Trestle Tours

Trestle Tours are guided, self-driven tours of the old railroad lines in the Truckee area. On the tours, you’ll see old railroad grades, ties, rail, logging camp sites, collapsed trestles and other artifacts. At each stop, your guide will explain what we know about railroad operations in that area and its historical significance. At some stops, there are short hikes along the old railroad grades. Mostly it is an enjoyable few hours in the beautiful Truckee area, exploring and talking about railroads, logging, and local history.

Trestle Tours are free, but donations are greatly appreciated and pre-registration is required.

We have three tours planned for 2025. To sign up for any of them, please email us at tours@tdrrs.org.

Downtown Truckee Railroad Walking Tour

Saturday, June 28, 2025

This tour will highlight historical railroad sites such as the granite roundhouse, passenger depot, freight depot, SP hotel, Hobart Southern track and buildings, and the grade of the Lake Tahoe Railway. Many of these locations have been bulldozed and repurposed, so some imagination will be necessary.

This tour starts at 9 AM and will last about 3 hours. We will meet at the “pocket park” where the rotary snowplow and wrecking crane are displayed, at the intersection of Roundhouse Way and the Donner Pass Road Extension.

For those who want more, in the afternoon we’ll visit several sites along the grade of the Hobart Southern Railroad, which ran from Truckee past present day Prosser Creek Reservoir to Hobart Mills. This part of the tour will be “self-driven” – we’ll provide a map and we’ll meet at several stops along the route of the Hobart Southern. You’ll want to bring a lunch if you plan to join us for the afternoon.

Boca and Loyalton Railroad Driving Tour

Saturday, July 12, 2025

The Boca and Loyalton Railroad was built in 1901 to transport lumber and other products from Loyalton and the Sierra Valley to the transcontinental railroad at Boca, about 4 miles east of Truckee. This tour starts at the Boca townsite, just below the Boca Reservoir dam, and follows the route of the railroad over 27 miles of paved and dirt roads to the town of Loyalton.

While parts of the B&L are submerged beneath the waters of the Boca and Stampede reservoirs, portions of the old grade can still be seen along the route. We’ll see where the B&L connected with the Southern Pacific at Boca, view the old grade along the Little Truckee River below Stampede Dam, explore well-preserved grade and a trestle near Sardine Valley, stop at the site of the Lewis Mill, and end the trip in Loyalton, where B&L tracks remain along Railroad Ave. We’ll wrap up the tour with a visit (optional) to the Milton Gotardi Museum, which has artifacts from the B&L, an O-scale model railroad of Loyalton in the early 1900s, and an outdoor G-scale railroad.

This is a "self-driven" adventure, with a mix of paved roads, gravel/dirt roads, and short off-trail walks in the woods. A 4WD or AWD high-clearance vehicle is recommended, but we won’t drive on anything not navigable by a Subaru. We recommend comfortable, layered clothing and sturdy shoes or boots. Bring sunglasses, hat, water, camera or smart phone, snacks, and lunch - food will not be provided, but there will be a lunch stop. We will distribute a map and will have copies of old photos to examine while we travel.

We will meet and begin the tour at 8:30 AM in the parking lot for the Boca Townsite Trail, in Boca. The tour usually takes 4 to 5 hours.