where the pavement meets the path

Discover some nature trails just outside the city limits.

By BOB BARNES, SAM BAUMAN, & KRIS VAGNER | May/June 2008

Photo: Sam Bauman (Dead Man's Creek trail, overlooking Washoe Lake)

It’s known by many names. Nine to five. The grind. Rat race. And all you want is an escape—if only for the weekend, a day, or even an afternoon. But how? The wilder places feel so far away from the confines of our urban lives. In Las Vegas, Reno, and Carson City they aren’t as far as you might think. Perhaps John Muir said it best, “The mountains are calling and I must go.”

LAS VEGAS
(By Bob Barnes)
For desert dwellers, finding water around Las Vegas can be an extraordinary experience. What’s even better is when the water takes the form of a cascading waterfall.

First Creek
A pebbly beach area, shade, and a fruit-bearing wild grape vine provide a pleasant Red Rock Canyon setting to bask in the sound of falling water. Slightly less than a mile up the main trail, turn right as you reach the dry wash. A pile of painted white stones in the shape of an arrow marks the way to the bottom of the 20-foot waterfall. You can reach the top of the waterfall by following a path to the right near a large piñon pine tree on the left of the trail.
DIRECTIONS: See Lost Creek Trail for directions to Red Rock Canyon. The trailhead is not on the scenic loop and is about four miles southwest of the Red Rock Visitor Center on State Route 159.
Difficulty: Easy
Elevation Gain: less than 100 feet
Distance: 2 miles

Lost Creek Trail
Photo: Jim Decker
This hike provides a view of the full range of vegetation that thrives in the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area and evidence of past inhabitants in the form of petroglyphs and roasting pits. Just beyond marker four, follow an uphill trail that ends at a box canyon filled with beach sand and a 20-foot fall that flows intermittently during winter through early summer. You might spot bighorn sheep on the cliffs above the trail.
DIRECTIONS: Red Rock Canyon is accessed via State Route 159. The trailhead is on the 13-mile Scenic Loop Road, which requires a $5 entrance fee. Turn onto Willow Spring Road (about midway along the loop) and drive for two-tenths of a mile to a large paved parking area on the west side of the road.
Difficulty: Easy
Elevation Gain: 240 feet
Distance: 1 mile

Mary Jane Falls
This Mount Charleston area route in the Spring Mountains National Recreation Area leads into a big canyon amidst aspens and majestic ponderosa pines. After about three-tenths of a mile, you’ll make a sharp turn to the right and follow switchbacks that gain nearly 1,000 feet. Just before reaching your destination, you’ll encounter rock steps that make you feel like you’re entering a natural cathedral. The reward for your work is a 45-foot waterfall that flows in varying degrees throughout the year.
DIRECTIONS: Take U.S. 95 north and turn left at the Kyle Canyon turnoff. After 20 miles, as you approach a hairpin curve, turn right onto Echo Road. After .35 miles, turn left on Mary Jane Falls Road, which leads to the parking area and trailhead.
Difficulty: Moderate
Elevation Gain: 1,000 feet
Distance: 2.4 miles

RENO
(By Kris Vagner)
In Reno, open space is so close you can find solitude or altitude without leaving the city limits. Steep mountain paths, panoramic views, and even a shady, green creekside oasis are only minutes from the downtown casinos.

Evans Canyon
Photo: Sue Weeks
Just north of Rancho San Rafael Regional Park’s playgrounds, fields, and picnic pavilions, a short nature trail through shady Evans Canyon features wooden bridges and marshes with groves of cattails. Meander along the creek or detour up the short, calf-burning ascent to the giant letter “N,” where energetic trekkers are rewarded with a view of Reno and Sparks high-rises. The creek could be bone dry, gently gurgling, or wide enough to have to ford, depending on the time of year.
DIRECTIONS: From Rancho San Rafael Regional Park, walk across the dog pasture and through the pedestrian tunnel under North McCarran Boulevard. Or, from North Virginia Street, drive .3 miles north of McCarran Boulevard and turn left into the Rancho San Rafael Park Sports Complex.
Difficulty: Easy
Elevation Gain: Up to 200 feet
Distance: .75 to 3.4 miles

East Keystone Canyon
A condo developer built a road through Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest, about two miles from downtown Reno, then abandoned the project, leaving hikers with easy trail access. The out-and-back trail ascends gently through a narrow canyon that’s reserved for hikers and mountain bikers. Further up the road, just past a never-developed cul-de-sac, a short, steep, rocky slope crests just past the big letter “R” and leads to the mountain-mahogany and Jeffrey-pine-dotted vistas, where hikers and off-road vehicles share fire roads leading into Peavine Wilderness.
DIRECTIONS: From North McCarran Boulevard, turn north onto Leadership Parkway or Victory Lane. Drive .3 miles and turn right into the parking lot.
Difficulty: Moderate
Elevation Gain: 350 feet
Distance: 3.4 miles

Thomas Creek
Although it’s a little further from the city center than the previous two, this walk in the woods is well worth the extra distance. The trail in the foothills southwest of Reno follows Thomas Creek past groves of aspens, stands of pines, and through meadows. This hike is a great option for hot summer days when the trees provide walkers with welcome shade.
DIRECTIONS: From U.S. 395 take the Mount Rose Highway (State Route 431) west to Timberline Road. Continue on Timberline Road past the end of the pavement and past Thomas Creek Road. The trailhead is several hundred yards beyond the junction with Thomas Creek Road.
Difficulty: Easy to moderate
Elevation gain: 800 feet
Distance: 7.5 miles

CARSON CITY
(By Sam Bauman)
Only a few miles separate the Capitol, Legislature, and other Carson City government buildings from trails on Prison Hill and in Washoe Lake State Park, but any of these short journeys feels like it’s a world away.

West Prison Hill
Photo: Kevin Karl
It’s hard to find better views of the Carson Valley, Carson Range, Carson River, or Carson City than those that await hikers atop Prison Hill. From the fence on the east side of the parking area, follow the trail east toward the lowest saddle on the ridge ahead. Follow the left (north) fork from the saddle to reach the top. If the short walk hasn’t satisfied your hiking appetite, numerous trails diverge from the main path and crisscross the hilltop.
Spring and early summer are good times to see blooming wildflowers such as sagebrush, desert peach, bitter brush, ephedra (Mormon tea), and Indian rice grass.
DIRECTIONS: From the Capitol, follow Carson Street south to Koontz Lane and turn left. Follow Koontz past its terminus near the water tower. The parking lot is several hundred feet to the left.
Difficulty: Easy to moderate
Elevation Gain: 550 feet
Distance: 2 miles

East Prison Hill
East Prison Hill reaches a viewpoint on the plateau just south of the saddle reached during the previous hike. Interconnecting trails that crisscross the hill make it possible to combine the two hikes into a longer, half-day excursion. The east trail begins 50 yards south of the well-marked parking area at an informational sign with geological facts about Prison Hill. The trail meanders south over several small ridges and into the mouth of a small canyon before turning west (right) and climbing a shallow gully to the plateau. There are great views of the Carson River and surrounding wetlands from points all along this short hike.
DIRECTIONS: From the Capitol, follow Carson Street south and turn left on Fifth Street. Follow Fifth past the roundabout and turn right on Carson River Road. The parking area is on the right about a mile down the one-way loop road that also accesses Silver Saddle Ranch.
Difficulty: Easy
Elevation Gain: 600 feet
Distance: 2 miles

Dead Man’s Creek
This trail climbs the hills east of Washoe Lake to a gazebo with spectacular views of Washoe Valley, Washoe Lake State Park, and Slide Mountain in the Carson Range. The trail, recently improved by local Boy Scouts who rebuilt the gazebo, passes by a spring-fed stand of willows and cottonwood trees before forking. Turn right and cross the streambed to a short traverse that leads to the gazebo. Phlox and other wildflowers make spring and early summer the ideal time to explore this trail.
DIRECTIONS: From the Capitol, follow Carson Street north and stay on U.S. 395. Exit at Eastlake Boulevard (State Route 428) and turn right. Watch for the dead tree and small parking area on the right about four miles past the exit.
Difficulty: Easy to moderate
Elevation Gain: 300 feet
Distance: 1 mile