The G Hike

South Reno is full of ‘rolling’ hills, and I know these hills and mountains like the back of my hand and have been exploring them since I was only just 9 years old. One of my favorite “quick” hikes to go on is the G hike. Now I call it this because there is a huge white G made out of rocks on the mountain to represent the nearby Galena High School.

The great thing about this hike is you can take a 30 minute hike and get some great views of Reno, or you can turn it into a three hour hike and extend it up along the side of the mountain.

It is very easy access to get to the “trailhead” even though there really is no beginning and any type of vehicle will be able to make the drive regardless of snow.

To get to this trail you take I-580 South to the Mt Rose exit, continue up Mt. Rose Highway and you will turn left onto Edmonton. Continue on Edmonton and it will turn into Great Falls Loop and your destination will be on the right, and this is what you will see.

From here you will just need to start walking, at first it is a well worn gravel road, but as you get up higher it does turn into a trail. As you get closer to the G you can stop here.

If you chose to continue you will see a water tower to your left, and you can continue the trail up over the ridge to the side of the mountain. This trail is a little more physcially challenging as it gets very steep, but you have an amazing view of the ravine below. You can can continue to hike to the top where the view of Reno is even more beautiful.

There is lots of wildlife you can expect to see when you are walking along this trail. There are Gambel’s quail and California quail, and if you hike far enough away from the houses you can hunt these during the Nevada upland game hunting season (usually October to February), there are many coyotes, but they stay hidden during the day. Also, if you are going to be hiking here in the summer there ARE rattlesnakes on the trails. Other than that you will see bunnies and jack rabbits galore, but nothing to special.

If you have a keen eye for not only animals, but also rocks, there are SO many unique and beautiful rocks that you might want to bring home and polish up. On my hike today I found some scoria, which a volcanic rock, and also some milky quartz.

Coming down a mountain, I like to challenge myself to make it down in record time. There are three ways to do this depending on how frisky you’re feeling.

1) Take the same trail down as you took up.

2) Scree run down the sides of the huge decomposed granite pit, which is what I like to do.

3) If there is snow, you can sled down on your butt, which is the option my Mom, of all people, chose to do.

Have a great hike!
Rachel Roen