View from Pond Peak looking North-West. The road below is the road you ascend.
“We Deliver” Truck at the base of Wilcox Ranch
Pond Peak is a Gravel Ride (It is quite a climb, and Mountain Bike Gearing might be a better option) North of Reno/Sparks in the back of Warm Springs Valley. I have always known this valley to be called Palomino Valley. The ride is up Wilcox Canyon, past Wilcox Ranch, and up to the top of the Pah Rah Range. There is a radio tower on Pond Peak that overlooks everything with a 365 deg. view. This is a 16 mile ride, with 2981 ft of climbing. Remember that elevation gain is in 8 miles as this is an out and back.
From Reno, take I-80 East towards Sparks. Take the Sparks Blvd (Pyramid Highway) heading North. Follow Pyramid Highway 18.5 miles from I-80, and take a right on Iron Wood Dr. This is right before the National Wild Horse and Burro Center at Palomino Valley. Follow Iron Wood Dr. for 5 miles as it zig zags across the valley. Take a right on Amy Rd, and follow Amy Rd for .4 miles and turn left on Wilcox Ranch Road. 5.3 miles, and this is where I parked in a clearing on the right side of the road at Basque Oven Road. Be careful, there are a couple side roads that can take you to the wrong location, and street signs in the area tend to be more of a option. Here is the Google Maps GPS point for the start. You can send it to your phone and have Maps take you there. Once parked at the intersection of Basque Oven Road and Wilcox Ranch Road, start pedaling East up Wilcox Ranch Road. You can always make this a longer ride if you wanted to start further back. Continue up Wilcox Ranch Road, and in 1.2 miles you will see a cool old “we deliver” truck in the field on your left. This is the start of Wilcox Ranch, and you will see “No Trespassing” signs on the road. The road is public access, but the surrounding land is private. The road bisects the ranch, so when passing through this beautiful Ranch, please be mindful and quiet. Continue up the road, and in 2.4 miles from the car, you will come to a “Y” intersection. Stay right on Wilcox Ranch Rd. In .2 miles, you will see a pooling of water, reeds, and tons of birds on the right side of the road. It always amazes me how much water is really in the desert, and you can see why Wilcox Ranch is where it is. Continue up the road, and in 3.2 miles you will pass a beautiful homestead. A large house sits on the far side of a man made large pond/small lake. Something you would never expect to see. At this estate, stay right and continue up Wilcox Ranch Road. This is where the road turns a tad rocky and steep in sections. I was able to make it up with out putting a foot down. Once you get 3.8 miles from the car, stay right still on Wilcox Ranch Road. Continue up the canyon with the water on your right, and in 5.1 miles from the car, you will be in a clearing and at the head of the water flow spring for Wilcox Canyon. Here you will come to a “Y” in the road. Stay left on Pond Peak Road. Technically Wilcox Ranch Road continues to the Right, although you won’t see a street sign. This road will drop you down just below Wilcox Ranch if you wanted to take a different path down. I have not ridden this road yet, so I have no idea as to it’s condition or technical aspects. Back at the spring, take a left up Pond Peak Road. The road swings around the spring, and heads quickly uphill into the dry sagebrush. From here to the top, there are some steep sections. I have a double chainring on my Gravel Bike, and the gearing was just low enough to make it. A lower geared Mountain Bike might make this an easier climb. In 6.6 miles from the car, you will cross a ridge and have a slight reprieve into the valley. This valley is where Pond Peak get’s it’s name. Water pools here in the winter and creates a “pond.” Later in the summer, all the water evaporates out leaving a small white playa. Continue across the valley, and you can look up and see your final destination up on your left. This is the final push up this steep section to the top. At 6.6 miles, take a right and climb to the radio towers. If you were to go strait at this intersection, it would drop you quickly down to an old Gold Mining camp of Olinghouse. This is a ridiculously steep road to go up or down on a bike. I once used a Mountain Bike to ride from Olinghouse to Pond Peak, and would not recommend it. Doing this ride from Wilcox Ranch is a much better option, as long as you like climbing and amazing views. Once you have had enough of the views at Pond Peak, retrace your steps back to the car.
View from Pond Peak, looking at the dry “pond” of which it get’s it’s name. Looking North West at the road you came up from Wilcox Ranch.
