Donner Lake, California

Just about a half hours drive from Grass Valley is Donner Lake.   The most scenic way to approach is to get off of Interstate 80 at Soda Springs Rd and take Donner Pass Rd into Donner Lake.  On the east end of the lake is a State Park with a great museum that includes lots of artifacts from the ill fated Donner party of 1846.  There is a marked hiking trail with descriptions of the plant life that takes about 15 minutes to complete.  There is also a very well maintained, level state campground.   We had planned on just spending a hour at Donner Lake,  but ended up spending most of the day there, as there is so much to see and do.

Donner Lake Information (Wikipedia)