15650 Wedge Pkwy, Reno, NV 89511

South Valleys Regional Park

Park Description:

South Valleys Regional Park is a 105-acre Washoe County park with restrooms.

Park Amenities:

Playground, baseball/softball fields, multi-purpose fields, soccer/football field, horseshoe area, volleyball court, picnic area, reservable picnic shelters, and tables/benches.

Park Contact Information:

Washoe County Parks and Open Space (775) 828-6612

Park Highlights

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Park History

Click the image to read each topic's full text!

Park Establishment

Nestled up next to I-580 near Mount Rose Highway is a treasure of a park/sports complex – South Valleys Regional Park. In 1990, when the south portion of Truckee Meadows was in its infancy, there were no public ball fields for youth south of Longley Lane. Consequently, the County considered purchasing land to build a sports complex similar to the Shadow Mountain Park in Sparks.

Land was acquired thanks to a donation from Dr. Massoud Dorostkar, Virgil Wedge, Hadi Sahrakar, Theodora Peigh and the Dr. Millard Duxbury family. A plan to develop the park was approved by the voters in 1990 and the park was dedicated in late 1992. Two years later, the funding to develop the park was obtained via a statewide parks and wildlife bond approved by the voters in 1990, and a dedication ceremony took place in late 1992.

Image:
View of the Valley from Geiger Grade, circa 1940s. Source: Nevada Historic Society.

Park Development

Two years later, four baseball fields and three soccer fields were completed. A Washoe County bond issue in 2003 produced another soccer field, the Babe Ruth baseball field, and a playground. Future phases, they hoped, would include a library and community center.

As the population of south Reno continued to expand, it created a need for even more sports and recreation space. That drove the donation of another 23 acres of land in 2009 from Dr. Massoud Dorostkar and the Hadi and Ursula Kar Family trusts, giving the park a total of 105 acres. This allowed the park to expand with additional football/soccer fields.

Image:
Arial photograph of park as the fields were being built. Source: Google Earth.

Upgrades

Washoe County’s Department of Regional Parks and Open Space received a federal grant to install rubberized tile surface around the playground equipment at South Valleys and two other Parks (Lazy 5 and ArrowCreek) in 2011. The reason for the new tiles was driven by the desire to increase accessibility of the playgrounds for children of all abilities while reducing the operating and maintenance costs to the county.

More upgrades to the playground were announced by Senator Harry Reid in 2016 when a grant of over $91,000 was received from the Land and Water Conservation Fund to replace loose fill surfacing with accessible, rubberized surfaces.

Image:
Rubberized tile on the Playground. Photo by Jill Richardson.