From downtown to its outer housing developments, Reno is a great town for people who like to explore on foot. Along with adjacent neighbor, the city of Sparks, the area covers about 100 square miles. Its trails and walkways pass by streams and ponds, through an arboretum and a nature preserve.
River Walk
Most accessible to tourists is a system of paths that extends for more than seven miles along the Truckee River. Centerpiece of the project is Reno’s River Walk, which follows the Truckee from the National Automobile Museum (Mill and Lake streets) west to the Booth Street Bridge, about 1.3 miles away.
You’ll find the most action taking place on the downtown portion of the concrete promenade. A scattering of shops face the river. Kayakers in wetsuits paddle despite the weather. There may be an art show on the patio outside the artists’ lofts on the south bank or the Truckee, a concert in the park’s band shell on the north bank or a lone dancer performing on the sidewalk.
The promenade to the west of downtown becomes a well-traveled route along the river, the favorite of workers on their lunch breaks and people walking their dogs. Beyond the Keystone Bridge, the Crooked Mile at Idlewild Park begins. Even farther west, Oxbow Nature Area and its Interpretive Center (off West Second Street at the end of Dickerson Road) lets strollers experience the river’s natural environment of decades ago. The paths along the Truckee are slated to be part of a planned hiking/biking trail between LakeTahoe and Pyramid Lake, which when completed will be approximately 116 miles long.
Cruising the Campus on Foot
Another tourist-accessible strolling spot, just a half-dozen blocks north of the casinos on Virginia Street, the Quadrangle at the University of Nevada-Reno looks like an Eastern College rather than one in the high desert. The campus was a favorite with Hollywood movie studios in the 1940s as the backdrop for boy-gets-girl musicals popular in those days.
Farther north at Rancho San Rafael Park, the paths through Wilbur D. May Arboretum and Botanical Gardens wind through memorial groves, creek-side meadows and gardens. One garden is filled with plants that attract songbirds and butterflies.
For the best residential walks, waklj along these streets south of California Avenue and West of Arlington in an area known as Old Southwest. Architectural treasures in the area include 1930s bungalows and small mansions designed by the world-renowned Reno architect Frederick deLongchamps. In summer, it’s cooler than most parts of the city because of the shade trees arching over the walkways.
New Developments
Going farther afield, you’ll be able to hike on trails in several of the city’s newer subdivisions. Caughlin Ranch, an upscale residential development on the west side of the city, covers 2,300 acres, which include 26 miles of maintained paths. Warious subdivisions in south Reno such as Double Diamond and in the Galena Creek area also include hiking trails. About two-thirds of Reno’s more than five dozen public parks, have paths and/or trails. Another popular spot is the Sparks Marina, a man-made lake just off Interstate 80. As in most cities, it's not a good idea to walk alone at night or in any area where safety is in question.
For More Information
For a Truckee River trail map go to www.collegecyclery.net (the map also contains information about several hiking areas on the periphery of the city). Maps and descriptions of several of the more important buildings on the campus can be found at www.unr.edu/tour/location.asp?tour=1 and www.unr.edu/tour/location.asp?tour=83. Listings of parks and amenities are available at www.cityofreno.com andwww.washoecountyparks.com
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