Bartley Ranch Regional Park is located just off of Lakeside Drive south of McCarran Blvd in south Reno. Consisting of 56 acres of scenic pasture, multi-use trails, horse arenas, picnic areas, the Historic Huffaker School and the outdoor Robert Z. Hawkins Amphitheater, this park offers something for everyone!
This land was part of the Wheeler Estate: owned as a farming and ranching enterprise by one of the first white settlers in the Truckee Meadows area, Daniel C. "Uncle Dan" Wheeler. By 1923, an Italian immigrant by the name of Demetrio Buscalia was prosperous enough to purchase this portion of the Wheeler Estate. Buscalia operated a small dairy farm on this property, making use of the Last Chance Ditch and Lake Ditch to irrigate his grazing lands.
Gus Bartley, Demetrio Buscalia's son, began to transform his father's dairy ranch into a horse boarding and training farm (Bartley Ranch) after World War II. The ranch operated up until 1985, after which the property was sold to Washoe County. After years of development, the park opened in 1995. It now exists as a preservation site for historic buildings and ranching ephemera saved around the County, and is one enjoyed daily by hikers, photographers, horseback riders, and respectful patrons like you!