Folsom Powerhouse State Historical Park

Great interactive displays. History of how Lafayette gave land to build Folsom Prison in exchange for prison labor to build the dam that created hydroelectric power allowing Folsom to provided electricity to Sacramento. Parking is $10 but entrance is free. Walking trails to the power house or there's the Johnny Cash trail across the street.

We've lived in this area for a long time and have ridden our bikes by the powerhouse plenty of times. But we never stopped in until today and I don't think I had ever noticed the museum. The museum has a lot of great information about the history of the powerhouse and the family that built it. There are also some fun educational exhibits about how electricity works and how the plant created the power and sent it down to Sacramento.Then you can go inside the powerhouse itself which is amazing. So much of the old equipment is still there and you can see the turbines and the generators. The volunteer knew a lot about it and answered all of our questions. All the staff were really nice and we'd definitely recommend a visit here. For history lovers, engineers, and kids. Plus there are really nice clean bathrooms! If you drive there's a fee to park in the lot. We walked in after lunch in Old Folsom and there was no charge to visit.

We were on a walk and decided to check out the powerhouse. We were immediately greeted by Daryl, who showed the kiddos how electricity was made. He took his time, and really showed them how much he knew about the facility. Thank you Daryl for being such a nice man!

On October 6th, 2022, I took a trip to the Folsom Powerhouse State Historical Park. Located in the City of Folsom and bordering Lake Natoma (American River), I had the opportunity to be led on a tour of the decommissioned facility by senior volunteer, Paul Money. Paul has been a tour volunteer since 2001 and has a wealth of knowledge. Paul took us around and showed us what he had worked on back in the day. The Powerhouse is rich in Sacramento, California history. Did you know that it was prisoner's from Folsom Prison that worked on building the damn for the powerhouse. All that hard labor for about 50 cents per day. What's crazy is that I would SUP on the American River right behind the Power station and always wondered what was that back there.....

This park is on the edge of the beautiful Lake Natoma on the American River. We stopped late in the day and the power station was not open. I was disappointed I could not tour the historic power plant buildings. I still enjoyed the park. There are several trails leading down to the lake. The one I wandered down had a large native grinding stone at the edge of the lake. I watched people fish and other people in kayaks slowly cruising around. There were no water-skiers in sight. It was a very peaceful place. I am planning on going back to explore old Folsom and the power plant. It is only open for guided tours. I am fascinated by the history of the Sacramento area

Loved the museum. The volunteers gave a great and informative tour. We enjoyed the displays and view also.

Folsom powerhouse state park is a pearl along Folsom's already historic and scenic riverside. In the very shadow of the idyllic Rainbow Bridge, the powerhouse rests as a remnant of a bygone era. Amazing to think the area was once provided all of its electricity from this single plant! There is a visitor center with tons of good info, or you can wander the grounds at your own pace. Access to the actual buildings is limited to guided tours though, so schedule accordingly. Even if you don't want a tour, the park grounds are a great place for a picnic or even accessing the riverside below. Well groomed trails head down to the river, and there are a dozen or so picnic tables overlooking the beautiful Lake Natoma. And to make it even better, it's within easy walking distance of old downtown Folsom, with all it's shops, taverns, and restaurants. It's your day, seize it! Enjoy historic Folsom!

This place is only worth visiting when you can access the full facility. The Folsom Powerhouse Station Museum is the preserved power plant that once provided electricity to downtown Sacramento using the American River before being dammed. The museum is next to downtown Folsom with limited parking. When fully open, the docents love to show off the impressive technical parts of the facility. This power plant used natural gravity to create electricity from falling water and transformed it to high voltage for transmission to Sacramento 22 miles away. What is now common was revolutionary at the time powering light bulbs, streetcars, and a new world. The two powerhouses have water turbines connected to generators. The upper house has a cool control panel system with original voltage and blade switches straight out of a horror film. The use of a rope pulley system on the lower house to avoid flooding is just innovative. How California!Hidden in plain sight is the overall natural feel of the park. It is nestled along the river with great views of both Folsom bridges and either sunbathers or kayakers depending on the hour. There is a native grinding rock at the end of the trail which is pretty cool too.If you time your visit right, you can better appreciate the Folsom Powerhouse Station Museum. Keep an eye out for special days and school field trips where the whole facility is available.

We had a wonderful visit thanks to Trisha. She is so fun, warm and friendly. We wish every guide was as enthusiastic as her!Stephanie was also so warm, friendly and kind.Thank you both so much for sharing the history of this place with us.Our children were not entertained as there were few things to see but my husband and I were excited to see, learn, and imagine what it would have been like to be there when it was in operation.

Super interesting. Was greeted by really friendly docents at the visitor center who gave us a really informative tour. I love history so this is up my alley. The powerhouse itself is beautiful, industrial and architecturally interesting. The grounds gave picnicking areas too. Just a nice place to be. Highly recommended.