Slide Mountain dominates the Reno skyline, standing 5,000 feet above the city just to the south of its larger neighbor Mount Rose. Slide Mountain is a far less celebrated peak than Mount Rose, not just because of its lower height, but because its summit is used for electrical/radio towers, making it a far less attractive to visit. In addition, there are no major hiking trails that lead to the summit. The only way to reach the top is to take a dirt road or to bushwhack.

Slide Mountain in mid-May 2007

Slide Mountain is named in part because of the slides that make up it upper reaches. These slides are actually very steep ski runs that begin about 1,500 below the summit. It is possible to hike/climb Slide Mountain from these ski areas, but this is usually not done because there are many better trails and hikes to do in the area. In truth, Slide Mountain is best considered as a lookout point. It is very accessible from Reno, with the trailhead less than 30 minutes from nearly anywhere in the city.

From the summit, there are outstanding views towards Lake Tahoe to the west, the Virginia Range to the east, Mount Rose and the Carson Range to the north, and the Northern Sierras to the south. The standard approach requires about 1.5 miles and 790 feet of elevation gain with great views the whole way. This is probably the best way to the summit, because it is gives the hiker/climber an opportunity to do other hiking during the day.

Slide Mountain in early-May 2007 - still with lots of snow after the late-April storms

Getting There

Getting to Slide Mountain is easy. From Reno take 395 to the Mount Rose Highway (431). The route to the summit starts across the street from the Mount Rose Summit Parking Area (8,911'). During most of the year you need to park at the Mount Rose Summit Parking Area to reach the summit. During summer months, you may take the road across the street and cut off about 1/3rd of a mile. I parked at the Mount Rose Summit and hiked the road across the street until I hit the dirt road which led to the summit.

Mount Rose from the Slide Mountain Trail

The dirt road itself doesn't go all the way to the true summit. You have to find a route and scramble over rocks to get there from 50 feet below. Sometimes the extra effort isn't worth it for true summits, but Slide Mountain is an exception. The summit view is far superior than other views on the mountain. That makes it worth the extra effort to get there. The summit is right next to some electrical equipment, but there is a rock that is completely devoid of equipment where the best viewpoint is gained. The location of the true summit is obvious when you get to the summit area.

Other routes
Just below the summit are ski lifts and the top of ski routes. It is possible to climb Slide Mountain from the ski areas below.

You can hike Slide Mountain from a road south of the ski areas which heads to a ridge and requires 2,000 feet of elevation gain.

You can bushwhack up the west side of Slide Mountain from Tahoe Meadows, which offers parking less than a mile past the Mount Rose Summit Parking area, going towards Incline Village. From here, it would be a little more than 1,000 feet to the summit, but views would be solid the entire way. This way also avoids having to navigate through all the electrical equipment and electrical wires, but has the disadvantage of no distinct trail.

If you really want a challenge, Slide Mountain can even be climbed from Washoe Lake, over 4,600' below. I am not certain of the specifics of this hike, but welcome anyone to educate the reader on this option.

Washoe Lake from the summit

Red Tape

No red tape - just watch out for all the wires and electrical equipment on the summit.

Images