Lake Natoma Trail

Natoma Lake Trail stretches from Gold Country Blvd at Hazel Avenue to the American River Bike Trail in Old Town Folsom. The trail total length is around 6 miles and follows the East side of Lake Natoma.There are actually two separate trails . One is a paved trail mainly for bikers, walkers & joggers. The other is a dirt trail used for mountain bikes. Both trails follow the same course of the trail around the lake. This is a very busy trail, especially during the weekend and holidays.The trail itself curves along Lake Natoma .There are a few flat areas, but mainly go up and down with the terrain. One goes through meadow areas, oak woodlands and crosses two creeks (Willow Creek & Alder Creek). The trail also curves around mounds and mounds of river rock. Remnants of the Gold Rush Era. Picnic tables can be found all along the trail overlooking the lake. Educational material can also be found along the trail describing local vegetation & wildlife . I personally encountered a turkey and a family of geese. Always be alert for rattle snakes, especially during summer season. Halfway through the trail is Willow Creek Recreational Area. Here you can find restrooms as well as shaded picnic areas. Relax here and enjoy the view of the lake before continuing on your journey. Parking can be found at either end of the trail as well as feeder entry points all along Folsom Boulevard. Enjoy !

Quick stop here the other day to take our dog out and go somewhere new. Parking is good. A lot of available spots. It'll cost you $10 for your stay for the day so make it worth your while. Overall, it was what we expected. Some paved and some dirt trails. Pets are not allowed on the beach but you surely wouldn't know that by the number of people tossing balls out into the lake for their dogs to retrieve. So much for leash laws. We were there during the week so there were few people and pets there. There was some training going on out in the lake and that was pretty cool to watch. Kind of wish that people would clean up after themselves.

Looking for a place to go on an easy hike, I decided to head out towards Lake Natoma. As a kid, I spent many summers at the Sacramento aquatic center participating in various aquatic camps. I did not realize that it cost $10 to park at Lake Natoma, but I was invested in doing a hike so I paid to park. The trail I hiked seemed particularly designed for bikers but I stuck with it. It was primarily paved and headed along the outskirts of the lake. There wasn't much shade on the portion of the trail that I hiked so be sure to bring lots of water and sunscreen. It was not a difficult hike but more of a stroll, a chance to get plenty of vitamin D and some simple cardio in. If you're looking for something more challenging, this would not be the trail for you.

Peaceful, relaxing, meditation, beautiful views, Folsom Lake Dam can me seen clearly , gorgeous place.

This trail is beautiful. It's so relaxing to walk and see the greenery and American river. There are a lot of cyclist so just be cautious when walking.

Absolutely love this walk! Its very enjoyable and you can stop at a few places and sit, enjoy the river. It has some hills which results in a great work out. Now, if we can get rid of the cyclist who think they own this road?! Lol wishful thinking

This trail is really beautiful and a great place to walk and go bird watching, on both sides of the lake. However, we never fail to see homeless people camping out there. They leave their trash and god knows what they put in the water. When you pay $125 a year for a pass to use the trail and lake you shouldn't have to worry about coming across a homeless camp or the garbage they leave around. We find it really disturbing. This is a State park and it is not policed very well. California State parks need to get their act together and clean up Lake Natomas. The bathrooms at Negro Bar are used for bathing and sleeping. We frequently see homeless around Negro Bar. They light campfires and leave mounds of trash around the beach area. The grasses are drying up and this is a real concern considering the fire season is now year round.