3945 Riverhaven Dr, Reno, NV 89519

Schiappacasse Park

Park Description:

Schiappacasse Park is a 5-acre Reno park without restrooms. The park is located along the Truckee River and offers access to the Tahoe-Pyramid Trail.

Park Amenities:

Pathway and bike path.

Park Contact Information:

City of Reno - Parks & Facilities (775) 334-2417

Park Highlights

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Park History

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Overview

Welcome to Schiappacase Park, the tiny little park with the very long name.

However, despite its hard-to-spell moniker, this small spit of land on the Truckee River, plays an important role in the Tahoe-Pyramid Trail.

Located just west of Chrissie Caughlin Park and east of Dorostkar Park, Schiappacasse doesn’t take up too much real estate, but it is vital to those biking or walking along the Truckee River, or better yet, attempting to navigate the Tahoe-Pyramid Trail.

An Artery for Reno

According to an article in the Reno Gazette Journal written in 1999, the park was built to federal standards in 1998, including lighting, striped lanes, wide shoulders and signage. Ongoing construction and improvements have kept the park in pristine shape.

But if you’re looking for a place to picnic along the river, this park is not the place for you. Its claim to fame is as a supporting link within the walking and biking community.

Schiappacasse's Past

Although it’s small, Schiappacasse Park serves as a reminder and pays tribute to what was once a vast network of farms and ranches that formerly dotted the Truckee Meadows.

Once known as the Schiappacasse Ranch, the spread was a typical, but modest ranch, sitting on land adjacent to its closest neighbors, the Caughlins. The family, whose patriarch Agostino, hailing from Neirone, Italy, occupied the property during the 1890s and into the early 1900s; unfortunately, there is no longer any trace of the home, but early pictures show that it was one-and-one-half stories tall with a full basement and clapboard siding. According to research, the final few acres of the ranch was sold in 1995.

Bordering the south bank of the Truckee, the 67-acre ranch fronted the well-used Old Verdi Road or South Verdi Road, better known now as Mayberry Street. Surprisingly, today only 3-acres of the original parcel remain free of housing.
Now that you know just a bit more about the Schiappacasse family, it might be a good time to lace up your shoes and head to the series of parks along the Truckee River and imagine what the area might have looked like in the late 1800s. The history of the trail and the park system in the Truckee Meadows is fascinating and definitely worth a closer look.

Get Involved!

Donate:

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Volunteer:

Support our parks by volunteering with the Parks Foundation! Attend a volunteer event or choose an ongoing role. Click here to explore opportunities.

iNaturalist:

Out in our parks or open spaces? Try cataloguing the biodiversity around you with iNaturalist! All it takes is downloading the iNaturalist app onto your phone to get started.

Curious what's been seen in this park? Click the link below to see what species other have spotted!

Schiappacasse Park on iNaturalist

Contact:

Have a question about our parks or the Parks Project? Email us at parksproject@tmparksfoundation.org!

Want To Learn More?

References & Further Info:

City of Reno Parks & Facilities Directory - Schiappacasse Park

Contributor(s):

Linda Fine Conaboy (history)

Haley McGuire

Alex Shahbazi

Last Updated:

September 15, 2022 at 8:00:38 PM

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