Hike Mt. Rose

The Mt. Rose summit trail has something for the whole family. The well-graded and maintained trail is suitable for children and open to your well-behaved and controlled pet. You will enjoy a rewarding hiking experience whether you trek all the way to the summit of Mt. Rose or just meander partway. This is a great place to cool off when it's hot down in Reno and it's only about a half hour away.

My hike to the Mt. Rose summit during the first weekend in August yielded some unusual surprises. After a month of drying heat down here in the Truckee Meadows, there were still streams flowing into meadows on the slopes of Mt. Rose. A small waterfall on Galena Creek was gushing and parts of the trail were lined with a profusion of wildflowers. It was the height of spring in this part of the Sierra, thanks to abundant late snowfall and a lack of higher temperatures earlier in the season. On the summit, though, I was reminded that summer surrounds this oasis - views were obscured by the smoke of wildfires burning up and down the spine of the Sierra Nevada range. I also had to scurry from the top because of the clouds and rumbling of an approaching thunderstorm, a summer phenomenon hikers must respect for their own safety.

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