Outdoor Adventure

Reno sits at the seam between the Great Basin desert and the eastern Sierra Nevada, and almost every outdoor operator in town works that seam. Within forty minutes of downtown you can be on a sagebrush plateau, in a granite canyon, or at 8,000 feet.

The thing visitors underestimate about Reno is how quickly the city ends. Drive fifteen minutes in almost any direction from downtown and you are in open country — Peavine Peak to the north, the Virginia Range to the east, the Carson Range climbing toward Mount Rose to the south.

Most guided adventure operators here pick you up rather than meeting you at a trailhead, which matters if you flew in and did not rent a car. Ask when you book; the good ones say yes without being asked.

Altitude is the quiet variable. Reno is around 4,500 feet and most trips climb from there. If you arrived from sea level yesterday, treat the first day as easier than you think it should be.