No two ways about it, Truckee California is a mountain town. Once a raucous logging burg, Truckee is now the central gateway to the North Shore of Tahoe (see map). It’s also where you might see Paul McCartney in a free-form jam at a local restaurant, or find yourself seated next to an Olympic skier or mountain biker at a pub.

In the winter of 1846, the ill-fated Donner Party holed up a few miles from the heart of town at the lake now bearing their name. Today Donner Summit is where rock climbers navigate the rock faces in their upwardly vertical journey. Several ski resorts, three Sierra Club huts and the Pacific Crest Trail are nearby.

Truckee boasts many shopping, dining and entertainment venues, yet remains steadfastly independent minded. And not surprising, weather forecasters often cite the town as the nation’s coldest (although those nippy temperatures are noteworthy because they often occur from June through early October).