Mount Rose Wilderness

The address here is for the ranger station.
The wilderness is wide open with many paths to choose and a few peaks one can climb, Mt. Rose being the main one. There are also a few small lakes, a creek with running water, a waterfall and access for dogs on the lower trails making it a fairly appealing and interesting wilderness zone.
If you’re going to hike Mt Rose, I recommend checking a site like
for instructions. It’s somewhat easy to take the wrong route (I did the first try, following someone else).
It’s not that heavily trafficked so it’s a wonderful respite from all the banes of civilization. The lower trailhead and campground can be a bit busy, but after that, you’ll find very few people (last time I made a summit attempt and I encountered 7 people on the summit trail and only one while I was there on the top.
The lower parking area does close at like 6 p.m., but if you go up the summit, you can park there all hours. There are no fees, but you do need a permit for overnight stays and fires.
Mt Rose has paths reaching it from basically every direction which is really nice. It’s a large, wide mountain. From Carson City, you’re much closer to Slide Mountain which has the Mt Rose resort or the various hikes off of Spooner Summit on interstate 50.
Not all trails are marked wonderfully. It’s best to read up on your route if you have a particular destination in mind, use common sense and if it works and you have it use GPS. If you’re just cruising leave breadcrumbs and you’ll have no problem getting back. (Okay, kidding, just pay attention to the way you came).
I haven’t hiked from the bottom here, but I have done Mt Rose and Snow Valley Peak. The views from both are really nice, providing excellent views of Lake Tahoe.
As others have stated it would be very wise on your part to consider altitude. Carson City is 5000 feet and a few thousand feet will likely make a pretty big difference if you don’t spend any time at the additional altitude.
For long journeys, be sure to carry plenty of water and weather appropriate gear.

On the way to the Ski Resort. you can walk into the wilderness area here and hike around –be sure to stay on track. The wildlife is aplenty here, but taking pictures is often tough. There are a lot of trees as well, and if you park carefully on the side of the road, trekking in-​ward isn’t too bad. :)

This 50 square mile park stretches from Reno across the crest and down into Lake Tahoe. The highlight is Mount Rose itself, the tallest peak on the North side of the lake. Climbing the summit is a ten-​mile round trip hike, mostly above the tree line. It’s only moderately strenuous but for the lack of oxygen at that elevation.
The views are stunning, especially at dawn and sunset. To one side you can see the whole Tahoe basin, the lake ringed by mountains. To the other, the sprawl of Reno, the desert more than a mile below and the beginning of range-​and-​basin territory.
Terrain is varied and very interesting. There’s a lot of sand up here, scrub, stunted trees. Some really interesting granite formations, hard to believe that rocks look like that. Trails are well marked and maintained.
It can be cold, blustry, windy even in the height of summer, so dress in layers. Also, bring water. It doesn’t feel warm but something about the high mountain air dries you out.