Explore Nevada: An urban hike in west Reno

It's not always easy to make time for a proper day hike.

Sometimes you've got too much work to do.

Other times, as we've seen in recent weeks, the safe weather window in the mountains is too small to make an all-day ascent.

The good news for people in Reno, Carson City and Lake Tahoe is even when time is short the list of hiking options is long.

Look no further than the hills of west Reno to get started.

We recently had to work a hike into just a couple hours before heading into the office. After some internet sleuthing we came across the Tom Cooke trail that heads north from the Truckee River just west of Mayberry Park.

Although the Tom Cooke is only about a half mile long, it connects to a network of trails on City of Reno and U.S. Forest Service property that makes it possible to make a nice loop with several miles of hiking and a few hundred feet or more of elevation gain.

We started from the parking area in Mayberry Park at the end of Woodland Drive.

From there we walked about one-third of a mile west on the paved, Truckee River path to a large metal bridge. After crossing the bridge, and another smaller, wooden bridge, we found the trailhead for Tom Cooke.

The trail starts heading uphill just before the sign. There are several paths in the vicinity of the trail had so it can be difficult to pick out which is the official trail.

The one to stay on goes up the hill via several switchbacks. Once you get to the top of the hill you'll be overlooking another canyon that's recently suffered fire damage.

Land managers urge people to stay on the trail in this area because there is reseeding and other recovery efforts underway.

After a short walk you'll reach a large pile of rocks and a sign marking the upper Tom Cooke trailhead.

At that point you can turn to the west and walk along a small, gravel road that runs along the Steamboat ditch. The road is fairly level and goes through some trees, shrubs and wildflowers.

From the road you'll also get good views of Peavine Mountain to the north and the Sierra Nevada to the south and west. You'll also catch glimpses of the Reno skyline.

After about a mile there's another two-track road that veers to the east, goes down a small grade then up a ridge toward another sign.

The sign is a reminder to keep on trail to preserve reseeding efforts. The trail returns to a single track and heads downhill, crosses a small stream, then wraps around a hillside back to the trailhead.

Near the bridge there are even some picnic tables if you want to take a rest and enjoy the river before heading back to the parking area.

Although the trail never really takes hikers very far away from the urban sounds of traffic and industry it still provides a nice escape. In addition to views of the city and Peavine, we saw several bird species and heard some coyotes howling.

And at less than three miles you could do the loop in as little as an hour and still get a decent workout.

Tom Cooke loop statistics

Distance: 2.7 miles

Lowest elevation: 4,652 feet

Highest Elevation: 4,938 feet

Amount of ascent: 305 feet

Time: One hour, seven minutes