On the Water

The Truckee River runs straight through downtown Reno, and the whitewater park in the middle of the city is genuinely unusual — a free, engineered set of drops you can float, paddle or just watch from the bank.

The Truckee is a snowmelt river, which means its character changes completely across the year. In a good spring it is fast and cold. By late August in a dry year it can be too low to float. Anyone selling you a river trip in September should be telling you that up front.

The whitewater park at Wingfield Park is free to use and does not require a guide. On a hot afternoon half of Reno is in it. That is a reason to go, not a reason to avoid it.

For flat water and swimming, the lakes are the draw — Tahoe is the famous one, but Pyramid Lake to the north is stranger and emptier, and requires a permit from the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe.