We saw an episode of Wild Nevada on KNPB a couple weeks ago that featured a hike to see the…read moreGriffith Canyon Petroglyphs. This week, someone posted about this hike in a hiking group that I follow. Clearly, all signs were pointing us to head here ourselves, so we did this morning! It's a little tricky to get here so we used directions found on a hiking trail site. You will end up on a rocky, dirt road that would be hard to get through if it was wet and muddy. There is no trailhead sign on the side of the dirt road where you park and there is no marked trail, but you will see a culvert and you head down from there. The "trail" is in and along a somewhat dry riverbed filled with rocks/shale and it can be tricky to navigate with uneven footing and loose rocks. And, it can get muddy. But, wow, it is worth it! Colorful shale made even more colorful by what appears to be an occasional sprinkling of lichen. And, yes, there are petroglyphs! So cool! My son was quick to point out the fake ones so be patient when looking for them. We were the only ones here today but I hope everyone that goes here will be vigilant to help prevent vandalism. This is an approximate 1.9 mile out and back trail that is great for families! Our dog seemed to handle it ok, too, considering all the loose rocks, but she seems turn into a billy goat when it comes to hikes.

Make sure and go outside!…read more This particular park is just what you need to run and play outside. It's well kept and maintained. It's part of the larger system. We came across this park while we were on vacation. This was a great little place to pull off and see how much fun we can have together. Come out and enjoy the

Still as beautiful as ever. Nice, peaceful walk on a holiday morning. Lots of people walking their…read moredogs and biking. The surrounding homes are lovely. Went to the sculpture garden and watched people fishing in the river.

This is a beautiful park setting by a lake. It's amazing that this used to be a big ugly…read moreconstruction hole in the ground before the flood of 1997. It's a great place for a variety of exercise, like running, walking, etc. This is a good place for locals.

Always a delight to walk the Marina. If you are older and not sure of you want to walk the 2 miles…read morearound, the Marina helps you decide as you are halfway, you can either finish or turn back, either way, you walk 2 miles. This visit I saw lots of huge fish, possibly trout and so many. This is the first time I've seen them and it was a treat to see.

My hat is off to the City of Sparks for how they keep this park clean and usable. The grass is…read moreimmaculate, the gazebo. and swim area are all approachable. The restrooms are even reasonable & the park doesn't reek of urine like most of the ones along the Truckee River walk. Plenty of parking.

The Rock Park has nothing to do with Dwayne Johnson. If you come here expecting that to be the case…read moreyou will be disappointed. There is a parking lot to park in. There are bathrooms at this park. The bathrooms were clean when I was there. There is a paved bike path which goes through the park. The park has a few great places to access the Truckee River. There are river spots at this park which would be great for kids to swim. There are a few covered eating areas with picnic tables underneath. The playground is the same playground found at several other parks in Sparks. There is a large play structure and a small play structure. Wood chips are underneath the playground. There are no swings at this park. The park was clean but the parking lot was surprisingly dirty. There was a lot of trash on the ground. I did not see any homeless people at this park even though they seem to be occupying every other park in this area. Have fun out there. -Dadzone

I've been exploring this park lately and I can't say enough about how much I like it. It's a great…read moreopen space to come explore, walk the dogs and do various types of recreation. You'll be happy to know there is also a bathroom on site. There are various hiking trails you can explore, but most of it is not shaded. The Perimeter Loop Trail was fun with scenic views of downtown and the currently snow-capped mountain range to the West. I also did the Hidden Valley Backcountry Loop. It has a 1,033 Elevation gain and approximately 3.7 miles to complete the loop. It's a bit slippery going up, but I took my time and had no issues. As you can imagine, the views and the landscape only got more beautiful.

Wear your hiking shoes, dress appropriately and bring water!…read more This was a hard graded trail and yes it was. It got really step the higher we hiked up. It was also very windy in December. So happy we didn't get any rain and was able to go for a hike! We hiked for a good hour. Loved the nature and view of the city from the top. There was a lot of gravel towards the top and a few of us did slip going down hill, even with hiking shoes. Even a trail runner said he fell and slipped a few times. There's a few trails so do some research to see which trail meets your needs. Lots of parking and the bathroom is next to the tennis and pickle ball courts. Lucky I had my pickle ball set in the trunk and even got in a few games. Location was only about 15 minutes from downtown Reno, very close! I'd come back next time to hike another trail!

Such an unexpected little paradise tucked between fourth street and the river. There were several…read moretrails to follow for how small it is, plenty of benches by the river as well as along the trail. You truly forget you are surrounded by city and neighborhoods. I saw so much wildlife and even came across a deer and a beaver. If you haven't checked it out and need to relax a bit, this is the place. Can't wait to get my camera out to take some more photos and hopefully see some more birds and wildlife.

Great easy trail for those of us who enjoy a nature walk but nothing too hard! Lots of nice benches…read moretucked here and there for a quiet break...unless of course a train goes by...but I always enjoy that. On the northern most path, once the shrubs and trees leaf out, you walk thru a green tunnel. I used to bring my mom here when she used a wheelchair for mobility...paths are pretty level and hard packed, and there are a couple of observation points paved with that plastic decking...they are holding up very well! There is a mystery here tho...closing hour is listed as 4:00pm, with notices the gate will be locked and your car stuck...but we've been there later in the afternoon and the gate was open and the parking lot full... We had our dog with us, on her leash, only to see a sign as we left, that dogs are not allowed...sorry.

Ok, I may have been a little too harsh in my initial review of this park. The parking situation is…read moreterrible. I don't like how close the park is to the road. However, the park is very clean and very well kept. The equipment is in good condition. After revisiting this park a few times I realized 2 stars is too low. Have fun out there. -Dadzone

Park on Signa Ct. When you pull up to the cul-de-sac on…read moreSigna Ct, you'll see directly in front of you a gravel path way that goes up to the main road. It leads out to the roundabout. You'll turn right and walk about 1min to the park. Easy enough! The park is clean, and the views are nice! There is lots of seating, and a few picnic tables to eat a meal.

Wide open spaces to walk your fur baby, relax and have a picnic. Very peaceful place. Decent…read moreamount of parking but can get busy on holiday weekends.

This will always be my favorite park in Sparks. I have very fond memories with my kids here. I look…read moreat my teen at times and wonder where the time went. We spent countless summer days having picnics and tea parties here when she was younger. She flew her first kite here as well. Flash forward, my youngest makes us play ice cream shop here in the playground. My family and I frequently visit on the weekends with the kids to allow them to expell their energy. This park is huge and well maintained by the city of Sparks. Kudos to you guys for doing so! The playground is the only one that has shade in summer. One reason why I'll always return. The last visit was for a family baby shower this past weekend. It was a perfect evening. I'm looking forward to cooler nights and strolling through leaves soon.