| Emigrant Gap | |
|---|---|
 | |
 Interactive map of Emigrant Gap | |
| Elevation | ~5,200 ft. / 1,585 m |
| Traversed by |  I-80,
Union Pacific Railroad |
| Location | |
| Location | Placer County, California, United States |
| Range | Sierra Nevada |
| Coordinates | 39°18′11″N 120°39′58″W / 39.303°N 120.666°W |
| Reference no. | 403 |
Emigrant Gap is a natural gap in a ridge on the California Trail as it crosses the Sierra Nevada, to the west of Donner Pass in Placer County, California. It was part of the Truckee Route, a portion of the California Trail by which pioneers emigrated west from the United States to California in the mid-19th century. Emigrant Gap marks the location at which the pioneer wagon trains crossed from the American River drainage to the Bear River drainage. Wagons had to be lowered on ropes in order to descend the area's steep cliffs. The Stephens–Townsend–Murphy Party became the first to cross Emigrant Gap and the Sierra Nevada in 1844–1845.
The small unincorporated community of Emigrant Gap is adjacent to the present-day site. On June 25, 1950, a California state historical marker (number 403) was dedicated at the site, which is now located along the route of Interstate 80:
- "The spring of 1845 saw the first covered wagons surmount the Sierra Nevada Mountains. They left this valley, ascended to the ridge, and turned westward to old Emigrant Gap. The wagons were lowered by ropes to the floor of Bear Valley. Hundreds followed before, during, and after the gold rush. This was a hazardous portion of the overland emigrant trail."
