Destination Recreation: Galena Creek Regional Park

In the Reno area this holiday season? Go on a winter hike or snowshoe (fingers crossed!) at Galena Creek Regional Park!

Destination: Galena Creek Regional Park
Adventurer: Ursula Unruh
Chosen Activity: Hiking the nature trails

Allure: The Galena Creek Visitor Center is newly opened and includes a weather station, exhibits, gift shop, and book store. As for the recreation area, Galena Creek has a lot to offer. There are individual picnic sites, as well as large group picnic sites. There is a wide variety of trails available: an accessible nature trail, the Jones-Whites Creek Loop Trail, and access to Mt.Rose Wilderness. Galena Creek also offers fishing at Marilyn’s Pond and summer campfire programs. There is a winter snow play hill that offers sledding as well as areas open for snowshoeing.


Other Activities: picnicking, fishing, sledding, snowshoeing, geocaching
Location: Western Nevada on Mt. Rose Hwy – SR 431, 18 miles south-west of Reno
Information: Washoe County – Galena Creek Recreation Area

Visit the Nevada Outdoor School website – Destination Recreation page to explore the rest of our favorite places to play in Nevada.

Beyond the Sagebrush

Another normal day on the playa.
Jungo Flats, Nevada

Cloud Reader

Imagine you’re hiking along a trail or out riding your ATV and look up to see clouds in the sky. Do you know if they mean more sunny skies ahead or impending doom is coming and you’d better get back to shelter fast? Take Backpacker’s Cloud Quiz and you will be able to predict the weather by reading the clouds. Plus, you get to view aw-inspiring photos by Michael DeYoung.


I took the quiz; I won’t remember the names of the clouds, but I’ll remember what they indicate and that’s what matters when deciding whether to press on or retreat.

Happy Cloud Reading,
Trails

Oatmeal Energy

On my first few backpacking trips oatmeal was the go-to breakfast. And a power bar was my go-to snack an hour later because I was starving. This made me rethink my backpacking breakfast of choice. I opted for granola and dried milk with a bit of warm water – yummy and filling.

I recently discovered oatmeal on steroids in the pages of the September Backpacker magazine and was intrigued if it had what it took to keep me going until lunch or at least for a few hours. Here’s the recipe for power oatmeal from Backpacker:

Ingredients: 1⁄2 cup rolled oats, 3 tablespoons dried milk, 2 tablespoons wheat germ, 1⁄4 cup raisins, 1⁄4 cup almonds (or pecans), 1 tablespoon sugar, pinch of salt, 2 tablespoons almond butter

At home: Combine dry ingredients (oats, dried milk, wheat germ, raisins, nuts, sugar, and salt) in a zip-top bag. Measure almond butter into a spill-proof container or squeeze tube.

In camp: Mix dry ingredients with 1 1⁄4 cups water in a pot. Stir to combine, breaking up any dried milk lumps as the water warms. Bring to a boil and simmer for about five minutes (until most of the water is absorbed), stirring occasionally. Take off heat and mix in almond butter.

I made this at home to test it before a backpacking trip with a few substitutions: pomegranate craisins instead of raisins and crushed walnuts instead of almonds. Verdict – very filling and kept me going all morning! I can’t wait to hit the trail with this oatmeal.

What is your favorite backpacking or camping meal?

Happy,
Trails