Galena Peaks

Galena Peak is the small, two-topped hill between the parking area and Mt. Rose proper. This peak offers deceptively good tree skiing, a few short chutes, and a tempting corn run right by the car. If a longer tour to Mount Rose is on your agenda, adding Galena to your day rewards a good amount of skiing with little extra effort. From the west summit (9,282’), dropping due north along the mellow ridgeline will lead you into the chutes. Descending north from the smaller east peak (9,202’) affords fine tree skiing, and descending east will put you in a sun-bathed run ending close to the car. All of Galena’s major descent options can be run down to the Sky Tavern ski area along Galena Creek, adding roughly 1,000’ of low angle skiing and shuttle logistics to your day. To get to Galena Peaks from the parking area, skin northwest and aim for the saddle between the two.

Mount Rose, Mount Houghton, Tamarack Peak, and Galena Peaks all use the same parking area. This lot, with room for over 20 cars, is located on Highway 431, 1 mile east of the highway’s summit. This parking area is 15.5 miles west of the 395-431 junction near Reno, and 9 miles east of the 28-431 junction near Incline Village. Keep in mind that on busy weekends this lot will be bustling, but the variety of skiing options spreads everybody out.