Wyndham Wisdom

Reno Vacations

With new city amenities and the Sierra foothills at its back door, this Nevada city is giving Vegas a run for its money

By Tina Lassen

From the saddle of his mountain bike, Jim Bell surveys his surroundings. To his right, the wooded drainage of Hunter Creek snakes down from the Sierra wilderness. To his left, the Truckee River scribbles across the valley floor. He points a finger toward a web of hiking and mountain-biking trails on nearby Peavine Peak, and then across the broad desert basin to the Virginia Range, where wild horses roam. Incongruously, right there in the foreground, rises a skyline spiked with a dozen oversize casinos.

"Most people don't realize that Reno is virtually surrounded by public land," says Bell, owner of Sierra Adventures. His company offers a huge array of guided tours in the area's desert and mountains. "The outdoor recreation here is almost unlimited, but it's not what comes to mind when people think of Reno."

While ostentatious casino architecture commands the skyline, gaming no longer dominates this city's psyche for Reno vacation goers. Today, Reno is reinventing itself, with a revived downtown full of parks and paths, a white-water playground on the Truckee River, a new ballpark and destination-worthy spa resorts. Sure, gaming remains a draw, but more and more visitors are coming out of the casinos and into the Sierra sunshine. 

Take It Outside

Reno's iconic sign, glaring with more than 2,000 bulbs, arches across downtown's Virginia Street, welcoming visitors to "The Biggest Little City in the World." In its 1960s heyday, Reno drew more visitors than Las Vegas, some 450 miles to the south. Today, Reno's ace in the hole is its location: The city of 217,000 practically straddles the California-Nevada border, basking in a sunny, dry high-desert climate (elev. 4,412 feet) just east of the Sierra Nevada range. Ponderosa pine forest, red rock desert and sparkling blue Lake Tahoe all lie within an hour's drive. In other words, it's a city that's poised for outdoor adventure.

Starting your Reno vacation is easy--with plenty of direct flights to nearby Reno-Tahoe International--and so is getting out into nature. Simply contact Sierra Adventures (866-323-8928; wildsierra.com) or stop by its Adventure Desk in the Silver Legacy Resort (407 N. Virginia St.). The outfitter has the guides and gear (and the lessons, if needed) for all kinds of sporty pursuits: You can hike the scenic canyons of the Nevada outback, mountain bike right from your hotel on miles of singletrack, horseback ride across desert plateaus, and kayak or raft on the Truckee River, taking out in the heart of downtown. "Unlike more remote adventure sports towns," Jim Bell says, "in Reno you can either go cheap or VIP for hotel rooms and meals at the end of the day."

With the Sierra Nevada and high desert, it's hard to imagine a sport you can't do here. The climate is idyllic for cycling, golf (on more than two dozen courses) and boating on the region's lakes. Plus, there's the pull of lovely Lake Tahoe, with its roster of summer sports and world-class ski resorts. 

River Revitalization

There are many outdoor activities that can be incorporated in your Reno vacation. The Truckee River flows clean and clear from Lake Tahoe, coursing east right through the center of Reno. Bridges, benches and walking/cycling paths line its banks for miles, part of a decades-long redevelopment project. Hop on a rental bike at Sierra Adventures and pedal past the band shell at Wingfield Park, through nature preserves busy with muttering geese, to a quiet trout-fishing spot or to a growing array of riverfront cafés, brewpubs and plazas.

In 2004, the city opened the Truckee River Whitewater Park, just west of Virginia Street. Dredging channels and rearranging tons of rock created the perfect current for white-water kayakers: a half-mile-long stretch with 11 drop-pools, surfable waves and a slalom course. Rated Class II-III, it's accessible for beginners and Olympians alike. Tubers and rafters also join in the fun, and on a hot summer day the Truckee River takes on the air of a downtown pool party. Smooth granite boulders provide prime seating for spectators.

With the success of the $1.5 million park and other riverfront redevelopment, now dollars, too, seem to be flowing into Reno improving Reno as a vacation destination. "It's done so much for this town," says Matt Polley, owner of the downtown coffeehouse Java Jungle and the adjacent wine bar Jungle Vino (246-248 W. 1st St.; 775-329-4484).

Downtown Sights And Events
Several worthwhile attractions lie within a block or two of the river. The National Automobile Museum (10 S. Lake St.; 775-333-9300; automuseum.org) showcases more than 200 vehicles, most collected by local casino magnate Bill Harrah, who died in 1978. Over the years, Harrah amassed one of the world's most extensive automobile collections, numbering more than 1,400 vehicles. This excellent museum is filled with rarities, including one of the world's first "horseless carriages"--the steam-powered 1892 Philion Road Carriage--as well as a prototype 1937 Airmobile, a copper-clad Rolls Royce and the 1949 Mercury coupe driven by James Dean in Rebel Without a Cause.

Just a few blocks north, Reno hit one out of the park with its gleaming new baseball stadium for the AAA Reno Aces (minor leaguebaseball.com). The $81 million Aces Ballpark anchors the Freight House District (250 Evans Ave.; 775-334-7094; freighthouse.com), a growing complex of restaurants, bars, music clubs and ample decks overlooking the ballfield.

Along with ballgames, dozens of outdoor events fill Reno's calendar, allowing for Reno vacations year round. World-class kayaking competitions highlight the Reno River Festival (renoriverfestival.com) in May; the Great Reno Balloon Race (renoballoon.com) attracts more than 100 hot-air balloonists the weekend after Labor Day; and the National Championship Air Races & Air Show (airrace.org) in mid-September bring aircraft screeching through the sky at speeds topping 500 mph.

Time to Pamper

Two miles south of downtown, the Peppermill Resort Spa Casino is banking on a more serene experience with its Spa Toscana, 33,000 square feet of first-class indulgence. Treatments such as the Sierra Sports Massage provide a fine complement to Reno's outdoor pursuits. If you book a visit, allow yourself plenty of time to enjoy the Caldarium, a grand sunlit space with spraying fountains, hot and cold plunge pools and an outdoor deck. Special lounge chairs come with resonant built-in speakers and iPod selections with titles like "Laughing Bone Therapy" and "Visceral Bliss."

Like Reno itself, the Peppermill's recent multimillion-dollar renovations have created a resort experience virtually independent of gaming, perfect for a relaxing Reno vacation. Peppermill's casino is vast, but you easily could spend days here enjoying the live shows, the spa and fitness facilities, and an array of clubs and restaurants, without ever hearing the ping ping of a slot machine.

Gold in Them Thar Hills

It's a winding half-hour drive up through pine-covered foothills to the historic mining town of Virginia City. More than $700 million worth of silver and gold--that's nearly $16 billion in today's dollars--was hammered from the Comstock Lode in the surrounding hills in the 1860s and 1870s, earning Virginia City the title "Queen of the Comstock." The Bucket of Blood (1 S. C St.; 775-847-0322) and other century-old saloons still line its wooden sidewalks, and the V&T Railroad (370 F St.; 775-847-0380; virginiatruckee.com) chugs along its original line to Carson City and back, offering grand views of the Carson River Valley.

Despite some touristy fudge and souvenir shops, Virginia City is still full of treasures. Check out the Mark Twain Museum (53 S. C St.), where the writer's desk remains from his days here spent working for the Territorial Enterprise newspaper. Venture deep into a mining tunnel during the half-hour tour of the Ponderosa Mine (daily tours $7; for more information, go to visitvirginiacitynv.com or call 800-718-7587). The Ponderosa, the knowledgeable guide will tell you, never made a dime. Ah, such is the boom and bust of the West. Virginia City had its day; now it's Reno's turn to strike it big once again. Start planning your Reno Nevada vacation today!