Golden Valley Hotspot

This spot I am going to talk about today is like a hidden gem that is buried way deep into the north Reno desert. Not many people know about it and don’t spend a lot of time exploring the wilderness in North Reno so it remains a secret known by little.

Take I580 North and exit on Golden Valley, turn left onto Golden Valley Rd, then turn right onto old U.S. 395/ North Virginia St. Stay on this road for a mile or so then turn left onto Seneca Dr. Turn right on Kiowa Dr. At the end of this road you will see the trail head and there will be two main dirt roads you can take. Take the one that’s more to the right! Just a warning. This road is BRUTAL and pretty impossible to make in a car. I would definitely recommend a truck with some good tires and clearance if you plan to drive back here. If you don’t have that you can just park at the trailhead and start your hike there!

I took this screenshot from google maps just so you could see how far back and remote this place is!

 

I was first taken to this place when I was probably 17 years old by my brother, Phil, who took me shotgun shooting for the first time. At this spot is where my love of shotguns all began and my brother and I became a little closer. Also this spot is where I got Mason use to the sound of guns and where his hunting training began. So many fond memories.

This spot is great for shooting and it is still my go to spot. There is a huge pond that you can shoot at and lots of level ground to set up targets. A word of advice though… do not go in the water or let your dog go in the water. This pond probably has so much lead and glass and metal in it from all the ammunition it is a deathtrap. You can sometimes see things in the water…they’re like mutated fish or something, it is very mysterious and eerie.

As always when you go shooting, be smart and bring the proper equipment. It is so dangerous to shoot outdoors in Nevada because of the high fire risk. When you’re driving on the dirt road you can see someone wasn’t thinking when they were out shooting. A wildfire started here a few years ago thanks to someone using tracer ammunition, and now the land in burned and barren and my rights to shoot are getting closer to being taken away. Anyways….

This spot is not only for shooting. In the winter of 2011 I came up here to do some quail hunting and came home empty-handed, but I swear they are out there, they were just hiding well. Also after I shoot for a while I will hike on one of the various trails and explore a little further each time. And it is a great place to quad. On my Facebook page under my videos section I have multiple videos up of me shooting at this place so check them out!

Since I shared such a secret spot with you, you should get out and explore it today!!

Happy Trails!