chopping down trees, and when a Jail was determined to be a necessity in 1873, construction began on the building that still stands today! Created from stone found in the area, the walls are thick, the windows are few, and the cells are virtually inescapable, what with steel being the second material used to keep prisoners in! The Old Jail is reputed to have been the temporary quarters for many legendary bad guys, including Baby Face Nelson and Machine Gun Kelly (the bad guy, not the popular rapper) but today is a museum that tells a fascinating story and is definitely worthy of the number one spot on our ‘places to visit in Truckee’ list!