Donner Lake at the foot of the Sierra Nevada fills this albumen stereoview, published by Thomas Houseworth & Co. of San Francisco as part of their Central Pacific Railroad series. The view looks across the glassy, mirror-calm surface of the lake toward a densely forested peninsula and a broad range of snow-capped mountains rising in the distance. Houseworth operated one of the most prominent photographic publishing houses on the Pacific Coast during the 1860s and 1870s, and their Central Pacific Railroad series documented the landscape along the transcontinental route through California and Nevada.

Large granite boulders dominate the foreground, their pale surfaces contrasting sharply against the dark tangle of exposed roots and low shoreline scrub at the water's edge. A gnarled pine branch extends into the upper right of the frame, and several weathered tree stumps protrude from the shallow water near the far shore. The mountain reflections on the undisturbed lake surface mirror the peaks above with exceptional clarity.

Donner Lake in Truckee, California, sits at approximately 5,936 feet elevation and was a critical landmark along the Central Pacific's mountain crossing, the same terrain associated with the tragic Donner Party of 1846 to 1847. The orange card mount bears the series title "Central Pacific Railroad" vertically on the left border and the publisher imprint "Thomas Houseworth & Co., San Francisco" on the right. The catalog number 1289 and title "The Railroad, From the Foot of Donner Lake" are printed on the lower right of the recto. The reverse mount is plain pink with no additional imprint.