Depends on the weather and your ability to walk on uneven surfaces. Usually you can park near the lake, right off the highway.

Yes, there is still snow. It's been plowed though. Camp ground is closed, but all the visitor parking is clear. You will see a unattended entrance gate that requests a $5.00 parking fee, which you are supposed to put in an envelope and deposit in a metal cylinder. We didn't, we drove past and parked in the visitor center, walked in (opens at 10:00) and paid there (well worth it, clean restrooms, nice facility). Depending on your love of history, give yourself at least an hour to see the exhibit, including a short, but VERY informative film. i took lots of pics, and read everything, so it took about 2 hours for me. I then drove about 5 min farther up the road to Donner Lake and took more pics. Have fun!!

When we went to the Memorial there was just this box where you park to make a donation,so unsure as to the question.... We also went around 6 pm

No these are two different areas, Donner Camp picnic area is about 2 miles north of Truckee on hwy 89. It's a great little picnic spot with tables, free standing bbq grills, pit bathrooms and a short 1/4 mile interpretive self guided loop. It's one of the actual camp sites of the ill-fated Donner Party. It is way less crowded than the Donner memorial st.park and is a great spot to avoid the crowds, it also is a popular spot for mountain bikers/hikers to access the immigrant trail.