West Fork Trail - River Fork Ranch - Genoa

A few weeks ago we were looking for somewhere to go to get out of the house for a little while. The weather was sunny and gorgeous and we knew we had to soak it in while it lasted. After some looking around, we decided to head down to River Fork Ranch. If you're looking for a toddler-friendly hike this is a great option!

Our kids were WAY excited to see cows. The two-year old thought hearing them "moo" was SO funny. 

This hike is about two miles long, and is flat and stroller-friendly the whole way. The signs say that bicycles are also welcome, though there are several gates across the trail that I believe were locked, so I'm not sure how you'd overcome that obstacle. There are stiles that allow people to pass by the gates, but bikes would be tricky.

There are two trail here at River Fork Ranch, the smaller Brockliss Loop (.75 miles) and the longer West Fork Trail (2.0 miles). We chose to take the longer of the two trails the day we were here, which required a bit of planning. We knew our kids wouldn't be up to the 4 mile round trip, so we parked one of our vehicles at the trail head on Genoa Lane, then we all climbed in our other vehicle and drove around to the other end of the trail on Muller Lane. We walked the trail, then we all drove back around to pick up our other car.

The gate on Muller Lane. The main gate is locked, but there is a walk-through gate to the side that is open. You just have to push really hard. :) 

 The parking area and trail head are very easy to find on Genoa Lane, but on the Muller Lane end of things there's not much there. You have to just park on the side of the road and let yourself in by the gate. One important thing to note is that there are NO DOGS ALLOWED. This is not only a nature preserve, but it is also a working cattle ranch and dogs would just get into trouble here.

 The West Fork trail winds along through the pastures, next to the Carson River. Most of it is pretty wide open, with no shade in sight. The views of the mountains can't be beat, but we did really enjoy this avenue of trees here though!

 This was the only resting place we noticed along the trail, and it really had a great view of the valley and the mountains.

 Ah, hiking with toddlers. SO much fun, right? :) One way you can make this experience easier for yourself is to download the Trail Treasures guide for your kids to do while you walk. We actually forgot to print ours out and I was really disappointed that I didn't have them with me. I think our older two kids especially would have enjoyed it.

 Also located at River Fork Ranch is the Whithall Interpretive Center. The building is only open for special events, but all around it there are interesting signs about the area and what the Nature Conservancy is doing here at the ranch. An important note here is that there are NO BATHROOMS available at this location, nor is there drinking water. Come prepared with everything you will need.

Essential Details:
River Fork Ranch
399 Genoa Ln, Minden, NV 89423
Website
Trail Information
NO DOGS
NO DRINKING WATER
NO BATHROOMS