The main trail to California in the 1840s was the California Trail, which followed the Humboldt River in Nevada, then the Truckee River, and over the Donner Pass in California. A northern variation was pioneered by the Applegate brothers in 1846, using a more northerly route that connected with destinations in Oregon. Peter Lassen established a variant route that passed Lassen Peak on the way to the Sacramento area. Lassen scouted the area of Honey Lake with William H. Nobles for a legendary Gold Lake, but having failed, they parted company, with Nobles continuing to the east and accidentally scouting a shorter, easier trail than Lassen's.