American River Bike Trail

I shouldn't complain to much but the trail is ok. The downtown parts are very sketchy to say the least. Bums and trashy homeless camps all over, you jave to be aware of creeps and twwekers walking around the trail and coming out of nowhere. I was checking out the trail for a future ride with out of town family, but we will be avoiding this area. Heading out away form downtown it gets better but you still have to be very AWARE of yourself and surroundings. But the trail is busy and fun.

It's always a great time biking on the river trail. Nice place to get away from the noise of every day life. Not many places like this around.

Love this place...The American River never disappoints. So much hiking, fishing, treasure hunting and the beauty ... Live the American River Bike Trails....

I love the ART, but it has one serious flaw. That being I don't live right next to it!The trail is quite expansive, starting in Discovery Park and goes all the way to Folsom lake. As you traverse it you have access to countless parks, beaches and different activities throughout. My interactions has have all been on a bike riding continuously from Discovery park all the way to Beals point is an amazing and while tiring, really shows how expansive this trail is. Besides a road bike this trail can be experienced in many ways such as the walking paths and single track trails that traverse both sides of the trail.Of course it has it issues, it can get busy, and as you get closer to discovery park there are quite a few homeless camps but east of Watt, there isn't much of that issue. Speaking of that. I wouldn't recommend the water anything west of sunrise. With the homeless camp there is a waste issue but as you go up the foothills there are lotOf little hidden beaches and then areas such as The aquatic center and the general area around Natomas.Really an amazing place to get away from the busy city and find a little bit of nature in the middle of Sacramento county.

The American River Bike Trail is a highly trafficked paved bike trail that runs about 34 miles, stretching all the way from Old Sacramento to Beal's Point in Folsom. Starting from the Folsom side, there are some pretty steep hills. Basically, the closer you get to Old Sacramento, the easier the trail gets to ride.As for flora and fauna, it's all here. Depending on the season, you'll see lots of deer, hawks, owls, eagles, bunnies, snakes, beavers, river otter, and even the occasional bobcat or coyote. I'm not good at remembering the names of plants, but some of my favorites on this trail are the black oak and buckeye trees, lupine, poppies, irises, lilies, and all kinds of wildflowers. Of course, most of these are best viewed in early spring, but as I write this (in late August) yellow wildflowers and blackberries are still in bloom.Maintenance on the trail is pretty decent. Orangevale is kind of bumpy, since their section of trail is full of huge cracks, but the rest of the trail is usually pretty smooth. The rock slides that blocked the Folsom section of the trail for a couple of years have been clear for several months now. Still, I wouldn't recommend dwindling in the rock slide zone. (You're not a real cyclist until you've been hit in the helmet by at least one falling rock.)There are not many water sources along the trail, so I'd recommend coming prepared with enough water for your entire ride.Anyway, I'm so grateful for this trail. I've ridden the whole thing dozens upon dozens of times now. Highly recommended.

I've grown up in Sacramento my entire life (minus my time in the Service on the East Coast), and I never took part in the American River Bike Trail until recently. That's not to say that I'd never been in the area as I've gone tubing with friends down the river on multiple occasions, and had gone fishing with my dad and brother there as kids. But I'd never known about the bike trails until a few years ago and glad to know about them now.The Sacramento River literally stretches for miles and directly along side of it as well as weave all around the surrounding area, are also miles of trails for avid runners, nature goers, cyclists, and those just wanting to enjoy the waters. Most recently I've taken my girlfriend and boys out on the trails for a nice nature walk, but also have taken up road bike cycling and have done several group rides around the river. And so we've done miles along and throughout the trails from hwy 50 & Sac State, out to the lake off of Hazel avenue. And have started from the city of Folsom on the bike trails and ridden to and across the Johnny Cash Bridge and around the lake.Now that I know of these trails, my friends and have have been making it a weekly thing to come out and ride the various terrain of the American River Bike trails. And I look forward to coming back out with my family and enjoying a nice and relaxing nature/trail walk.

Who knew such a beautiful trail was so accessible to us Sacramentans. With so many access points throughout town, its a great way to get a walk in, a bike ride, or even a jog. Keep your eyes peeled for animals like deer, turkeys, squirrels, snakes, and coyotes!I love this trail and its views of the river. If you keep making your way up east, you'll hit even better views of Old Folsom and the lake. Get connected with Mother Nature, she won't disappoint =)

Great place to cycle and lovely views. Avoid the areas where the homeless people live. Simple and easy rides.

I stumbled upon this trail thanks to Google by typing in "kid friendly trails in Sacramento". BAM! Up came American River and the Jedediah Smith Memorial Bike Trail. Keep in mind this trail can lead you to all sorts of places alongside the American River. We brought our two kids, who are 10 and 7 years old, and this couldn't have been a more perfect bike trail for kids and families. The area my GPS took me to was off University Ave near Sac State. We parked our truck off the side of the road because it was free for 2 hours and we spotted a leading paved sidewalk up towards the bike trail. As a mother I couldn't have been more at ease seeing my kids racing each other, enjoying the beautiful day and scenery, plus spotting animals like squirrels, turkey's, and a wild coyote! (Scary, I know! We made sure to keep our distance) There were mainly bikers on our path, very seldom we saw walkers, and maybe one or two skateboarders. Hands down we would come back to this bike trail to venture out even more to see where each path could lead us! We spent about 1.5 hours biking and we all had a blast! I suggest going in the early evening to avoid the beaming sun during peak hours of the day and we seem to hit less traffic with people on the trail.

We enjoyed this... I wish it could have been a little longer but it was fun. The scenery was beautiful. Recommend doing this in the am to avoid high heat.