Weekend Outlook 1/20-1/23, 2022

Trail Karma Opportunity:

• Thursday-Saturday:

  • Carson Valley Trails Association are taking advantage of the dry enough conditions and good weather this weekend to continue to cut and smooth new trails on the Clear Creek - Indian Hills project and are calling for volunteers. For more information, you can see their Facebook announcement post here, or just register to volunteer through their website here.

Trail Reports:

• Wednesday 1/19/22 4pm:

  • Took the dogs for a hike from the Middle Keystone trailhead straight up the slope to the North-West following the western edge of the dry/snow transition line. Intercepted Halo 3/4ths of a mile East of the junction above the R. That was also the snow line for Halo if you are coming from the R. Further East was covered in deep drifted snow and there wasn’t even a boot track to follow. Looking West along Halo, there is a snow bank that has a solid boot track across it on the west side of the 4wd Road/R/Halo junction but other than that and some limited wet spots, you may be able to link Halo to Bud Canyon. Continued North-Westerly to peer over onto Crispy Bacon and above. Plenty of snow on Crispy Bacon just 3/10ths of a mile East of the junction with B-Lite. Similarly, B-Lite is snowed over as soon as it drops into shade West of that same junction. Looking higher, there is lots of snow on the South face of Curt’s cut off as well as on Bacon Strip 1/2 of a mile uphill from the Bacons/Total Recall junction. The 4wd road that runs the ridgeline above the R North-East toward the Bacons/Total Recall junction was largely free of snow and water once you got above the saddle directly above the R. The saddle itself is mostly snow free and a mix of firming up and still soft. There is a shaded slope west and above the road that is still holding a fair bit of snow and supplying running water to the road and saddle area. 4wd roads coming up from Kings Row and Keystone West were both either dry or improving up until that snow bank. - Patrick S.

• Thursday 1/20/22 8am:

  • Got out the door with the mountain bike before the thaw set in. Climbed Keystone canyon and then Hoge road toward the Hoge/Stagecoach junction. Doubled back once I hit persistent mud and water and wound my way around Upper Rancho including Upper UNR DH, Reno Vista, Upper and Lower Miner’s, and Snake Bite. Returned to the Keystone East trailhead via the Rancho Connector. The short version is that Keystone Canyon can be ridden early in the morning, but the upper half is still showing signs of lots of mud and it gets progressively worse as you approach Hoge Road. The Hoge 4wd road itself and all trails heading up the mountain from it are very wet and in places have deep puddle, snow, and/or heavy mud. You can see large snow banks up slope from or on Halo, Poedunk, Total Recall, and Stagecoach. Going toward Rancho from Hoge (South South-East) is a much nicer story. Mostly drying, limited snow, and plenty of good track. N, Upper Reno Vista, and Evans Canyon still have snow, and the Rancho Connector has some serious soft spots on the first two legs of the climb from Rancho, but you can definitely put together some fun loops using UNR DH, Miner’s, and the Upper Rancho loops. Coming through Upper Rancho, there are multiple sink holes in the single track large enough to eat a wheel or a leg. Similarly, large stones have shifted and water has significantly reshaped the trail (especially on Snake Bite). -P

Weekend Events:

Here are the events that are on the radar for this weekend:

• Thursday, January 20:

  • 5:45pm

    • Silver State Striders will be running hills in southwest Reno. Departing from the Eclipse Running, this is ~8 miles of pavement and hills. Lights and reflective attire required. More details on their website.

• Saturday, January 22:

  • 8:30am

    • Silver State Striders are running a portion of the Western States Trail starting off Forest Hill Road. This out and back has 16 and 21 mile options and requires a drive over the hill into California as well as a parking fee. More details on their Facebook Group Page.

• Sunday, January 23:

  • 9:00am

    • Kurstin Graham is organizing an all day, pick your time and distance, out and back gravel ride out near Nightingale Hot Springs. If you haven’t joined one of his rides before, they are very laid back touring rides but can be in quite remote locations with varying road conditions so everyone is expected to be self supported. There is always some degree of adventure involved and that usually carries over into the post ride food stop as well. For more information or to RSVP, you can check out the Facebook event post here.

Trail Outlook

Trail conditions continue to improve but the freeze thaw cycle and calm days is keeping it pretty slow. Friday afternoon and evening we are expecting some gusty cold winds coming from the unusual direction of North-East so that may actually speed up some drying on normally protected slopes, but otherwise much of what is accessible will be via out and back trips because most of the loops outside of Rancho San Rafael cross into snow fields or serious wetness. That being said, some of the 4wd roads are showing signs of dryness so if you get creative you may be able to link up more than would be possible just on the single track network. If you do get out, keep in mind that trail hazards have changed. Runners and riders especially, travel as if you are on new trails if you haven’t been out since fall.

If you are swapping the running and riding for a little back country sliding, check out the latest avalanche conditions over at Sierra Avalanche Center. The freeze thaw cycle is making conditions extremely variable depending on sun exposure. Knowing where to look can make the difference of coming home.

If you get out, let us know what you saw by submitting a trail report. I’m particularly interested to hear about areas around Sierra Vista, Hoge rd, and North Valleys Regional Park.

Be kind, be safe, and enjoy.

Keystone Canyon at Hoge Rd showing how soft it gets once the thaw sets in each day. January 20, 2022