New Washoe City Park
2400 Lakeshore Drive, New Washoe City, NV 89704 (click here to view a map)
Park Ranger Office: (775) 849-1825
New Washoe City Park is located off Eastlake Boulevard near the intersection of Lakeshore and White Pine Drives. Along with stunning views of the Carson Range, this park features a baseball field (organized use by permit only - click here for more info), playground area, tennis court, basketball court and individual picnic areas.
The picnic pavilion is first-come/first served, and is non-reservable. Picnic groups of 25 people or more are required to obtain a group-use permit and use a designated reservable area elsewhere. The nearest reservable picnic areas are located at Davis Creek Regional Park and Bowers Mansion Regional Park. Please contact Park Reservations at: reserveparks@washoecounty.gov or 775-823-6501 for more information.
Park History
The valley has played an important part in Nevada history. Before the arrival of European settlers, Native Americans were already thriving in the area. Three main tribes called this area home and still do today, the Numa or Numu (Northern Paiute), the Washeshu (Washoe), and the Newe (Shoshone). Mormons from the Utah Territory were some of the first settlers in the valley. After silver was discovered in the Comstock, they were joined by prospectors and farmers from California who raised cattle. According to a historian from 1886, the Mormons who settled in the valley were “good citizens and their efforts to uphold the law and preserve order when the wild rush came in 1860 will ever be recorded in their favor.”
Image: Washoe Indians – The Chief’s Family. Source: Lawrence & Houseworth Publisher. Retrieved from the Library of Congress.
The unincorporated community of New Washoe City started to be built up in early 1960. Advertisements for one-acre lots and estates were printed in the area newspapers for years. The benefits of living in this planned community included: location midway between Carson City and Reno, views of Washoe Lake and Mt. Rose, roads paid for and paved with decomposed granite, and land dedicated for schools, parks, and business. The County Planning Commission estimated that the future population of Washoe County would reach 17,000…“so act now,” real estate professionals advised. As of 2010, the census put the population of Washoe Valley at just over 3,000 residents.
Activities: Baseball, Basketball, Tennis, BBQ/Picnicking, Junior Ranger Program, Children's Playground