The other day, I was traveling back from Carson City, and though I was tired and feeling particularly lazy, I felt guilty making a trip through Washoe Valley without stopping for a hike.
Deadman’s Creek suited this mood perfectly, as it is only around 1.2 miles round-trip, with just less than 300 feet of elevation gain—a low commitment for a day of running errands.
From Carson, I took exit 10 toward Eastlake Boulevard, decelerated to 45 mph on the calm, two-lane road, and drove three miles. Cattle occupied plots of land between the road and lake. In the distance, wild horses dotted the landscape, as if an ode to a simpler time.
The trailhead is a dirt lot on the east side of the road, just before the entrance of Washoe Lake State Park (about 0.3 miles south of the park). I remembered it being easy to miss, so I kept an eye on the hillside for the gazebo that sits at the summit of the hike to guide me.
There was no one else in the parking lot, which added to the appeal of the hike. Clouds overhead created dramatic shadows and kept the air cool. When I opened the door, the sound of the creek and cacophony of birdsongs replaced my true crime podcast.
A while back, I recommended Deadman’s Creek as a Best of Northern Nevada staff pick—I deemed it “Best Hike for When You Just Need to Scream.” I stand by the designation, but this hike is also a fantastic place to find wildflowers, songbirds, peace and incredible views, whether or not you have grievances to release.
Birds and other small animals rustled the Woods’ rose and desert peach bushes. The tang of fresh horse excrement beckoned my dog down the trail. Shaded under aspens, this creek and its surrounding drainage host an incredible variety of native blooms and plants. (See iNaturalist for a better guide.) Though this year’s weather has been tough, the app’s users have reported sightings of Washoe phacelia, bulbous woodland star, and Utah serviceberry. In previous years, users reported seeing Aspen onion, daggerpod, desert figwort, sulfur buckwheat, desert gooseberry, woollypod milkvetch and Anderson’s buttercup blooming during this time of year. In the summer months, there have been Bruneau mariposa lily and the imperiled (meaning the species is at a high risk of extinction) Carson Valley monkeyflower.
The hillside was dotted with yellow western groundsel, with pops of desert paintbrush and phlox—the red hills contrasting the delicate petals and bright colors.
The trail itself looks like a deformed, uppercase “B” with a spine that extends east along the stream canyon, and a few side trails that spurt off toward the southwest, the first flirting around the creek about 0.1 mile into the hike, and the second making a loop of the uphill climb splintering off just 120 feet from the end of the first loop.
Most of the trail is well-marked, especially these offshoots, but there are a few “social” (user-created) trails that spur from the main line that can cause confusion. Luckily, the gazebo at the top of the hill acts as a steady marker for the confounded.
To my delight, as we moved up the switchbacks toward the gazebo, this section had fewer horse droppings and more flowers, including purple stalks of lupine. The presence of animals remained top of mind, though: The first time I hiked this trail, it was dusk, and I was alone. Once I neared the gazebo, my heart stopped as a full-grown deer (that blended quite well into the environment) was startled and sprinted away from me. This time of year, I thought about rattlesnakes, especially when bushes rustled as we passed them.
The gazebo was ours to enjoy in peace, and the views of Slide Mountain across the lake were stunning, especially with the changing definition given by the clouds. My dog whined to keep moving (she is not one to enjoy a view), but I was wrapped in the greatest sense of gratitude.
“This—this is my home,” I thought, reveling in the grandeur that comes from unexpected adventures.
Find more information about the Deadman’s Creek Trail and Washoe Lake State Park at the Nevada State Parks website.