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“If your dog is fat,” the old saying goes, “you’re not getting enough exercise.” But walking the dog doesn’t have to be just a little exercise. Here are 10 cool things to see in Reno, Nevada while walking your dog.

COLORFUL FISH.

Walking the dog along the Stream Profile camera trail at the Taylor Creek Visitor Center leads to a sectional view of the stream and its underwater inhabitants. In fall, spawning Kokanee salmon, tinged a bright red, swim past the trail. Another place to see goldfish up close is the Truckee River Bike Path in Tahoe City. Look out over the water from the side of the Fanny Bridge and watch for rainbow trout at the headwaters of the Truckee.

FAMOUS ROADS.

In the mid-1800s, the Reno area was simply a stopover on the way to somewhere else. Train cars, the Pony Express, and others used many roads to reach California, including Hawley’s Grade, the detour through Dog Valley, and mountain passes such as Roller Pass, Donner Pass, and Carson Pass. Today, many of these historic routes are public trails that are home to canine hikers. Keep an eye out for faint rust marks on the rocks that are reminders of wagon wheels from the Western migration.

GEOLOGY.

The geological origins of the region are revealed in many places along the local trails. At Cascade Creek Falls, ridges on either side of Cascade Lake are visible where retreating glaciers have pushed up rocky debris. This depression, like other similar rock-cut pits, filled with melted snow and rainwater to form the Tahoe-area lakes.

HEADSTONES.

Cemeteries are good destinations for an off-the-beaten-path dog walk. In Virginia City, the largest federally maintained historic district in the country, there are separate cemeteries that are reminiscent of the rigidly structured society of the prosperous city. Wander among the tombstones that are markers of the time when Virginia City was the largest city in Nevada.

HISTORICAL BUILDINGS.

Area parks are home to some of Reno/Lake Tahoe’s most historic buildings. Relocated to Bartley Ranch is the one-room Huffaker School that predates even Reno. In Idlewild Park is the California Building, built in 1927 and now home to the Reno Art Center. From the same era, near the Loch Levens Lake trailhead, stands the Rainbow Lodge, built from hand-hewn logs. Even older, dating back a century, are the rustic farm buildings visible from the paths of Wilson Commons Park.

INTERESTING BALLS.

The Reno/Lake Tahoe region is riddled with memories of its icy past. Many of these boulders were used by the Washo Indians to grind food; look for smoothed depressions in the granite rocks as an indication that it may have been a grinding boulder. A good place to see these stones and learn about their history is the Lam Watah Washo Heritage Site. Pyramid Lake got its name from a triangular shape

rock that can be seen from the trails along its southern shore. And canine hikers on Peavine Mountain can visit the rocks that a University of Nevada student placed in a symbolic “N” in 1913 and continue to maintain annually.

MAGNIFICENT URBANIZATION.

Your dog can walk up close and marvel at three estates at the Tallac Historic Site: Pope Estate, Heller Estate, and Baldwin Estate. Wooded walkways connect the mansion sites. You can see, but not visit with your dog, Vikingsholm on Lake Tahoe in Eagle Falls and Bower’s Mansion in Davis Creek State Park.

OLD RUINS OF THE FORT.

Fort Churchill State Park contains the ruins of the 1861 frontier fort built to secure overland migration routes. Fort Churchill lasted only a decade and has been in an arrested state of decay ever since. The remains of the adobe buildings can be seen from the trails in the state park.

TV AND CINEMA PLACES.

Your dog can follow in the footsteps of famous Hollywood actors at locations in the Reno/Lake Tahoe region where TV shows and movies are filmed. Lower Prey Meadows on Tahoe’s east shore was a prime location for setting shots for NBC’s great western, “Bonanza.” Hoss, Little Joe, Adam and Ben Cartwright could often be seen riding through this lush meadow in the shadow of towering mountains. Any canine walk to Dayton State Park will take you close to the filming locations of the latest film by The Misfits, Clark Gable and Marilyn Monroe.

CASCADES.

The Reno/Lake Tahoe region is certainly not without its picturesque waterfalls that you can visit with your dog. Some, like Heath Falls, require considerable travel time, but others like Cascade Creek Falls and Eagle Falls, the only waterfall that flows directly into Lake Tahoe, can be enjoyed with very little purchase.