I'm giving 5 stars for the wonderful work that goes on here. I attended a master gardeners plant…read moresale here last weekend and scored a couple fabulous plants. It was fun to get to chat with like minds. My master gardener creds come through the university of Alaska but it was great to chat with these master gardeners and learn the projects they are involved in here in Genoa, Nevada. River Fork Ranch is doing great work! Bravo!

River Fork Ranch is an 800-acre preserve owned and operated by the Nature Conservancy. It is…read morelocated where the east and west forks of the Carson River meet near Genoa Proper. River Fork Ranch is both a nature preserve and a working cattle operation. The ranch's riparian corridor and patchwork of pastures, meadows and wetlands support an interesting variety of wild life. The Visitor's Center was closed (COVID), while Gayle and I were recently there. We enjoyed the ~4 mile (out and back) trail between Genoa and Muller Lanes, which was nice flat, easy, and lightly travelled walk. As there is not much tree cover, the hike is open to sun and wind, so dress accordingly. There's better parking on the Genoa Lane side, with Muller being more of a roadside option. And don't stop here. If you're in the area, the Carson Valley Trails Association can lead you a wide variety of walking and hiking options.

Quality/Quantity - Something for everyone! For both locals and tourists; well the tourists I feel…read moreout number us.... Views of Lake Tahoe, Sierras, Washoe Lake (yes quite a ways of a hike), Incline Lake (I have not been yet), etc. Winter - Sledding, cross country, snow shoeing, hiking, snow mobile, etc. Summer - Hiking, biking, etc. The path is 1.4 miles with only a 78ft elevation. It should take you no more than an hour. Only certain parts of the trail are ADA friendly. And of course, feeding the chickadees; bird seeds only please!! Do NOT give them "human" food. They will literally eat out of your hands. A great experience for all ages. Overall, very easy trails. But if you want to keep going, there are more challenging ones that you can connect to. We do not come here often enough... Ambiance - Beautiful and user friendly! Road parking, be safe. And please do NOT run across 431, wait for NO traffic before crossing! A place to drop off your snow mobiles, etc. Oh, and now I am starting to see food trucks?!?! NO restrooms or services. If available, you can drive a mile to Mt Rose Summit to see if the public restrooms are open. Service - Self service. Price - Free. Owner Comment - Thank you to the team at Tahoe Rim Trail Association, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit for maintaining this beautiful area.

One of the most unique experiences at Lake Tahoe! I've snowshoed here twice now and will always…read morerecommend this trail to visitors. Make sure you bring some bird seeds and be on the lookout for chickadees (or other people doing the same)! They will fly directly into your palm! At the ridge, there are also some great views, especially if it's a clear day. The whole trail is about 2-2.5 miles out and back and very beginner friendly!

Got kids? This is the perfect hike for you!…read more A smooth, flat, wide, dare I say stroller appropriate, 3ish mile trail tracks along the Mexican Ditch and eventually the Carson River, offering opportunities to view nearby livestock, fish, frogs, birds, and reptiles, as well as access to fishing and wading, all as you make your way out to the dam and back. The first stretch starts at what remains of an old ranch where the barn and many buildings are still standing and open to exploration. From there follow the signs to the trail and meander your way down the ditch to a fork where you have the choice to stay high on the loop in the sunshine, make your way along the working ag fields, or head down toward the ribbon of green trees that mark the banks of the Carson River. We took to the trees to escape the sun and loved the cool breeze, birdwatching, and sounds of the rushing water as we made our way. The trail is marked by fencing on both sides, but there are several gaps that allow easy access to the river where you can fish or wade, depending on the movement of the water. At the backside of the loop you can extend your hike by following the river trail all the way up to the Mexican dam, which will make the out and back hit the 3 mile mark. We had little legs that ran out of steam so we turned back about a half mile from there and returned along the backside of the loop to our truck parked at the ranch. All in all a great find for family fun!

This is probably our favorite trail within Carson. It is about 3 1/2 miles round trip to the dam…read more It is very kid and family friendly as the trail is hard packed with only a very slight rise to the dam. It also has great scenery with the Carson river on one side and pastures on the other side when you start out that eventually are replaced by the Mexican ditch. Can catch the trail head from the Silver Saddle ranch or from the Carson River park. Both are about the same distance from the dam. We prefer the Carson River trail head as it has a nice parking lot with a few picnic tables, and walks along the river when you start. Please know my pics are during the record setting winter we have had in 16/17, and so the river is really flowing strong! The river has overflowed its banks a few times this year so the trail does have parts that are a little washed out or muddy right now but nothing too bad. Usually there is not this much water flowing this fast over the dam which is great to see!

My wife and I ride the empire trail every morning and we love the wild life ,views and just being…read moreoutside in beautiful carson city's Empire trail thank you.

Location: Along the Empire Ranch Golf Course and the Carson River. Parking is available at the…read moresouth Empire Ranch Estates Park (1466 Empire Ranch Road) and the Morgan Mill Road River Access Area (just west of Deer Run Road and the BLM office). Amenities: Off-street parking; Unpaved trail - open to pedestrians, mountain bikers, and equestrians (Carson City Parks & Recreation)

Great trail for leaf peeping this year…read more Trails were well kept and easy to navigate in this out and back trail network by the river

Description: 40-acre park area. Amenities: picnic tables, handicap accessible fishing pier, river…read moreaccess ramp for non-motorized watercraft, decomposed granite walking paths, trailhead parking lot, enclosed portable toilets April thru November. Dogs are allowed off leash at all times. (Carson City Parks & Recreation) No water fountain.

It was a perfect day to hike this past weekend. It wasn't too hot nor cold. With our local weather…read morecooling it was probably the warmest weekend we'll have in awhile. I'm glad I was outdoors and got some much needed vitamin D and my blood pumping. It's not the easiest trail so I'd rethink this if you're bringing smaller children. We ran into other couples on the trail, but we were able to stop and enjoy our lunch midday away from anyone and start heading out before it started cooling down. We thoroughly enjoyed hiking this trail and look forward to returning next year.

The Carson Valley Trails are a diverse cluster of expertly built and maintained trails in the…read moreCarson Valley. I spent the most time on the Pinyon Trail, the only Carson Valley Trail east of Gardnerville. It was carved into the side of the desert mountain with stunning views of the Sierra Nevada range. The trail wound around the side of the mountain with lots of turns, elevation gain, and elevation loss. It is the best Carson Valley trail for mountain biking if you want something manageable and not too dangerous. It has the most "flow" of any of the trails for biking. The best overall trail for mountain biking was the Clear Creek Trail. It started in a fire scorched desert section near a school and slowly wound its way up into the dense pine mountains. I could tell how much effort it took to build the trail because some sections hung on to the side of the mountain. Maybe I was overly cautious, but I slowly crept up each bend in the trail, cognizant of a potently biker whizzing down from above. The trail wasn't big enough for two bikers unless one biker was hugging the mountainside. I made it up to Knob Point before I was thoroughly exhausted and turned around. This was only about half of the trail. It's hard to explore all of the trails and still have a full time job. Fortunately, when I turned around I didn't have to exert much energy besides slamming on the brakes and guiding the bike down the mountain. It's a trail that one could push to their limit, then turn around and the let gravity bring them back.

This is a newer park that has a fishing pond, dock, clean restrooms, parking lot and happens to be…read morealong the Martin Slough Trail. It's a great place for families and the views of the snow capped mountains are incredible from here. It seems to be a popular place on a Sunday afternoon. We saw several people enjoying fishing and/or walking along the trail around the pond. The trail around the pond is dirt but flat enough to push a stroller along. There are park benches and a covered pavilion as well. There's not a lot of shade unless you are under the pavilion and if you venture along the paved Martin Slough Trail make sure to wear a hat and sunscreen because it's pretty exposed to the sun as well.

A nice undeveloped park just south of South Lake Tahoe…read more There is plenty of room for walking on the trails and taking in the scenery, especially the beautiful Truckee River.