Reno Balloon Races

The website is great, but I%26#39;m trying to find out if there%26#39;s a better place to see the ';mass ascension'; at 6:45 than the same place that 130,000 other people will be at. The Silver Legacy will let you have a little breakfast and view the event from the top of their building, for $15... and there%26#39;s a shuttle that supposedly goes from downtown out the event.

I%26#39;m interested in either walking the 1.5 miles -- is it an easy 1.5? -- or else knowing if there%26#39;s a good nearby spot where we can view a lot of the same stuff, with less of a crowd. Thanks for your thoughts!

Reno Balloon Races

I was actually considering the casino breakfast as well...looks like a good deal for $15, and the rooftop view from either the Silver Legacy or Circus Circus (which is also hosting a breakfast) would be excellent.

On that note, you can assume that ANY parking garage%26#39;s roof downtown would give you the same view. So...consider St. Mary%26#39;s hospital or any other public garage that is approximately as high as the casinos%26#39;.

The walk from downtown to Rancho San Rafael Park wouldn%26#39;t be too bad-it%26#39;s essentially a straight line walking north. There is a bit of uphill walking involved, and there will also be lots of other people going the same way as many people park out on the surrounding streets and walk to the park.

The Great Balloon Race is a really fun event, I%26#39;m certain you will enjoy it!

Reno Balloon Races

Don%26#39;t laugh, but I kind of want to save my appetite for a big buffet brunch instead of what they offer on top of the building.

That%26#39;s a great idea to find a parking garage; I wonder which ones might be open at that hour.

Thank you also for letting me know about the uphill walk. That might not be such a bad thing, if we%26#39;re ready for it. Will driving be impractical?

Not only uphill, but remember that you will now be at 4500-5000 feet, so you%26#39;ll definitely tire more easily!

Driving would not be terribly practical, as so many people do that that there is quite a bit of traffic AND the surrounding streets to the park get quite crowded with parking. I suppose it would shave some walking off for you, though, as you could definitely get closer than the downtown casino area.

Oh, and I typed the wrong direction in my original post-the walk is actually WEST (have NO idea why I typed north, other than the lame excuse that I had just gotten up when I typed the post :))!

If you decide to drive and park, if you arrive early enough for the ';glow'; show you should be able to find parking within Rancho San Rafael Park itself. It%26#39;s a very early morning, but it%26#39;s a really unique and fun experience.

Am wondering if anyone ever thought to combine the balloons with the air races - that would be interesting, no? Ok, it%26#39;s 7 in the morning so you can%26#39;t expect rational thinking this early ...

Good advice about seeing the balloons. I figure we%26#39;ll check with the concierge for some advice on how to catch that shuttle bus.

It sounds marvelous. Thank you!

I know this has past - but what did you end up doing? We drove right up and parked across the street from the park with a great view; no problems. Even ran across the street (dodging traffic) for some close up pics. Traffic was bearable and so were the people. What a great event and highly recomended!!