Looking North at Downtown Reno from the Sierra Front Trail
The rocky start
The Sierra Front Trail is a newer trail to the Reno area. It was finished mid August 2022. This trail links Ballardini Ranch to the Thomas Creek Parking Area. It is 6.6 miles one way, and from Ballardini Ranch, has 1150 ft of climbing. The fun part is that it has 1150 feet of descending on the way back. The first 0.7 miles of this ride is super rocky, then the singletrack smooths out with only a couple short rocky sections. But because of the rocky 0.7 miles, and the climbing, I would rate this ride as a strong intermediate to advanced ride.
Sierra Front Trail looking South
From Reno, take Virginia St. to West Huffaker Lane. Head West on Huffaker, and turn Left on Lakeside Dr. Take a right on Lone Tree Lane, and follow it to the Ballardini Ranch parking area. As you come into the parking area, you will see a trailhead on the right that just loops around to the main trail above. Head into the parking area, park and grab your ride. Head west towards the bathrooms, and you will see the trail on the right side of the bathrooms. Follow this trail up the rocky hillside and the trail will veer right, then back North. Right away you will come to a 3 way intersection. Turning right will take you back to the bottom of the parking lot. Strait will take you up a rocky road and around the hill on your left and re-intersect with the trail that heads off on your left. So, avoid the hill and rocks and turn left heading West. In 0.7 miles, you will intersect the other trail coming in on your right side, on your left you will see the Sierra Front Trail switchbacking up the hillside. Take a slight left, and you are now on the Sierra Front Trail. From here, it is impossible to get lost. There are no intersections of roads or other trails. This trail climbs for just under 6 miles up to a dirt road (Timberline Rd.). The trail crosses the dirt road to the other side, winds around and pops you out on this road again. From here, you can see the Thomas Creek Parking Area on ahead on your left side. At this point, you can take the downhill back to Balardini Ranch where you started, or you can ride up Thomas Creek Singletrack to Mt. Rose Wilderness, do the Dry Pond Loop, or any of the other Galena Area trails.
Below are the RideWithGPS and Strava links.
Sierra Front Trail heading up the canyon