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    Steamboat Ditch Trail

    4.3 (6 reviews)

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    Muddy slushy windy hike for me today!
    Joyce T.

    Through Google maps, one drives through a beautiful residential area and gotta park in front of some houses. The trail over the auto road heads up or down the trail following a small canal. No restrooms, parks or playgrounds at this trail, but there are some nearby. Bring the usual, sunscreen, hat and water.

    City map of the Steamboat Ditch
    Tracy S.

    First, a little history: The Steamboat Ditch is a 33-mile irrigation canal completed in 1880. It was privately funded and built in three years by Chinese laborers. It is still active five months out of the year, and the "trail" that is so popular with Reno locals is actually the maintenance road for crews of the Steamboat Canal and Irrigation Company to keep the ditch clear and running. The entire canal is powered completely by gravity, following a barely discernible slope from its beginning off the Truckee River in Verdi, to its end at the Steamboat Creek in South Reno. This is one of my favorite trails in Reno. There are many different sections to hike in different areas throughout the western parts of town. As the address point I have used one of the trail's most popular access points on Woodchuck Circle. There is some off-road dirt parking here, and the trail from this parking area to Hole in the Wall in Verdi is probably the most popular section of the entire trail. That said, there are many, many access points depending on where you want to hike: behind the Patagonia outlet, Caughlin Parkway, Horseman's Park on Skyline Blvd, Ridgeview Dr, etc. The ditch winds serpentine through many of west Reno's residential areas, and walking it is sometimes a strange experience where you feel you are trespassing in somebody's backyard. In fact, there are a few points where you have to actually leave the trail and take surface streets to get around a few houses, but in my experience, there is always a quick route back to the trail, with one exception, which is where the ditch runs by the King of Reno's palace on Manzanita. There the trail is closed and gated off for one section. I'm not as familiar with the South Reno sections of trail, so I'm not sure what access is like down there. Traveling the Steamboat Ditch is really more of a walk than a hike, as the trail is almost completely flat throughout. This makes it extremely popular with runners and mountain bikers, and you will not find a whole lot of solitude on the trail, though there is plenty of room for everyone. In the spring and early summer when the ditch is flowing, the route becomes even nicer with the sound of flowing water to accompany you. My favorite section of the hike is from the trail underpass on West McCarran to Horseman's Park. There are some really gorgeous views of the city skyline from various points along this section of trail.

    Hole in the wall hike

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    Flume Trail Bikes - 6/4/25 FYI. Time for my cycling season. $10 for autos.

    Flume Trail Bikes

    4.3(107 reviews)
    18.1 mi

    Quality/Quantity - There really should be a separate bike and walking path. Especially with all the…read moreebikes! It is almost as if people are riding a moped on the sidewalk. So dangerous for all. And so many of these people do NOT have control, going too fast, not warning others when passing, etc. I am very surprised that there are not more accidents. As locals, we bring our own manual bikes for the trails. Sometimes we just bike from the condo, just to avoid the parking issues and inexperienced drivers. Atmosphere - Popular tourist bike rental place. Actually the only one in this area for Incline. Next to the famous Tunnel Creek Cafe. Service - N/A; well they can train and educate their customers to be safer! Price - See website. Ranges from $20 to $98. Owner Comment - Congrats on your success since 2000. Thank you Max (owner) for being a part of the bike trails since 1983.

    My wife and I wanted to hit up the new East shore Trail, but we don't own any bikes. Fortunately…read morefor us flume trail bikes is located right at the start of this trail and offers cruisers, geared bikes, and even E bikes for rental! Bonus is that if you run from them, you can park with them until you return, which makes accessing this trail that much easier and more fun! We rented a couple of geared bikes for a few hours and easily got from the start to Sand Harbor and back within the allotted time, including a lengthy stay at one of the wonderful beaches you can reach from the trail. Pricing was on par with everything else in the area, staff was super friendly and helpful, and bikes were in great condition. I highly recommend this outfit if you are looking to bike around the Tahoe area. We're definitely looking forward to doing this again.

    Photos
    Flume Trail Bikes
    Flume Trail Bikes - View from path

    View from path

    Flume Trail Bikes - 6/4/25 FYI. Time for my cycling season.

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    6/4/25 FYI. Time for my cycling season.

    Northstar Downhill Mountain Bike Resort - Top of the lift

    Northstar Downhill Mountain Bike Resort

    4.0(48 reviews)
    18.4 mi
    $$

    Northstar ski resort wouldn't refund my season pass when their resort closed back in 2021 and I…read morecouldn't go snowboarding that season.

    Fun Mountain Biking Lessons with Awesome Coaches John & Eric - Great for Families!…read more Northstar offers excitement and fun for mountain bikers of all levels, from beginner to advanced, with a wide variety of trails to keep things both interesting and challenging. The resort offers biking lessons, and the group lessons are especially helpful for families wanting to learn some basic skills and gain confidence, in order to better enjoy their day on the mountain. The private lessons are well worth the money for families through advanced riders, and coaches John & Eric rock! They both have years of experience, can definitely help you skill up, and are personable and fun to hang with. For families, these fantastic coaches can turn a nice visit into an awesome day of adventures! With private lessons, riders of different skill levels can be accommodated, so that each biker is able to learn and progress. Thanks to their great coaching, we had family members learn enough to hit intermediate trails on Day 1! The other advantage of private lessons was that the kids/teens had a coach to accompany them since none of the adults could keep up! Parents will appreciate that they can watch and build trust in their coach during the first hour or so and then feel good about bowing out for libations, confident that their kids are riding the more challenging trails with a responsible, biking-experienced adult. Book a mountain biking lesson with Coach John or Eric the next time you're at Northstar! You'll be glad you did!!

    Photos
    Northstar Downhill Mountain Bike Resort
    Northstar Downhill Mountain Bike Resort - Headed back to the lift

    Headed back to the lift

    Northstar Downhill Mountain Bike Resort - Jason Van Horn on Live Wire

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    Jason Van Horn on Live Wire

    Genoa Loop Trail

    Genoa Loop Trail

    5.0(4 reviews)
    34.2 mi

    It's been years since I last hiked this loop on a hot Summer day in July…read more This is a steep trail and there are parts that narrowed out, but hubby and I walked single file through those parts. We spent a day hanging out here, but we stopped halfway for a break and lunch in some shade. There are plenty of little rivers that flow below the waterfall. Hearing the waterfall kept us chugging along because we were ready to cool off. This wasn't the biggest waterfall, but we enjoyed our time in it. It was very private once we actually got down there and so happy we were in our own little oasis; we had the whole place to ourselves. With all the precipitation we received this year I can only imagine how beautiful and full everything is. I'm planning on revisiting this Summer to see how everything has grown.

    Beautiful hike, spectacular views with a waterfall, this hike offers up rewarding treasures that…read moreonly Genoa can deliver. We set off on this trail that starts in the historic town of Genoa at the end of Carson Street which is north of Main Street (same side as the Genoa Bar - look for the Orchard House). You will see a gravel parking lot and the Genoa Loop Trail sign at the start of the trail. We opted for the 6 mile round trip to the waterfall adventure on this particular day as we headed out. With an elevation gain of 1410ft and many switchbacks be sure to carry plenty of H20, wear appropriate footwear, maybe bring something like a granola bar or fruit and as always pack out, what you pack in. The trail is well maintained, but can be narrow & steep at times with bicyclists and furry companions allowed on the trail too. Please be sure to bring leashes along with doggy mutt mitts aka poop bags, there is a trash can and mutt mitts at the beginning of the trail but better to be prepared and there are no poop fairies. Remember everyone is out there to enjoy the beauty of the Great Outdoors so ENJOY IT! We thoroughly enjoyed this hike, stopping along the way to take in the spring flowers, beautiful views, grab our binoculars to look upon Genoa, the Carson River & Jacks Valley. We crossed the creek throughout the trail with foot bridges, butterflies, and the reward of our hiking adventure was the Genoa Waterfall as it cascade over as we listened to it surrounded by the pine trees. So get out there, this is a GREAT waterfall hike with stunning views added bonus you are already in the quaint historic town of Genoa so why not check out the cute town and grab a bite to eat or libation. Enjoy and #moveyourbody!!

    Photos
    Genoa Loop Trail
    Genoa Loop Trail - Views while walking up :) Didn't make it up to the waterfall but still worth the view.

    Views while walking up :) Didn't make it up to the waterfall but still worth the view.

    Genoa Loop Trail

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    Sierra Adventures - "Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep going." Albert Einstein

    Sierra Adventures

    3.3(92 reviews)
    4.4 miDowntown
    $$

    We were staying in Reno & wanted to take a tour to Lake Tahoe. Jim was an excellent tour guide. We…read moregot wsy more than we expected. He toured Reno, Donner Lake, Lake Tahoe, & a few other areas of special interest. He was very informative & knowledgeable. We thoroughly enjoyed our tour & would highly recommend.

    WORST EXPERIENCE EVER!! TIM IS ABSOLUTELY TERRIBLE & LEAD US INTO A DANGEROUS CONSTRUCTION ZONE…read moreWITH HIGH WATER & STRONG CURRENTS! This should be negative stars. My aunt booked a trip for a river float for my cousin's birthday. There were about 10 of us. The guide, Tim, was completely incompetent, rude, & overall just creepy with the things he said. He kept singing songs about smoking in the morning and getting drunk at night. He also told us an inappropriate story about how he found a guy "jerking off in a crawl space". Aside from the inappropriate comments/ stories, there were multiple signs telling us to exit the river because there was a construction zone ahead. We asked Tim multiple times if we should be getting out soon because the signs were telling us to. He ignored all of us and just kept us floating. We passed by 3 warning signs telling us to get out of the river and we were seeing other people floating get out where the signs were. Then there was one last sign saying "Emergency River Exit Here" and people hanging out by the right side of the river telling us "get out now!" But Tim still just says nothing. Luckily, a random girl hanging out by the water decides to try to stop our group so we can try to get out safely before entering the construction zone but then she got swept away with the current & 4 others in our group and she almost drowned. We told Tim, "this girl is drowning & she needs help!" and he said, "well she's not apart of our group so she's not our problem" as she was visibly almost drowning and literally gasping for help. Luckily, she was able to grab onto my brother's tube and they held onto a branch for at least 10 minutes. One of the group members who successfully got out before the construction zone threw down a life jacket for the girl but she and my brother were still stuck on the opposite side of the river against a concrete wall IN THE CONSTRUCTION ZONE WHERE WE WEREN'T SUPPOSED TO BE. Me, my husband and my dad got swept further down into the construction zone and then finally, at the last minute, Tim says, "get out now!!" as we're already in a complete danger zone. So we all try to get off to the left side of the river as fast as we can to get out. His exit strategy was to grab onto a rock or branch as quick as we could so we didn't go into the rapids and diverted river area. Luckily, we all got out in time but we were literally in an enclosed fenced/ locked construction zone and had to pry ourselves through the fenced area to get out. We had to walk back to the office and tried to talk to Tim & get a refund and he says, "I don't have any money. I'm a terrible person and I want to die. I should just kill myself." (Which is a great thing you want to hear from your "tour guide"). We were also supposed to get a "lunch and drinks" after our float. We were given warm beers in a bag, NO LUNCH and left alone outside on the patio. We walked out of the office after Tim was being suicidal and crazy & he eventually locked himself in the office so we weren't able to talk to him anymore. We were stuck outside wondering how we're going to get back to our hotel because there was no one outside to give us any information. We HAD TO PAY TO GET AN UBER BACK TO OUR HOTEL because Tim would not communicate with us. We also talked to the owner, Jim and he called us liars and didn't believe any of this happened. Can't make this stuff up. Craziest experience I've ever had with any type of "tour guide". During the float, Tim also called a girl in our group "retarded" because she fell off her tube and had a hard time getting back on through the rapids. He was also yelling at her for falling off and said "you shouldn't have let go!" DO NOT BOOK THIS TOUR OR ANYTHING WITH THIS COMPANY!! YOU CAN EASILY (& FREELY/ MORE SAFELY) FLOAT THIS RIVER ON YOUR OWN!!! Save yourself the money and headache. WE DID NOT GET REFUNDED EVEN AFTER HAVING TO CLIMB OUT OF A CONSTRUCTION ZONE!!!! The most unprofessional and UNSAFE experience! Here is a link to a video that shows the construction area Tim lead us into: https://www.rgj.com/videos/news/2025/06/06/the-truckee-river-is-diverted-as-construction-continues-on-the-arlington-avenue-bridge-project/84079962007/ In the video they say, "One of the things we are encouraging the public to be aware of is; as the river is currently diverted, the south side of this channel is going to be HIGHER and FASTER. So we are telling people NOT to use the river recreationally in that time because of the SPEED and DEPTH." Attached are some photos from the video link that show the exact location we floated past into the construction area and shows the "EMERGENCY RIVER EXIT" sign that Tim floated us past!!

    Photos
    Sierra Adventures
    Sierra Adventures
    Sierra Adventures

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    Sky Tavern - Tamarack Trail

    Sky Tavern

    4.2(13 reviews)
    10.9 mi

    Pretty sweet first visit to sky Tavern, during the summertime. Trails are pretty well taken care…read moreof, but damn is the soil loose here. Gotta be careful toward the top because some of it is soo loose and so deep that you get stuck like you're on the beach. Overall, still was pretty freaking sweet, especially for being free... can't beat that. Wife and I went on E bikes so the climb was really no problem, we ended up going up four times, and even took the trail all the way to Tamarack lake, which was super fun. There's lots of different options for terrain and size, some of which is a little nutty... I just wish when we went the lodge was open! Maybe it has special hours or it's only open certain days, not sure I would love to find out. If I find out, I'll update my review!

    Quality/Quantity - Small family friendly mountain. With two…read morechair lifts and a "magic carpet." Winter - To use the mountain you have to be a member and volunteer (2 hours a day). See website. Atmosphere - Winter - Open weekends only, weather permitting. Kid friendly. Sky Tavern can also be rented year round. Safety, kid safety - Cut and pasted from their website, "EVERYONE HAS A BADGE AT SKY TAVERN. Wear your badge when at Sky Tavern, please! It is how we know who belongs. If you bring a visitor, please go to the front desk and get a visitor pass. If you forget your badge, go to the front desk and get a temporary one. Everyone on the hill MUST be registered. If you see someone that you don't think belongs, ask them or ask a ? person to ask them. It is all about kid safety." Service - Amazing affordable programs: Learn to ski and snowboard. Adaptive program - Copy and pasted from their website "Enabling all participants -- regardless of disability-- to get outside and enjoy the snow is our #1 goal." Freestyle ski and snowboard program. Ski race programs. Etc, see website. Summer Bike programs, see website. Price - See website. Affordable. Owner Comment - Congrats on your success since 1937 and opening Sky Tavern in 1944. 1953 - Sky Tavern becomes part of the City of Reno Recreation and Parks Department. 1968 - City of Reno buys Sky Tavern. 1993 - Non profit status, IRS 501(c)(3). 1994 - Sky Ridge chair lift. 2001 - America chair lift.

    Photos
    Sky Tavern - Class is in session.

    Class is in session.

    Sky Tavern - 3/24/24 FYI. Exterior, entrance

    3/24/24 FYI. Exterior, entrance

    Sky Tavern - 3/24/24 FYI.

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    3/24/24 FYI.

    Truckee Bike Park - Loving life.

    Truckee Bike Park

    4.8(20 reviews)
    18.2 mi

    My son has been biking here since he was 3. He started out on a balance bike and is now on a 20" at…read morealmost 5. He's been able to do most of the beginner / intermediate trails. I can't say enough good things about this park that operates on donations. The trails are always well maintained and the people from adult volunteers to riders of all ages are exceptionally kind. I don't ride, so often if my son falls or gets scared on a route where he can't see me, strangers have helped him out. Teenage boys have stood out to me as being especially welcoming and kind to a little guy who is still learning about etiquette and how to ride. If you're hanging out like me, it's also nice to know there are plenty of seating options including a nice table in the advanced section. There's beautiful trees that provide ample shade. Dogs are even allowed as long as they are on leash and they (and all human foot traffic) stay off the mound. There's a drinking fountain with delicious mountain water and two bathroom options - one is a porta potty right at the entrance and the other is the adjacent park's restroom. Bring snacks as they sell ice cream and a few bars. Raley's is down the street and it's a wonderful place to grab a pizza and some beers (upstairs loft has many on draft and is super kid-friendly).

    My son and I love this place. Great trails and flow. Highly recommend this place. Brooks & Cortney…read moredo an amazing job. Great friendly environment for all ages and skill levels. Awesome place

    Photos
    Truckee Bike Park
    Truckee Bike Park
    Truckee Bike Park

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    Tom Cooke Trail

    Tom Cooke Trail

    5.0(3 reviews)
    0.8 miNorthwest Reno

    This is a great trail that has a medium level of difficulty depending on the route you take. A…read morelarge portion of it is flat. It is a dirt trail with a few spots with rocks. Nothing too challenging. There is not a lot of shade so from late spring to early fall, morning would be your best bet. There is a parking area at the trailhead, but there are no amenities (toilets or water) so come prepared. The views are magnificent. Highly recommended.

    I am so surprised that there aren't any reviews of the Tom Cooke Trail here in Reno! We have been…read moreon it, or parts of it, many times over the years. Yesterday was the first time we completed the whole loop and we realize we could have easily done it before. We always park at Mayberry Park and walk along the paved Tahoe-Pyramid Bikeway until crossing the rickety bridge over the Truckee to reach the trail. The starting point of this 3.7 loop trail is well-marked and the hike can be easily tracked via AllTrails. If you decide the walk the whole trail, we found it is easier to take it clockwise, climbing up the switchbacks before it flattens out for quite a while. The trail back down to the beginning is very rocky. There are many little trails that criss-cross between the loop so you can change up the hike it you want. This trail is dog friendly for leashed pets. At this time of year there are a few muddy, icy, and watery areas to navigate, but it's doable. You will find trail runners and mountain bikes here, and beautiful mountain views.

    Photos
    Tom Cooke Trail - Looking northeast

    Looking northeast

    Tom Cooke Trail - Showy Milkweed along the Steamboat Ditch.

    Showy Milkweed along the Steamboat Ditch.

    Tom Cooke Trail

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    Steamboat Ditch Trail - hiking - Updated June 2026

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