Prison Hill Trail System

Prison Hill Trail - East

Description:

Built in 2020 with funding from SNPLMA, the Prison Hill East Trail is an easy hike or ride along the east side of Prison Hill from the 5th Street Trailhead or Silver Saddle Ranch. Lovely Ranch views and connections to the Mexican Ditch Trail.

Length:

1.5 miles.

Difficulty:

With an IMBA rating of white, this trail has an average grade of 4% with a max grade of 7%.

Type of Trail:

This is a compacted dirt/gravel trail that is perfect for hiking/running, mountain biking, and horseback riding. Access can be found at the 5th Street Trailhead or Silver Saddle Ranch.

Prison Hill Trail - Fairview

5th St. Loop Trails

Description:

Built in 2019 with funding from RTP, the 5th Street Loop Trails include the Sagebrush, Rabbitbrush, and Bitterbrush loops that offer stunning views of Prison Hill, surrounding ranches, and Carson City itself!

Length:

1.7 miles to complete all three loops.

Difficulty:

With an IMBA rating of green/blue, these trails have an average grade of 5% with a max grade of 12%.

Type of Trail:

These trails are dirt single-track at 4' wide. Great for hiking/running, mountain biking, and horseback riding.

North Loop

Description:

Built by BLM in the 1980s with improvements made by Muscle Powered in 2018-2020, the North Loop is a fun hike or ride with amazing views, and crossing rocky terrain.

Length:

2.2 miles to complete the full loop.

Difficulty:

With an IMBA rating of blue, this trail has an average grade of 6% with a max grade of 15%. CAUTION - the east side of this loop has VERY steep cross-slopes; experienced mountain bikers only on this side.

Type of Trail:

This is a dirt and rock single-track trail with a width of 30". Access to this trail are available at the Koontz and Clearview Trailheads.

North Loop Connector

Description:

The North Loop Connector Trail is a very steep, unmaintained social trail. We advise caution when using this trail, expert mountian bikers only.

Length:

0.9 of a mile.

Difficulty:

With an IMBA rating of black, this trail has an average grade of 10% with a max grade of 20% or higher.

Type of Trail:

This is a dirt and rock single-track social trail that has a width of 24" of less. Access to this trail is from the 5th Street Trailhead.

Dead Truck Canyon

Description:

This trail is an old road that provides a steep hike through a classic Great Basin desert canyon with interesting geology. This is the divide between the granitic south of Prison Hill and the meta-volcanic north of Prison Hill. Along the way you will encounter the canyon's name sake, an early 1950's Chevrolet Pick-up!

Length:

1.6 miles.

Difficulty:

With an IMBA of blue/black, this trail has an average grade of 8% with a max grade of 20%.

Type of Trail:

This is a dirt and rock single-track trail. Access can be found at Silver Saddle Ranch Trailhead.

West Side Trails

Rating Blue

Description:

Various trails on the west side of Carson City ranging from old roads to social trails provide multiple options for an easy or difficult day of recreating!

Length:

Various.

Difficulty:

An average IMBA rating for these trails are blue/black.

Type of Trail:

These are dirt and rock old two-track and socially built single-track trails. See the historic west-side hiking/running, biking, or by horseback!

Escape From Prison Hill Route

Description:

"Escape From Prison Hill" is a 5K, 10K and Half Marathon that highlights Dead Truck Canyon and the North Loop of Prison Hill. These races were created by the Tahoe Mountain Milers Running Club and occur every year to encourage everyone within the community to get out and explore some of Carson City's most challenging and scenic trails.

Length:

13.1 miles when completing the full route.

Difficulty:

With an IMBA rating of black, this trail

Type of Trail:

This is a dirt and rock trail with various grades and trail widths. Perfect for a long hike/run, mountain bike or horseback ride!

Odyssey Trail

Description:

Odyssey: (noun), 'a long and adventurous journey'. This new singletrack trail makes a great connection from the Koontz Lane TH to the Prison Hill Saddle and the North Loop. Beyond the Saddle, the trail climbs south to the west end of Stegosaurus Ridge, where it overlooks the upper end of Dead Truck Canyon. A planned future extension will take this trail into Dead Truck Canyon, and beyond...

Length:

1.8 miles

Difficulty:

IMBA Rating BLUE. Average grade 6.5%

Trail Type:

Singletrack, average 2'-wide, dirt tread with a few rocks.