Spicer Ranch Trail

The Spicer Ranch Trail is an easy 2.5-mile one-way trail making up part of the Spicer Ranch Trail System. The trail was constructed for mountain biking, but it is also open to hiking, and it wraps around a working ranch as it gradually gains elevation and heads from the spring-rich Oasis Valley into the arid Western Nevada desert near the Nevada Test Site border. The trail runs through Spicer Ranch, and it was built by the ranch owner, a mountain bike enthusiast with ambitious and generous visions for bringing mountain biking into the rural Beatty area. With one end of the trail at the parking area and the other end at an intersection with the STORM Trail, the Spicer Ranch Trail could easily be covered as a loop, with the additional length of STORM Trail making the total loop 3 miles. If you'd like more distance, you an incorporate the Dynamite Trail or Transvaal Trails. Additionally, the 1-mile South Pond Trail heads off from the Spicer Ranch Trail, and it climbs Southpond Mountain for views overlooking the Oasis Valley and wildflowers in the right conditions. Maps and an outhouse are available at the trail parking area along with a donation box to help the ranch owner with materials and maintenance expenses. There is no shade and no water along the trail, so visitors should plan accordingly. For additional information about the trail system and events at the ranch, visit Trails-OV.org