Truckee River Exploration

I love riding along the Truckee River and around Verdi, it has great terrain, views, nice climbs, and is in general fantastic. There is a wealth of different variations that can be made. On this particular day, I left from my house near the university. I followed went out Seventh to Mae Anne, then down to the river at Patagonia, along Fourth Street to Mogul. At Mogul, I went under the freeway and down Mogul Road to the end, where it comes to a sweet bike and pedestrian bridge and then I rode up through Belli Ranch.

In the country, with Boomtown in the background.

There is a bit of gravel on this road around the bridge, but its still common to see cyclists using this shortcut. My general hope was to stay on the south side of the Truckee, so instead of crossing back to Boomtown and going through Verdi to Quilici Ranch Road, I turned up Garson Road (toward the fire station) and through the gate. I was hoping that there would be an access road along the Steamboat Ditch there, and sure enough it was rough but very passable, with a steep little descent at the end, but then onto smooth road again at the Verdia freeway on-ramp. I turned left, crossed the railroad tracks and was at Quilici Ranch road.

Ditch path.

I love dirt.

Riding up Quilici Ranch Road.

Quilici Ranch Road is paved for the first bit, then good gravel. It ends at a railroad crossing and large rock/parking area for fishermen. There is a fisherman trail that goes beyond the rock. It is a little narrow, and on my way out I walked my bike as it is big railroad gravel and a very steep tumble into the bushes and Truckee. It is only a few hundred yards along the railroad tracks. I crossed right before the bridges and beyond there is a good gravel road that first passes some water and electrical works, with a sweet waterfall from the wooden flume that has varied from raging waterfall to drizzle. There is a wooden bridge with a closed gate, but there is a well-worn path around its end. One day I ran into some Water Authorities up there working, and they were very nice as I rode past them. Today, not a soul in sight. The road is a nice gravel and continues along a shady and beautiful patch.

Along the railroad tracks, I crossed just a bit before the bridge ahead.

Steamboat Ditch full of water.

Along the Truckee, it's pretty amazing that freeway world is just across the river.

Many places to stop and rest, soak my feet in the Truckee.

Gorgeous day.

The road forks a couple of times and I explored almost all of its variations, the main one being a split, the lower fork goes to what seems to be a service entrance for the flume. The other one crosses the ditch, makes a steep climb and then crosses a plateau to the north before making a very steep and rocky descent back into the canyon. On the way down that hill, I ran into a man hiking the other direction (the only other person I saw on that road that day). I asked where he had come from, and he said he'd pulled off the freeway and crossed the bridge. I couldn't believe that there would be a bridge down there, but sure enough, down the road, the road turned to single track through the willows and then opened up to a narrow suspension bridge over a dam that feeds water into the plume.

Service entrance to the flume. Like standing on top of a boxed river.

Truckee's silvery rills ("Home Means Nevada," even if I might have been in California).

Top of steep descent down to river and suspension bridge.

Taking another picture while wondering if I actually should go down there.

But it was amazingly worth it.

Quiet water waiting to enter the flume.

Single-track leading to the suspension bridge.

Another road began at the far edge of the suspension bridge, it lead back a ways and on my way along it I ran into Danny, an ultimate player, out with some friends. Apparently you can pull off the freeway and park to come down to the river here or rock climb. They pointed out a side trail that lead down to a nice little beach across the river from beautiful granite cliffs dropping straight into the water.

On the suspension bridge.


Another view.


Sandbar beach where I hung out.


Cliffs across the river.


Message?


End of my line, but not the tracks.


Water heading back to Reno, where I must turn now.


Looking down from the suspension bridge.

I continued up to the railroad and even rode along it a little while. The road crossed the tracks and climbed up the freeway, but that was the end of the line for me. I turned back. The very steep downhill was a push for me on the way back, but from there is was mainly a leisurely coast all the way back down to Verdi, where I stopped for a burger and beer, then pedaled back to Reno among the afternoon cyclists.

It is amazing to me, having driven on I-80 west from Reno so many times, to find to this little secluded and amazingly scenic ride right across the river from the freeway.