Nearby Destinations to Reno

Full Reno Travel Guide »    Reno Interactive Map »    Print This Article »

Regionally, Reno features a variety of attractions which are hard to beat. These attractions are best experienced during the spring, summer, and early fall, as wintertime in the area renders most of them closed. Reno gets cold in the winter, so if you’re visiting in the winter, look to ski resorts to entertain you during the day.

• There are several world-class ski areas within a one-hour drive of Reno, including Squaw Valley (home of the 1960 Winter Olympics), Heavenly and Alpine Meadows.
• The eastern entrances to Yosemite National Park are about an hour and a half south, and are generally much less crowded than the western entrances. Excellent dayhiking and backpacking are found around Tuolomne Meadows and Dana Pass before descending into more crowded Yosemite Valley.

• Washoe Valley: Bower’s Mansion & Davis Creek Park. Washoe Valley is a very picturesque valley located about 30 minutes south of Reno by car (US-395) and features two great regional parks which should not be missed: Bower’s Mansion and Davis Creek Park. Davis Creek park features the creek of the same name and a great pond for winter ice skating (conditions permitting) as well as fantastic access to the Sierra Nevada mountains (it sits at the base) Features campsites and showers. Bower’s Mansion is a park with a swimming pool open in the summertime and the mansion which is the park’s namesake. Tours of the mansion are available throughout the day in the summertime and well worth it – telling a story of the enrichment and eventual tragic downfall of a family which struck it rich on the Comstock Lode. Washoe Valley is also home to Washoe Lake State Park. In years when the lake is full, this park features a boat landing and some of the best windsurfing to be found, plus campsites, and some fantastic scenery.

• Virginia City. The home of the Comstock Lode, this was once the largest city between Denver and San Francisco. It is a historic landmark district and can be accessed from Reno via Geiger Grade (hwy 341, east from Mt Rose Junction south of town) or Mound House just east of Carson City (also via hwy 341) If you are not comfortable with mountain driving it may be worth your time to go through Carson City. Worth it to have a drink at one of its storied saloons (the author prefers Bucket of Blood, others abound), to wander its historic C Street, wander through its cemetery, and if you’re a train buff, to ride the V&T tourist train (and learn more about the ongoing efforts to recreate the original route of this historic short-line railroad).

• Carson City. From its founding this town was intended to be Nevada’s capital city. The historic Carson City mint is now home to the Nevada State Museum, with exhibits dealing with everything from prehistoric native life to the Old West mining boom to the current day. The State Capitol Complex is an ideal location for a stroll and a look inside the political history and workings of the state, especially in springtimes of odd-numbered years, when the Legislature is in session. A tour of historic homes and the personalities behind them can be taken by following the blue lines on the sidewalks, beginning from downtown. The Brewery Arts Center features theater, live music, and visual arts offerings throughout the week.

• Lake Tahoe. Shared with California, this alpine lake features crystal clear cold water, and a variety of attractions including the MS Dixie paddlewheel trawler, Vikingsholm Castle, and the South Lake Tahoe/Stateline casino and tourist center. Other notable things to see and do include the picturesque California town of King’s Beach, in addition to beaches and parks at Crystal Bay, Zephyr Cove, and more. 45 minutes from Reno via Hwy 431, the Mount Rose Highway; with a less treacherous drive through Carson City via Highway 50 West taking an hour and a half.

• Pyramid Lake. The second largest terminus lake in North America, this desert lake features a variety of interesting rock formations and is home to endangered but large Lahontan Cutthroat Trout. A high holy site to the native Paiute Indians, it is contained entirely within the Paiute Reservation. Fishing, boating and swimming are available, though caution is advised for the latter two (random windstorms and undercurrents belie the relatively placid appearance the lake usually assumes). Roughly an hour north of town, on Pyramid Highway, SR 428.

• U.S. Route 50 eastward across Nevada, nicknamed the Loneliest Highway crosses semi-desert mountains and valleys and passes through historic mining towns Austin, Eureka and Ely, then at the Utah line, the entrance to Great Basin National Park.

Sacramento ← Truckee ←

W  E

→ Sparks → Salt Lake City