Soda Springs is not so much a core community as it is a collection of resort and retail opportunities to serve outdoor recreationists. Several ski resorts, restaurants, and lodging options share the Soda Springs address but are strung along several miles of highway.
Four downhill ski resorts, from small to large, share a Soda Springs address.
A collection of four small high- mountain lakes offers not only fishing, but also some great flat- water paddling.
You’ll have a tough time locating “downtown” except that it is earmarked by a flashing traffic signal along historic Lincoln Highway which later became Highway 40. This little community lies just west of the Sierra Crest and the renowned Donner Pass. Interstate 80 bypasses the infamous pass which creates a great opportunity for locals and recreationists seeking quiet and relative solitude – that is, until a “Perfect Storm” dumps tons of powder lureing skiers to this area by the thousands.
Four downhill ski resorts, from small to large, share a Soda Springs address. The largest cross-country ski area in North America stretches from its base near the heart of Soda Springs for miles to the west to one of the best restaurant/bar/lodging/ski base combinations anywhere. The Sierra Club Lodge is also near “downtown” and serves as the base for four remote cross-country ski huts strung for miles along the Sierra Crest
Summer recreation is marvelous. A collection of four small high-mountain lakes offers not only fishing, but also some great flat-water paddling. The trailhead to Heath Falls, arguably the most scenic and dramatic falls in this area – and the most challenging to get to – is located at the western end of the lakes. The falls are on private property, but a short spur trail ends at a scenic view point. The Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) crosses what could be called the eastern edge of the community just before the highway drops down the east slope of the Sierra Crest the Central Sierra. The upper end of the wild, Wild North Fork of the American River is accessed by turning off the highway at the flashing light.
| Population: | 300 | Links: | Chamber of Commerce: www.aboutnevadacounty.com |
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Travel east from Sacramento on I-80 until turning right (south) a few miles before (west of) the Sierra Crest onto the Donner Pass Road, a.k.a. Old Highway 40 and a.k.a. the Lincoln Highway at the Soda Springs Exit. By that time you’ve gone by several services beginning at the beautiful Rainbow Lodge. The community then stretches east along the old highway to Donner Pass. Even Boreal Ski Resort and the Auburn Ski Club museum and facilities on I-80 can be considered part of the loose-knit community.