tahoe by OliveR Guinan

Mount Rose Campground is one of many in the Tahoe basin. PHOTO/OLIVER GUINAN

Camp South Reno homes far in the distance. This bird’s-eye view, plus the petrol brown cloud of smoke and dust languishing over follower the torrid desert that separates Reno and Pyramid Lake reminded me why I had come in the first place. Above my head, Campground the sky was clear. The wooded periphery framed Mount Rose like an Ansel Adams negative that, after development, had been I made my escape for a late-season colored in a bath of evening sunlight. Even camping trip at Mount Rose Campground the occasional sting of campfire smoke in in the middle of rush hour on a Friday, and my throat and eyes felt refreshing and made still my drive up the mountain took only me think of Edward Abbey: 45 minutes. I arrived at 5:30 p.m. and had “Mountains complement desert as desert liberty to set up camp almost wherever. complements city, as wilderness comple- Mount Rose Campground sits directly ments and completes civilization.” across from the The campground’s only downside is Trailhead, just behind the sweeping hairpin also the only reason we Renoites can access turn at the base of smaller . with great ease: Mount Rose The campground is in great shape, Highway. Unfortunately, the sound of cars especially considering the beat-down each racing back and forth between Reno’s finest winter brings. (This year, the campground watering holes and Tahoe’s finest waters is did not open until nearly mid-July due to audible. However, I found the noise negli- last season’s heavy winter.) There are 26 gible. During the day I was busy exploring; campsites, almost all of which are well at night the comforting sound of wind in the canopied by the surrounding conifer forest. trees mixed with the reduced the highway In addition to trailer space and picnic tables, sounds to nothing but white noise. the single, double and triple family sites Ultimately, the light noise and require- include well-leveled spaces big enough ment that dogs must be kept on leash (no to pitch large tents. Most of the sites push surprise here, dogs must be leashed in all straight back into loveseat sized granite national forests) are small inconveniences. boulders on Slide Mountain’s west slope— The Mount Rose Campground, equidistant fragments of the Sierra batholith. from Reno and Incline Village, makes a The rest overlook the northernmost edge of great home base for daytrips exploring the Tahoe Meadow, which although not wet the Tahoe Basin. There are four trailheads enough to make the campground a haven accessible from the campground, including for pesky gnats or mosquitoes, is lush and the Mount Rose Summit Trail, The Tahoe supports an array of sub-alpine grasses and Rim Trail and the Tahoe Meadows Trail, wildflowers. which is located within the campground Of the 26, there are five walk-in only itself. There are three well-kept pit bath- tent sites on a small ridge about 100 yards rooms, and fresh water is available at a few up the hill from the group sites. These are spigots in the vicinity. Ω my favorite and are the only places you can sit, as I did while writing this, and look east down Galena Creek Canyon all the way to where its sturdy Jeffrey Pines meet Mount Rose Campground has closed for the season, but you can still do some late-season camping at places like the gaping wooden skeletons of soon-to-be Camp Richardson and Fallen Leaf Lake. 09.26.19 | RN&R | 11