A sidepath trail that follows a busy roadway around the southeastern edge of Reno and across the Truckee River into southern Sparks, the McCarran Boulevard Bikeway gives cyclists and pedestrians over three miles of wide, paved pathway to help navigate the area. Traveling from industrial parks near the airport, through residential communities, local parks, open farmland, and crossing over the river and Dry Creek, the trail acts as an asset to help link these various areas.

The majority of the trail is flat, paved asphalt divided by dashed yellow lines, with some brief stretches of concrete that maintain the trail's width despite the change in surface. The roadside nature of the trail does mean that road crossings are required at points along the route, although considering the trail's length and suburban surroundings, the bikeway offers a surprisingly smooth ride with few interruptions. Before crossing over Dry Creek, the trail passes along the edge of Mira Loma Park, an excellent local recreation site with paved trails running throughout, open space for a variety of activities, and a large skatepark along the creekbed.

The northern end of the trail offers some lovely views of the surrounding hills to the east, unobstructed thanks to the open farmland that borders the trail here. Just across the Truckee River, the trail connects with a segment of the sprawling Tahoe-Pyramid Bikeway, a network of trails and on-road routes that enables trail users to travel across the entire region by foot or bike. Giving nearby residents access to that larger trail, as well as a variety of recreation sites and businesses, the McCarran Boulevard Bikeway is a great addition to the local trail network.

Parking and Trail Access

Parking is available along the trail at Mira Loma Park, located at 3000 S McCarran Boulevard in Reno, just a short drive east from Interstate 580.