Keystone Canyon Trail, Reno, Nevada

Peavine Mountain foothills with Keystone Canyon Trail

The Keystone Canyon Trail connects the East Keystone Trailhead next to the Leadership Parkway in north Reno with the Hoge Road Trailhead, located further north, east of the Lower Radio Towers. This is a hiking, running and mountain bicycling trail, including a trail-side rock outcrop for rock climbing beginners. The Keystone Canyon Trail is the gateway to various single-track trails over the foothills and through the canyons of Peavine Mountain. It also makes for a great snowshoeing trail on those rare winter days during which fresh snow cover does not instantly melt away.

Keystone Canyon stretches north-south, roughly dividing the lower-elevation regions east of Peavine Mountain into the steep West-Keystone hills and the eastern hills of the Rancho San Rafael Park landscape. At the beginning of the Keystone Canyon Trail you will pass junctions, from where trails connect with the western Keystone Canyon Recreation Area and with Coyote Canyon and Evans Creek in Rancho San Rafael Park. Find informative panels on the right side of the trail briefly describing northern Nevada's Sierra/Peavine geology, reflecting on the local human history, and highlighting the local flora, fauna and restoration efforts.

After half a mile or so along the gravel-road section of the trail you will get to Trail Marker 25, where the Fisticufss Trail (spelling at marker) branches off to the left, inviting you to venture uphill towards Poedunk Trail and to the Snow Terraces and Halo Trail. If you continue through the now narrowing canyon for another half-mile, you will reach Trail Marker 60, where the Recall Ridge Trail branches off on your left and becomes Total Recall Trail further northwest. Along the canyon trail, you will soon get to Trail Marker 26, where the right-side UNR DH Trail provides you with various loop option to return to the Keystone Canyon Trailhead via Rancho San Rafael paths.


Getting to the Keystone Canyon Trailhead (East Keystone)
From the intersection of North McCarran Boulevard and North Virginia Street, drive west for one mile and turn right on Leadership Parkway. Continue westward on Leadership Pkwy below the painted water tank for about half a mile. Turn right at the upright stone displaying the trailhead name in all-uppercase letters:  KEYSTONE CANYON TRAILHEAD. At the end of the parking area is a kiosk showing a trail map and other information of interest.
A Peavine multiuse trail map is available at the Poedunk web site at www.poedunk.org/poeville-89503/peavine-trail-maps.

Keystone Canyon Trail Map: this is a section 
of an older map displayed at the trailhead and 
not showing the now-open Poedunk Trail