Davis Creek Park - Slide Mountain

 

Grade Level: All grade levels

 

Name of Field Trip Developer: Curtis Coney

 

Name of Field Trip: Davis Creek Park / Slide Mountain

 

Description: Davis Creek Park is part of the Washoe County Park and Recreations Department. It has excellent examples of erosion and deposition in the Basin and Range of Nevada do to faulting. The park has great trails for hiking and the study of environmental issues.

 

GOAL(s): Changes to the Earth / Earth's Surface

Life Science &endash; Life Cycles

 

STANDARDS: 10.8.6, 11.8.2, 12.8.1

6.1.1, 6.1.2, 6.1.3,

 

Logistics: Open year round

Day use / closes at 9:00 P.M.

Bowers Mansion 1 mile south

 

Field Gear: Hiking clothes / boots

Backpack / water

Projects not supplied

 

Contacts: Washoe County Parks and Recreation Dept.

Ranger Office (775) 849-0684

Group Camping Reservations 849-0684

Group Picnic Reservations (775) 785-4319

 

Facilities: 1st come / 1st served

Camping 100 max.

Water and restrooms

Dress for weather

63 unit campground

 

Costs: none

 

References: Ranger Office

United States Geological Society &endash; Reno, NV

nbmg.unr.edu

 

Pre Field Trip activities / investigations: Study the weathering, and erosion forces that affect the Basin and Range of Nevada.

 

Field Trip activities / investigations:

Slide Mountain

The area of Slide Mountain is covered in loose granite, and lacks enough mineral soil to support plant life. With fracturing and erosion there has been massive

landslides for thousands of years. The last one was in 1983 that caused extensive damage. You can still see where the landslide crossed Franktown Road. The

following is one itinerary to observe the erosion and deposition of material.

 

0 mi. Go south on Highway 395 from the crossroad of Highway 431.

6 mi. The landslide scars on Slide Mountain are clearly visible in

front of you to the right (west).

2.9 mi. Turn right on State Route 429.

0.4 mi. Turn right into Davis Creek Regional Park.

Take right fork to obtain pamphlets from Ranger booth, take

left fork to Davis Creek Park, Ophir Creek Trail fault area.

The fault that bounds the west side of Washoe Valley goes

through Davis Creek Park and generally lies along the base of

the hill slope. Take the hiking path to the south along a fault to

a small fault scarp. This is the Sierra Frontal Trace Fault that

runs North and South through Bowers Mansion also.

Retrace route back to 429.

0.6 mi. Turn right (south) on State Route 429.

Note light colored bouldery sediments along roadsides in this

area. This is where a debris flow crossed the road in 1983. An

extremely wet winter and rapid spring thaw caused a landslide

of rock and soil to slide of Slide Mountain and extend all the

way to the lake. Houses destroyed, several injuries, and one

death was caused by this erosion event. Similar debris flows

can be triggered by seismic events.

 

 

0.7 mi. Bowers Mansion. The swimming pool is geothermal heated,

and hot springs behind the mansion marks the trace of the

Sierra Nevada frontal fault extending through Davis Creek

Park.

 

Retrace route back to 395 and turn left back to Reno.

 

Davis Creek Park

If your group only wants to visit Davis Creek park there is a

0.5 mile Nature Trail, 1.5 mile Discovery trail that circles the

park, and a strenuous 6 mile Ophir Creek trail up the

mountain to Price Lake and Tahoe Meadows.

 

Post Field Trip activities / investigations: You can investigate other field trip locations (learnthegreatbasin.net) to extend lessons from this one.

 

Students work / project ideas: Drawings or scale models of Slide Mountain.

 

ASSESSMENTS: Part of our project goal is to incorporate student data and artwork onto the "learnthegreatbasin.net" web site. Please submit appropriate material to us for inclusion on the site.