The ArrowCreek Trails Map is designed to support ArrowCreek community residents in their enjoyment of the neighborhood and surrounding natural environment. The long-term goals are to provide residents easy access to the surrounding and expansive trails with-in Washoe County and the National Forest.
There you will find more information on trailhead locations, access to adjacent public trails, and key spots for taking in views, unique features and wildlife. This trail map offers approximate distances and levels of difficulty, and suggested loops at a variety of lengths.
The ArrowCreek Trails System Plan and map project is included in the current Strategic Plan. This map offers identification of the existing trails and a take-along map for the residents’ use. When the ArrowCreek community was originally designed in the mid-90’s, it included a wide variety of recreational amenities including a golf course, playgrounds, a recreation center, a member clubhouse, and a trail system aligned along the major roadways throughout the development.
Some of the trails are paved and others remain soft surface and are meant to interconnect our internal neighborhoods to each other, as well as to the external regional trail systems and open space areas.
The history of ArrowCreek is very interesting in that it is tied to a man described as Reno’s version of Howard Hughes... an eccentric millionaire by the name of LaVere Redfield.
Unlike Hughes who was born into money, LaVere Redfield was born into a poor family but amassed millions during his lifetime through his own business prowess and penny-pinching ways. As a result, he died in 1974 leaving a substantial amount of land (including the land on which Washoe County owned ArrowCreek Park is now located) and other assets in Reno worth $70 million.
A shrewd businessman, philanderer, gambler, hoarder, and miser, LaVere initially earned his money by investing in the stock market during the Great Depression. While many people lost everything in the crash of the stock market, LaVere became fabulously wealthy.
He moved to Reno from California in 1935 to avoid the personal income tax that was being put in place in that state. Once LaVere and his wife Nell moved to Reno, they purchased a large stone mansion on Mount Rose Street from where LaVere could walk to the casinos in his old flannel shirt or overalls — he didn’t want to waste money on new clothes or gas for the car.
Over the years, he quietly amassed many acres of land around Reno (often in the name of his niece so as to avoid attention).
After his death in 1974, 400,000 silver dollar coins were found in the basement of his house on Mount Rose Street. His widow Nell lived almost seven years after her husband’s death; she set up the Nell J. Redfield Foundation which donates to various causes in northern Nevada, such as the University of Nevada, School of Medicine.
The land around Reno owned by the Redfields has either been donated or is being gradually sold to fund the ongoing charitable projects funded by the foundation. One such charitable project is the UNR/TMCC campus located on Mount Rose Highway at Wedge Parkway.
ArrowCreek broke ground in September 1996. According to one attendee of the groundbreaking ceremony, access to the future subdivision was so limited, it involved driving up Zolezzi Lane to Thomas Creek Parkway then a long dirt road as ArrowCreek Parkway had not been constructed.
Local and national dignitaries attended including Arnold Palmer who was there to promote ArrowCreek's Legend Course which he designed.