Sly Park Recreation Area

We arrived early on a Monday morning and headed to a Day Use area to launch our kayak on Jenkinson Lake. We were able to get parking just a few yards away from the lake, so not far to walk the kayak. We like to paddle the portion of the lake that narrows and is a "no wake" zone. Makes for a peaceful paddle. Not many folks out on the lake at 9 am, but by the time we finished our paddle at 11:00, quite a few people had arrived and the parking area was full. So the message is: Arrive Early!Beautiful place to paddle, hike, or just hang out. $10.00 car entry fee (we're over 62, so we received the senior rate) and $3.00 kayak fee.

Going to Sly Park brings back lots of memories from childhood hood. My first time here was way back in 6th grade for a school field trip. We came here to meet up with a friend who was camping for a day trip here. There are lots of hiking trails.We went on a small trail since we were just here for a day trip. We hiked along Jenkinson Lake which is beautiful. It was pretty easy going for the kids also who were leading the adults. We had to make sure the younger kids were not up front so the older kids helped managed them. If you are a flushing toilet person you may not want to camp here but if you are okay without flushing toilets and just want to enjoy nature it's not too far camping place to go to from Sacramento. The Fleming Meadow Loop is on the other side of Jenkinson Lake and if you have AWD 4x4 it's a good place to take the kids to play snow. It was nice and quiet compared to the prior week when we went towards Donner Summit Sno Park which was way too pack for my liking.

Went here on 4th of July. I recommend you not go on a Holiday weekend. The day use was already full by 10am. We did manage to find a park on the side of the road. It cost $5 to park. The place is amazingly beautiful. We brought Kayaks and went across the entire lake. At the other end of the lake you can park your Kayaks or paddle boards and hike up to this amazing waterfall. If you're ever in the area and like to be on the lake or do a little hiking go check it out. I would definitely recommend it.

This is one of my all time local places to hang out and chill or get active anytime of the year. Just recently I spent the day there. I went kayaking, walking about the trails, and even taking in the little man made waterfall and creek along the South Shore trail. During the summer weekends, the day use fills up quick. But it seems to dwindle down after 4pm. Day use is $15 per car. If it is worth your while, you can purchase an annual day use pass for $170. They are open year round, weather permitting, even during the winter. Anyway, on my last visit I finally walked to the the South Shore Trail from the Hazel Day area to the mini waterfall. The trail is a mild slight incline and the round trip is about three (3) miles. I hiked this late afternoon so there was not a lot of people at the waterfall or creek. The water was cool and the rocks slippery. So watch your step. I ventured into the stream and crossed the rocks to get closer to the waterfall. I was barefoot and all the while hoping I do not sprain my ankles or flop and break any bones. The water hit a few inches above my ankle. The rocks were smooth and rounded but rough on my old foot arch. But the kiddos were bouncing off the rocks like frogs. Oh to be young. Also there is a boardwalk that is near the Hazel Day use. It connects to the shoreline that is less than a half mile away. The boardwalk is over a marsh area that is off limits to walk on. You do not want to anyway, it is "marshy". Perfect for ducks, not so much for people. Along the boardwalk are info boards with neat info about the local wildlife. That includes bats. The lake is home to several species. There are bat boxes hung up in the trees in the marsh. I did not see any, as I probably would not during the day since they are nocturnal.

This is a great place that we were told about and so glad that we found this gem because that's what it is! Truly a fantastic place to go and enjoy a great summer day or even spring or fall hike! This place is amazing and should be considered for your next vacation, day trip or or a weekend camping trip! Absolutely a great place to visit and enjoy! Only thing I would wish is that they had more parking. Some parking is difficult to find and when you do you are parked in some weird odd ways. Also they're park rangers but don't really enforce the parking so some people take up two spaces the way they park and lessen the amount of parking. But everything else is great!

Went here recently to check out the lake. It is stunningly beautiful. No issue with parking since we went on a Monday, but I can see how it fills up quick on weekends/holidays. Lots of really great camping spots and parking guaranteed when camping. I give it 4 stars because on a busy day, it would be really difficult to come here, no extra parking or a good way to park outside park then walk in. They also don't allow Uber drop offs or boat drop offs

Sly Park is one of my favorite places to go hiking. The hike all the way around the lake is about 8 miles.There is plenty of parking within the recreation area, as well as along the road. There is a small day use fee of $5 to park along the road.The trail has multiple access points. I usually start from either the recreation area parking lot, or one of the paths near the dam.This is a very well-populated trail. Even on slow days, you can expect to see at least a few other hikers during your trek. On busy days, it can get pretty crowded. My favorite time of year to hike here is very early spring, before it gets too crowded with campers and beach goers. The trail is particularly striking when covered with a small layer of frost.Flora and fauna that I've frequently spotted here include families of geese, all kinds of mushrooms, lady bug migrations, and, of course, the man-made "waterfall." This past January, I hiked out to the waterfall while there was still a bit of snow on the ground, and even found some snow plant. It was a really beautiful day.The hike is moderately challenging, and can easily take up to 5 hours. If you hike slow or take lots of breaks, then it would take even longer than that.Overall a beautiful hike that's worth checking out at least once.

BY FAR - one of my favorite places to hike and be around nature. There are different intensity levels for hiking and the scenery is so serene. I know there are plentiful hiking options near Sacramento but for some odd reason, my mind and body wants to go to Sly Park. I love that there is shade, a waterfall, a lake, camping, and adventure!I've come when there has been snow and times where it is hot out. All have been a pleasant visit. A great place for a family trip, me time, or even a date.

Finally made the adventure to this magical destination! As my mom referred to earlier today-like what heaven would be like.Truly beautiful and magical with the endless majestic trees, beautiful lake and ample parking near the picnic table area. Beautiful endless butterflies and swarms of friendly ladybugs flying all around us as well! I've never seen such a sight before of the massive amounts of ladybugs in the air free flying! Next time we are surely going to bring BBQ and spend the full day. Today we packed a picnic with sandwiches, fruits and snacks not knowing we can BBQ there. There are plenty of shaded areas and also water access as well to to fill dog water bowls and any need for water. This park thought of everything to make the experience welcome and accommodating.We went on a hike after lunch and couldn't get enough of the beauty that surrounded us.The trail we took was easy enough for my 86 year old mom who is healthy and fit. My sister, husband and brother in law also loved this park and agreed we are surely going to return here many times during the year.We noticed swimmers in the lake, fishing, boating, paddle boarding and many other Funtastic activities. We hiked just up to the camping area where we found picnic tables and sat down to rest for a while and refresh with drinks and snacks while enjoying the view.We didn't find the waterfall this time however next time we surely are going to ask how to go there. Parking fee was $15 and there were cars parked all along one side of the road only. Hubby noticed the parking spots marked on the opposite side of the street so we made a uturn and parked on the other side of the direction.

We hiked this peaceful and scenic trail 3 miles into the man made waterfall. The trail has mild inclines and plenty of spots to sneak down to the lake. There is even a few benches to relax on along the way. Other hikers were intermittent and dogs are allowed on leash. If you choose to hike all the way around the lake I believe it is 8.5 miles.The waterfall was pretty powerful as it appeared to be feeding melting snow/runoff water into the lake. Pro tip most people cross the bridge and turn right to view the waterfall but you can actually access the waterfall before crossing the bridge and look down from the falls.The silence is quite peaceful and the hike is a great workout. I highly recommend visiting this location.