Nestled between the Sierra Nevadas and the Great Basin, Reno may be known for its casinos and shows, but step outside and nature is everywhere, beckoning to photographers. The Truckee River, Lake Tahoe’s only outlet, runs thru Reno and Sparks and provides rock, water and perhaps ice formations for creative image-making.
Just west of Reno is the Humboldt-Toiyobe National Forest, which includes Mount Rose, 10,776 feet high and visible from Reno. Humboldt-Toiyabe’s 6.3 million acres makes it the largest national forest in the lower 48 states. Included within it are many ski areas and trails, and the 30,000-acre Mount Rose Wilderness.
Pyramid Lake, named for a large stone pyramid in the lake, is north of Reno and part of Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe Reservation. It also offers tufa mounds and a shoreline rock formation called Stone Mother, which resembles a Native American woman holding a basket. Pelicans, loons and grebes are some of the birdlife at the lake.
For more birds, photographers head for Stillwater National Wildlife Refuge, 70 miles east of Reno. Listed as a Globally Important Bird Area by the American Bird Conservancy, these rich and diverse wetlands attract more than a quarter million waterfowl, including tundra swans, as well as more than 20,000 other water birds such as white pelicans, cormorants and white-faced ibis. A few miles south, Carson Lake is home to shovelers, teals, redheads and canvasbacks. Washoe Lake, south of Reno, may have pelicans, tundra swans, and great blue and night herons.
The Boca and Stampede Reservoirs, about 30 miles west of Reno on I-80 near Truckee, California, have many migratory bald eagles along with resident populations.
South of Reno is an area called Virginia Highlands, home to many wild horses. For a different kind of photography, check out famous and historic Virginia City nearby.
And of course there is Lake Tahoe. For spectacular scenery, take its circular drive, named a National Scenic Byway, and see it from all angles.
