5 Awesome Day Trips from Reno by Car
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With Reno tourism on the incline year over year, the Biggest Little City is relevant once again re-claiming its reputation as a prime tourism hot spot. A plethora of hip and trendy restaurants, hiking trails, a river walk, bustling arts culture and evolving downtown, it’s never been a better time to visit Reno.
Despite there being many things to do and see in Reno, part of its appeal is its proximity to other cities and attractions. Many of which are an easy one hour or less drive from downtown. The list below is my pick of five day trips from Reno you can easily reach by car. Let’s get into it!
1) Lake Tahoe
Distance from Reno: About 61 miles (or just over an hour drive away).
Lake Tahoe is a year round destination with plenty to do. There’s hiking, boating and kayaking in the summer months, with skiing taking over as the main activity in the winter. There’s the California side and Nevada side, both of which offer their own batch of activities and destinations.
Tahoe and Reno have always had a connection to one another and often share tourists. Frank Sinatra, back in the day, would often travel between them to perform, which helped bridge the gap between the two (it’s also worth mentioning that the mob had a hand in both as well).
Using Reno as your base to visiting Tahoe has its advantages as the hotels tend to be more affordable and when the weather gets bad in the winter in Tahoe, it usually isn’t as bad (or non-existent) in Reno.
A handful of my favorite destinations in Tahoe include Emerald Bay State Park, the Tahoe East Shore Trail and Round Hill Pines Beach, as well as the many beautiful waterfalls in the area.
2) Historic Downtown Truckee
Distance from Reno: About 35 miles (or about a 40-minute drive away).
Also not far away is the historic gold-mining town of Truckee, California. Many are aloof to Truckee’s existence, often passing it by for its exceedingly more popular neighbor, Lake Tahoe. Despite that, Truckee has plenty to offer visitors all its own.
Nearby is Donner Memorial State Park and Donner Lake. The lake does get busy on certain days, but it doesn’t get nearly as bad as Tahoe. The state park proper has a visitor’s center detailing the history of the Donner Party, numerous hiking trails, Pioneer Monument and more.
The historic downtown area is the main feature, though. The area was transformed to accommodate tourists with local shops, restaurants, and the like. The historic jail is open for docent-led tours, there’s the free and historic (and still operating) train depot, and there’s a popular trail nearby where you hike through historic train tunnels!
3) Genoa, Nevada
Distance from Reno: About 47 miles (or around a 50 minute drive).
Genoa is a quaint little town in Nevada is located in the beautiful Carson Valley and just a stones throw away from Tahoe. It was founded in 1851 and has the unique designation of being Nevada’s first pioneer settlement.
A man by the name of John Reese was the first to settle here. He built a trading post for the manny emigrants and trappers who were making their way through the area. It went on to become an important stop for those on their way to California.
The main attractions of the town include Mormon Station State Historic Park, the Genoa Courthouse Museum, Genoa Cemetery, and Genoa Bar, which is the oldest operating saloon in Nevada.
4) Fort Churchill State Park
Distance from Reno: About 48 miles (or 50 minutes to one hour drive).
If you or a member of your family are history buffs, specifically military history, or you enjoy exploring abandoned places, you’ll want to add a trip to Fort Churchill to your plans. The park is located near the small town of Silver Springs and contains the remnants of an Army Post originally built in the mid 1800’s.
Another attraction nearby is Lake Lahontan State Recreation Area. Lahontan is an ancient lake that used to encompass nearly the entire state of Nevada and parts of California and Oregon. While it isn’t the gargantuan it used to be, it’s still worth checking out.
READ ALSO: Exploring Fort Churchill: An Abandoned Army Post in Nevada
5) Virginia City
Distance from Reno: About 36 miles (or 35-40 minute drive).
Virginia City is bursting at the seams with history and is one of my favorite places to visit. One visit and I know you’ll love it too. There’s quirky shops, old town-style saloons, abandoned mine tours, a beautifully historic cemetery, historic hotels, gold panning and ghosts. Wait…what?
That’s right. Virginia City is renowned as the most haunted place in Nevada. While I’ve personally never seen one, I have had a couple of “weird” experiences that made me a believer. I’ve also been shown photographs from locals that were pretty convincing. You never know, you may end up having a spooky experience yourself.
This post was originally published in 2020 and was recently updated for accuracy.
