Where going to Prison is an escape

It's rare that you find a good hiking trail right on the edge of your home town. In Carson City there are at least two choices. To the east there is Prison Hill. To the west is C Hill. C Hill is pretty straightforward - you just go up and come back down. Not so at Prison Hill. Miles of trails wind about.

Some rules apply.

Dogs are OK on a leash, but no firearms.

Stay on designated trails; do not shortcut on switchbacks.

Pack it in, pack it out.

The two trailheads are clearly marked, both routes are equally demanding. These are not strenuous hikes but are more of a challenge than Deadman's Creek.

The trail from Silver Saddle Ranch starts at the parking lot and starts climbing off to the left. This is a steady, gradual path at the start, but along the way there's a long stretch where off to the right there's a steep drop. It's not particularly tricky if you pay attention. This is when a hiking stick can come in handy.

The trail is largely dirt at this point but becomes rocky the higher one goes. Great towering clumps of conglomerate rocks loom to the right, and soon one comes across the abandoned hulk of an old truck. By now you're in a valley of sorts with interesting rock formations on both sides.

Keep on hiking and after perhaps a total of 2 or 21Ú2 miles you'll breach out onto an overlook with Carson City spread out before you. There's a trail off to the right that leads on to the dozens on branching trails that cover Prison Hill. Most retrace their steps here, but there's plenty to explore from here, more than we can summarize. Explore and enjoy.

The other, western trailhead starts out with the usual warnings about dogs and motorized transportation. (There's a separate trailhead to the south for powered vehicles.) The path is all dirt here with sage, bitter brush and desert peach. In season, wildflowers are scattered about.

Remember, this is a big hill with many roads and trails. The first choice comes at a fork where a fire road leaves off to the right. The road is pretty steep, so most hikers go left. The trail gets more rocky as it ascends and the alternates start coming quickly. Stick to the main trail (if you can be sure which one it is) and soon you'll begin enjoying views of the city and the mountains, from Slide Mountain to the north to the chain of Pine Nut peaks to the south. Binoculars can be handy here as you look over the new freeway, the Capitol and the Carson River, which winds through a carpet of green.

A high peak beckons. At 5,724 feet it's about 750 feet above the city and it is surrounded by other peaks of 5,000 or more feet high. And from here it's pick a trail and go. To the north there's a 5,500-footer, which offers another splendid view of Carson and Slide Mountain.

Thanks to the many trails and roads the return trip can be a loop for much of the way until they all wind up at that first fork.

No, not Mount Everest, but a nice hike in your own back yard.

• Contact Sam Bauman at sbauman@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1236.