A few months ago, I learned of an interesting man-made feature on the west side of Reno. Apparently, Hole in the Wall was drilled through the mountain to deliver water to southern Reno in the 1870's by Chinese laborers. Though I ran a 10k this morning, I really wanted to knock this hike out and see the fabled Hole in the Wall.
Heading to Mayberry Park in the late afternoon, I parked and headed across the wooden bridge, which crosses the Truckee River. This late in the summer, the river is flowing, but not nearly as swiftly as it would have been much earlier in the season.
The trail here is something of a hodge-podge, as hikers have carved out a maze of trails through the yellow grasses. Luckily, all of the trails pretty much lead to the same destination, which runs parallel to the Steamboad Ditch. The first part of the trail is a steep uphill, but i quickly levels out and makes for some easy miles.
Following the well worn trail about 2.5 miles, I finally reach the Hole in the Wall. The feature is actually much larger than I had expected. The tunnel is approximately 6 feet tall and 4 feet wide, but this late in the year is pushing very little water through it's expanse. I may have to visit at some point in the spring to get an true idea of how much water flows through this tunnel.
I head back the way I came, but luckily encounter a couple of other hikers who recommend a slightly different path, which I follow. The way back is slightly shorter and includes some very steep downhills. All in all, the trail was about 4.7 miles. Not a difficult trail, but it certainly did give my already fatigued legs a good post-workout.
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