Wilson Commons Park

4980 Susan Lee Circle Rd, New Washoe City, NV 89704 (click here to view a map)

Park Ranger Office: (775) 849-1825

WC Facing West

Wilson Commons Park is located on the west side of beautiful Washoe Valley and features historic ranch outbuildings, 20 acres of irrigated pasture and several acres of developed parkland. The developed portion features a tennis court, group picnic area (non-reservable), horseshoe pits, volleyball court, fishing pond with gazebo and benches for viewing the impressive Sierra Nevada mountains.

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.

For plant & animal species found here, check out Wilson Commons Park on iNaturalist.

Recreation at Wilson Commons Pond

We do not permit any ice fishing during the winter. Please stay off the ice at all times. Feel free to call the park office at 775-849-1825 for the latest conditions.

Wilson Commons Pond is a popluar spot for anglers, especially families with smaller children. The pond is stocked with Rainbow trout and features an ADA accessible gazebo as well as several fishing access points along it's banks. As with all other urban ponds in Washoe County, the following rules and regualtions apply at Wilson Commons Pond:

A current valid fishing license or permit issued by the Nevada Department of Wildlife is required for all anglers over the age of 12. Purchase your annual license or one (1) day permit here.
Fishing hours are 8:00 a.m. to 30 minutes before sunset
There is a limit of three (3) fish per angler, including resident youth anglers (under age 12). Non-resident youth anglers may keep one (1) fish.

For more information about fishing at Wilson Commons Park, including the latest stocking updates, please visit the Nevada Department of Wildlife's Fishing Page.

Stop Poaching! Please call the Wilson Commons Park Ranger Office at 775-849-1825 or NDOW at 1-800-992-3030 to report information on any wildlife related crime.

Media

Click below to watch a brief video of when the Truckee Meadows Parks Foundation featured Wilson Commons Park:

Historic Chicken House
Tennis Court
Historic Slaughter House
BBQ/Picnic Area

Park History

Prior to the arrival of Euroamerican settlers, the Washoe Indians occupied this valley, finding abundant food sources within mountain streams and the riparian areas surrounding Washoe Lake. By the twentieth century, most Washoe Indians had moved to reservations near Reno and Carson City. This land became part of the Twaddle Ranch from 1869 to 1885 when it was sold to the Pedroli brothers. The Pedroli Ranch was a dairy business, shipping fresh milk and cheese to the miners working the Comstock Lode. Did you know? On July 7, 1943, Eleanor Roosevelt visited the ranch with her friend Gertrude Pratt (who was living nearby at the time).

The ranch then passed to Harp Brothers, Inc. in 1948 and became known as the Jackson-Harp Ranch. The Wilson/Rand family then owned the property from 1956 to 1986. Mr. Wilson built the existing roads and named two of the streets after two of his grandchildren, William Brent and Susan Lee. In danger of commercial development, the property was purchased by Washoe County in 1986 and became a county park for all to enjoy. The 5 acres on which the historic buildings stand were listed in the National Register of Historic Places (April 2000) for "its association with the agricultural history of the region that sprung up in response to the westward migration and the mining booms that struck Nevada first in the late 1850s." - US Dept. of Interior

Activities: Fishing, BBQ/Picnicking, Hiking/Walking, Horseshoe Pits, Photography, Tennis, Volleyball, Junior Ranger Program

Parks and Open Space