03 Oxbow Nature Area and Dickerson Road art_02

This Way to Oxbow and Dickerson Road

Visit the Oxbow Nature Study Area and Dickerson Road in Reno Tahoe

05.14.2025
A woman on the overlook deck overlooking the Truckee River at Oxbow Nature Study Area in Reno

Just west of downtown Reno—tucked right alongside the Truckee River—is a nature haven for wildlife spotting and waterside relaxing. The 22-acre Oxbow Nature Study Area is ideal for those seeking solitude and a short hike.

A woman walks the one-mile trail amid green trees at the Oxbow Nature Study Area in REno

A woman sits on the bench overlooking the Truckee River at Oxbow Nature Study Area

A modest one-mile trail here meanders among willows, cottonwoods, and grasslands, with riverside benches and a lovely overlook deck for a close-up of the Truckee. It's tempting to spend your entire time here just watching as ducks coast the fast flowing water (they’re pros, really). Mule deer and black-crowned night herons are common sightings too, along with—we’ll be damned—beaver!

A woman walks along a fallen tree log at Oxbow Nature Study Area

Oxbow isn’t showy, but it does show you how much beauty lies in the simple things, like bird-watching, and watching the sunbeams bounce off the river.

A duck on the water of the Truckee River at Oxbow Nature Study Area in Truckee

BONUS: After Oxbow, stop and visit the creative enclave of Dickerson Road. This vibrant hub of artisan shops has everything from ceramics and clothing, to succulents and cacti in almost every variety imaginable.

Two women working on pottery inside the Wedge Ceramic Studios along Reno's Dickerson Road

A man works some clay pottery at Wedge Ceramic Studios in Reno

Stroll and visit locally owned spaces and shops like The Wedge Ceramic Studios and Sierra Water Gardens, specializing in all variety of plants and florals, plus homeware and really cool clothes and gifts (their artisan coffee station, by Forged Coffee Co., is a renovated 1949 Scad-a-bout tear drop trailer).

Cacti garden variety on display at Reno's Sierra Water Gardens on Dickerson Road

Thrifters can’t miss the nearby shop, The Nest (201 Keystone Avenue, close to Dickerson), where vintage, boho, and granny chic merge for some good browsing and buying. (We liked the vintage typewriter.)

A woman types on a vintage typewriter at The Nest, a vintage store in Reno

A woman checks out an orange vintage dress in the store The Nest in Reno

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