5 Best Bike Rides to Explore Reno, Nevada

Reno isn’t just a great place for mountain biking, it also has some amazing urban and suburban rides on bike and pedestrian paths. By taking just a few Reno city rides, you can pass through the best parks and along the river, around lakes and meadows, through the bustling downtown, and soak up the quaintest neighborhoods.

Photo: The bike path along the Truckee River

1. Idlewild to Wingfield Park and Beyond

If you could only take one ride through Reno, the short distance between Idlewild Park and Wingfield Park, which follows the Truckee River as it winds through downtown, would be the one to take.

Map: Idlewild to Wingfield Park

In this short, 1-mile ride, you get to see the trees, geese and playgrounds of Idlewild and then cross over to the other side of the river to the greenbelt heading into downtown. If you get hungry or thirsty along the way, Hub Coffee Roasters, Rolled Mountain Creamery and Beaujolais Bistro will sate your appetite. You will also pass by the theater and get great views of the river, downtown and mountains all at the same time until you reach the little green island of Wingfield Park, where you might be able to see river rafters, live music or booths selling local crafts and goods. You can continue farther than Wingfield past downtown Reno for as long as you desire, all the way to Sparks and beyond, but this short route alone gives you plenty to see and experience.

2. Idlewild to Mayberry Park

For a much longer and more suburban ride, also starting at Idlewild, head west on the bike path toward Mayberry Park instead of east toward downtown. This route gives you more views of the Truckee River and lets you explore some of the older suburban neighborhoods and riverside parks.

After cycling through leafy neighborhoods, you’ll ride along Mayberry Drive before reaching an open meadow and Dorostkar Park. Shortly after, you will pass over a bike bridge that runs right next to River School Farm, a neat stopping point that has a grassy area to eat lunch and walk around. It is adorned with lots of decorative animals made from old metal — a token style in the Reno area.

Map: Idlewild to Mayberry Park

You’ll continue to ride along the river until you reach Mayberry Park with its wide lawns that a great for big parties. There are also lots of benches right along the Truckee River and small beaches where you can sit and enjoy the flow of the river in full view.

Photo: Bike Bridge in view from River School Farm

3. Damonte Ranch Wetlands

Shifting gears toward south Reno, at the center of the Damonte Ranch neighborhood lies the South Meadows Trail, a wetland preserve with a paved bike trail that runs behind the neighboring homes and provides an expansive view of South Reno and the hills to the east and west.

This completely flat trail is easily accomplished in half an hour to an hour and provides plenty of views of the native birds that inhabit the wetlands. You can access the loop around the wetlands from many locations, but if you’re unsure where to start, you can park at Evergreen Park and reach the trail from there. On this quiet, scenic ride, you can really hear the wind blow and birds chirp.

Photo: View of Wetlands

4. Sparks Marina

Moving up north, Sparks has a noteworthy ride along the Sparks Marina Park Lake, a manmade lake in the heart of Sparks, next to Scheels and the outlets and a couple major casinos.

The path circles the entire lake. Certain sections run behind houses and a bar and coffee shop, making good pit stops depending on the time of day. The park also includes beaches, grilling stations, green areas, a playground and a long tree-lined stretch that cuts out freeway noise as you pass near the I-80 freeway.

Without a doubt, a visit to the Sparks Marina is a must — and taking a ride around the lake is the best way to experience it.

Photo: View of Sparks Marina Lake

5. Midtown and the Old Southwest

While the city streets of Reno are not the most walkable or bike-friendly (there are a lot of pedestrian fatalities each year — so the other rides on this list are all on dedicated bike paths), there are a couple of neighborhoods where the roads have more bike lanes and the drivers tend to be more pedestrian-aware than the outskirts of town. Also, it helps that these are scenic neighborhoods that are enjoyable to bike in.

Midtown and the Old Southwest sit just south of downtown Reno. Midtown is the hipster hangout, with lots of eclectic restaurants, coffee shops and bars. It has been described as “up-and-coming” for a bit too long and is now a well-established commercial hotspot of Reno.

The Old Southwest, on the other hand, is a charming upper crust residential neighborhood, but upper crust in the old neo-Victorian way, filled in with small “mansions” and charming cottages, heavily covered in long-standing trees planted when the houses were built in the late 1800s to 1940s.

Map: Path through Midtown and the Old Southwest

Two good starting points are The Stone House Café and Coffeebar on Mt. Rose Street. Cut over Mt. Rose Street to Plumas and then take a right at Mary Street until you reach the roundabout. Then cut up Center Street to make your way through Midtown. (Virginia Street runs parallel to this through midtown, but it’s not a bike-friendly street.) As Center Street approaches Liberty, make your way over to California Avenue and head through the artsy part of Midtown until you reach the Brewer’s Cabinet at South Arlington Avenue. Now you can head south on South Arlington and go through any of the side streets on your way to check out the Old Southwest neighboring homes. Eventually, you’ll find your way back to where you started for a cup of joe.

There you have it. In five easy rides, you can get to know the expanse of Reno from the comfort of your bicycle saddle.