Baxter is an unincorporated community in Placer County, California. Baxter is located 3 miles east of Dutch Flat. It lies at an elevation of 3891 feet. Baxter started as a travelers' rest stop on the Lincoln Highway, later US 40. Food, lodging, and gasoline were available at the site, which remained a service stop into the 1980s. Baxter was also the point at which US 40 was closed over Donner Pass during heavy snow. The townsite was destroyed by a wildfire in 1998.