The change of the season is upon us in Nevada. Visit 3 fall foliage locations between now and November 30th to get your leaf peeper badge!
The North Reno Recreation Area is a new Bureau of Land Management OHV Recreation Area just a short drive north of Reno and Sparks. The 19,050 acre area is open to all OHV travel, and is criss-crossed with hundreds of miles of double and single-track trails. The main trailhead and staging area is next to an amazing slick granite rock formation, appropriately called the “Moon Rocks”. These rocks provide a challenging venue which attracts rock crawling enthusiasts from across the country.
In general, the trails range from wide, improved, dirt and decomposed granite roads, to rocky hillsides dotted with sagebrush and pinion pines. There are plenty of opportunities for a challenging and fun experience for all vehicle types and skill levels.
The area to the west of Bird Springs Road, outside of the North Reno Recreation Area Boundary, is the “Sand Hills Critical Deer Winter Range”. These hills are closed to motorized vehicles between December 1st and April 1st each year and are a popular destination for equestrians and mountain bikers. Please recreate responsibly, respect other trail users, and help to protect this beautiful wildlife habitat.
The Recreation Area has several large open dispersed camping spots to accommodate rigs of any size at the main trailhead and along Bedell Road. No water or toilet facilities are available at this time, but improvements are in the planning stages.
TravelNevada’s website also has some good general information.
For things to do in and around nearby Reno and Sparks, see the Reno-Sparks Convention & Visitors Authority’s VisitRenoTahoe.com website.
Visit the Nevada OHV Program website to see more OHV trails across the state along with important off-road vehicle registration info.
RiderPlanet.com has a webpage on the Moon Rocks, with detailed trail information and a video of the site.
From I-80 in Sparks, take Pyramid Highway, SR445, north for 17 miles. Turn left onto Winnemucca Ranch Road and go about 6 miles to the Rec Area entrance on your left.
The main Trailhead is a large open area, with plenty of space for multiple trailers, with several other dispersed camping and staging areas further down the road. Currently, the site has no water or restroom facilities.
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