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    Cross Peak Hiking Trail

    4.6 (16 reviews)

    Cross Peak Hiking Trail Photos

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    On top of the world
    Michael T.

    It's not the most adventurous trail in the area, but the trek is a decent challenge, the trail is easily accessible, and the payoff is incredibly scenic! The first part of the trail is paved, and borders a neighborhood, but you quickly get on the dirt as the trail winds up into the Mt. Rose Wilderness. It's tree covered along some short switchbacks until the forest ends, revealing a large rocky meadow and the peak. From there the trail winds steeply upward, at times offering numerous options for traversing your way to the top. One thing remains constant throughout this portion, loose rock and gravel. You will slip, so be extra cautious and aware, as well as prepared to adapt along the way up. The peak seems farther than it is, and the incline can appear daunting in places, but it is not as hard as it looks. It's just challenging enough to be enjoyed by all, and it's off leash dog friendly! Top: go early in the AM to catch the sunrise or the evening for the sunset! Since it's exposed, midday would be HOT!

    The top
    Donna B.

    Funny how for years I walked the dog and rode my bike in the area, and never knew this trail was here. Joining a series of Yelp hikes this summer has helped me discover some great area trails. You actually start on the Steamboat Ditch Trail, and that entrance was a bit tricky to find. It's a bike / walking path in a residential neighborhood. Bitteroot Street is the only parking available. Take the paved trail south and follow it to a tunnel under the road. In a bit you exit the neighborhood and paved trail onto a small dirt trail, now your on the Cross Peak section. The paved area and a little of the dirt path are well shaded and have a comfortable temperature since you are alongside a small creek and well shaded. But once you leave that, the temperature rises. It's a beautiful gradual incline of 200 feet for maybe a mile. Then at the base of Cross Peak, you start you a pretty good ascent of 400 feet. The last half involves a little rock climbing. From Bitteroot to the top was about 30 minutes. You've made it to the top, now sit back and enjoy the spectacular view of Reno. We sat on the peak for probably 20 minutes taking in the sights and the cool evening breeze. We did a sunset hike. So in early August we left Bitteroot shortly after 6pm, and was able to watch the sun set behind the Sierras. Yet still have enough light to walk back. Take your time coming down the peak. The trail is narrow and mostly loose dirt and rocks. I would really recommend decent hiking shoes or boots. The round trip was just under a couple of hours. It is an easy hike, and the brief climb was fun. I recommend early morning or evening to do the peak since you are out in the open sun. Water and sunscreen are a must, even for this short hike. Discover the outdoors and your inner mountain goat.

    Angelina G.

    Everything about this hiking trail was beautiful and easy enough to take my kids, with the youngest being 8. Finding where to park and start the hike is the most challenging. I was only able to find it because of other Yelp reviews that gave directions. We started on Bitterroot street and got onto the steam boat ditch trail. We just took our time and enjoyed the journey. It took us two hours but if you don't stop to play and jump in every stream of water you see, it'll probably only take about an hour to the top. The hike to the top has it's rewards! The view is spectacular. There is something about sitting on top of that mountain with crosses and statues of saints that just gives you a great feeling of peace. The top gets a little slippery with the loose gravel so make sure you wear shoes that have a little bit of traction. Enjoy the journey.

    View from the top of Cross Peak
    Alyssa D.

    This trail is kind of hard to find if you haven't taken it before. There are many different ways to enter the trail and different ways to reach Cross Peak. Perhaps the most common way to enter the trail is to park on Bitteroot Road in Reno then take the entrance to the Steamboat Ditch Trail. This trail will eventually lead you to a dirt road at the base of some hills. From here, you can look up and you'll see Cross Peak. This is the shortest and most direct way to get to Cross Peak. My favorite route is to start somewhere along Caughlin Ranch Parkway or to start at Mayberry Landing. To the left of Yogurt Beach, there is a small walkway that leads you into Caughlin Ranch. It is flat and paved for a few miles. After walking along that until the road ends, you enter into a valley. The valley is beautiful and you can go really deep back into it. There is a river and there is some interesting foliage and wreckage to see along the path. After about 2 miles in the valley, you take a right up a pretty steep hill, walk around that hill, and you'll be on the top of Cross Peak. From there, you can take the straight path down the hill in the dirt. (This is my favorite route but I wouldn't recommend it unless you were with someone who knew the valley - it's easy to get lost and to keep going deeper into the mountains). Cross Peak is a great hike because there are some steep hills and a beautiful view at the end!

    Views
    Aracely G.

    Great trail! It was pretty, I started near the tennis courts and got up to the actual trail after awhile. I hiked it with my pup and she loved it because of the creek that runs along pretty much the entire trail. I passed the turn to reach the crosses by quite a bit, unless you know exactly where to turn it's hard to figure it out for the first time, I had to use the Recreation.gov app. Hard to hike it to actually see the crosses too because they sit on rocks but we had it. Overall beautiful views and a wonderful hike.

    Peter H.

    The two stars is for the inadequate directions for and general inscrutability of this trail. The pictures posted sure make it look nice! If only I could have found it. I love my fellow Yelpers. So I'm going to be charitable and say none of these reviews was particularly clear and/or useful enough in my unsuccessful attempt to find this trail. My general impression is that these directions included an unwritten assumption that people are already pretty familiar with the area. I'm new in town. First of all, the parking lot for the Caughlin Club is a very clearly and repeatedly marked tow away zone. I took my chances with that, but maybe there's a better place to park? I was able to find the asphalt path (which isn't really at the Club), but after that...using all of these reviews...a trail of tears. So I wound up near this lovely storage facility (see photo) and seemed to be mostly on fire roads and not trails. On the upside, I did find a small hill and so I summited it and took one of the included photos. The next time I will try to follow these instructions: https://www.summitpost.org/cross-peak/501039

    Where to start the hike
    Bella M.

    Love this hike easy to do in a hour or two. Pretty view of Reno. Hard to find I put a pin of where it's located

    Went off trail a little bit for this one but, so worth it and so fun.
    Jen K.

    My favorite hike in Reno. Easy enough to go by yourself, and a great trail if you are not ready to be crazy physically exhausted that day. When people come into town to visit, i like to take them to this trail as well. Because you can oversee Reno and its such an easy hike. Now, direction can be tricky as indicated in all the other reviews, but i swear by this direction, so easy to remember: 1. Take I-80W and exit on McCarran Blvd 2. Turn left on McCarran Blvd 3.Turn right at the SECOND Caughlin Parkway (you go past 4th street, Mayberry, and the 1st Caughlin Parkway). 4.Keep going straight down Caughlin Parkway, you kinda loop a bit and go down a hill, but when you get to the bottom of the hill you will see ON YOUR LEFT a large black paveway where you can park. This means you will kinda U-turn your car around and park on the street. Once you get off to go into the trailhead. Hike south (dont go under the tunnel), and in the beginning of the hike u will see this beautiful house. This is when you know you are at the right place. yayayyy. Be ready to fall in love.

    Satellite image of Cross Peak and Alum Creek.
    Tracy S.

    Cross Peak is a great little hike in Caughlin Ranch that not a lot of people know about, mainly due to the fact that there is no marked trailhead. This makes it difficult to find, but it also keeps the crowds down. I hike this area often, and on weekdays I rarely come across any other people (though I'm sure weekends are more crowded). The key to finding the Cross Peak trail is to find the Alum Creek drainage. There is a wonderful trail that follows Alum Creek from the backside of Caughlin Ranch for a couple of miles into the hills. This trail eventually gets washed out in a deep ravine, and I haven't been past that point, though I think that it may have at some point connected to Hunter Creek...more exploration is needed. ANYWAYS, the Cross Peak trail forks off of the Alum Creek trail at the BACK of the hill. It is NOT signed, and you will have to keep your eyes open for it, but it is a pretty obvious fork. Many people can't find the trail and just hoof it right up the side of the butte from the Caughlin Ranch side, but that makes this hike significantly more difficult. The main trail is well graded and maintained, and will take you right to the top, where a bit of rock scrambling is required to reach the cross itself. Great views and a log book are a nice reward for your effort. Many people follow the route Alyssa Y mentioned, which is to park in Caughlin Ranch and take the Steamboat Ditch to Alum Creek. I can add a couple of other entry points: the end of Pinebluff Trail road is a popular parking spot; there is a fire road that leads you straight down to Alum Creek. With a high-clearance vehicle or OHV you can also drive past the end of Pinehaven Road for vehicle access to the area; the Cross Peak trail actually goes up the other side of the Alum Creek ravine to a staging area near the back of Caughlin Ranch Storage. (All of these roads and trails are clearly visible on Google Earth.) Overall, the area around Cross Peak is webbed with unmarked footpaths and off-road trails, so there is a lot of great exploring to be had out here. There are many other cool buttes and rocky summits with great views, though none have as nice of a trail as Cross Peak. I much prefer this area, with it's shady trees and lack of crowds, to the much more popular Keystone Canyon trails. Oh, and in warmer weather, watch out for snakes.

    You can hike up from left side which is steep and good cardiovascular excercise and hike down from right side which is bit gradual.

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    Ask the Community - Cross Peak Hiking Trail

    Review Highlights - Cross Peak Hiking Trail

    There is a wonderful trail that follows Alum Creek from the backside of Caughlin Ranch for a couple of miles into the hills.

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    Upper Thomas Creek - Whites Creek - Dry Pond Trail

    Upper Thomas Creek - Whites Creek - Dry Pond Trail

    4.9(7 reviews)
    6.7 mi

    Ski season is over for me, cycling season is starting, and maybe hiking, but only in shaded areas…read more Quality/Quantity - So I am looking for more and more new bike paths. We just cycled The Tahoe East Shore Trail (6 miles round trip) and I am ready for something new and different. My wife is NOT a big dirt road rider, but she wanted to come here, so we will see. I think she would enjoy this more for just hiking...? We will see. Not much shade and/or amenities. Come prepared. Cut and pasted from the internet: "These trails are open to dogs, bicycles, and horses. Everyone can have a good experience by exercising common courtesy and adhering to some accepted rules of the trail... When hikers meet, those going uphill have the right-of-way unless they stop to let downhillers pass. When approaching other hikers from behind, give a friendly greeting so those in front aren't startled. Horses have the right-of-way over both hikers and bikers. Stand aside quietly while they pass. Hikers have the right-of-way over mountain bikes, but it is usually easier for everyone if hikers let the bikes pass since they are usually moving faster. Mountain bikers should announce their presence in places with limited visibility, like blind turns. When passing, let hikers know if more riders are following." Atmosphere - Depending on where you park, I suggest that you only come here with 4 wheel drive vehicle. Not an issue with us as we have a truck. The internet said that there were many shaded areas...? Maybe we did not go far enough? It just means we will be back. Thomas Creek Trail - 4.4 miles, 1272 elevation, 2.5 hours. Lower White Creeks Tail - 6.9 miles, 931 elevation, 3 hours. Dry Pond Loop - 6.2 miles, 1072 elevation, 3 hours. Service - Self service. Price - Free, thank you. Owner Comment - Thank you to Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest, Washoe County Regional Parks, and Open Space Teams for maintaining this area.

    I went on the Thomas Creek Trail for a short hike/exercise yesterday. I went out for a mile before…read morereturning back. According to my Fitbit watch, I walked 2.2. miles. This is a beautiful, easy trail right along the Thomas Creek in the Galena area south of the city of Reno, NV. There was a lot of water flowing down the creek with a little snow and ice in some areas.. The weather was perfect (cloudy and not cold or hot). According to the U.S. Forest Service, this trail is 7.8 miles long however (like in my case) I just wanted to walk a couple of miles for my daily exercise routine. I highly recommend it.

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    Upper Thomas Creek - Whites Creek - Dry Pond Trail - 6/4/25 FYI. Time for my cycling season.

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

    Upper Thomas Creek - Whites Creek - Dry Pond Trail
    Upper Thomas Creek - Whites Creek - Dry Pond Trail - Shaded trails

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    Shaded trails

    Oxbow Nature Study Area - Education center...not open when we've been there.

    Oxbow Nature Study Area

    4.1(28 reviews)
    2.5 mi

    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.

    Convenient parking in a small lot. Restrooms in the beautiful, round park building. Decks allow…read moreaccess out over the water's edge for comfortable (and dry) viewing of the Truckee River flowing by. Trail wends through the mature trees, leading to other areas with benches and picnic tables. The soothing sound of the river can be heard from most of the trail, and you'll also hear several species of birds. Informational plaques are located throughout the park, describing various aspects of the land, flora, and fauna. Overall, a peaceful park that will get you away from the hustle and bustle.

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    Oxbow Nature Study Area - Look out closed (1/2026)

    Look out closed (1/2026)

    Oxbow Nature Study Area
    Oxbow Nature Study Area

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    Hidden Valley Regional Park - Trail

    Hidden Valley Regional Park

    4.4(32 reviews)
    8.3 mi

    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!

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    Hidden Valley Regional Park
    Hidden Valley Regional Park
    Hidden Valley Regional Park

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    Cross Peak Hiking Trail - hiking - Updated May 2026

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