William B Pond Recreation Area

I recently started biking and had been researching long paved trails to try out. The American River trail runs from Sacramento to Folsom and William B Pond seemed like a convenient and safe place to embark from and park (I had hitched my bike to my car & drove out here from the East Bay.) The kiosk was staffed on a Saturday and the entry fee is $7 (cash only.) Lots of parking and the trail is easy to spot from the various lots they had available, There were a variety of picnic areas, bathroom facilities and walking trails. It's close to neighborhoods in Carmichael, which is nice for people who live nearby and can walk right over.Access to the bike trail was my main reason for visiting and the trail itself warrants its own review. Minus one star, as having an option to pay entry by credit card would be nice. I mean, who has $7 exact change that they carry with them these days? Anyway, I would likely use this park again for a jumping off point for trail rides. Nice, clean, scenic suburban park.

Beautiful park in the Carmichael area, well maintained, great for hosting groups, picnics, BBQs - attended a corporate family day event here and it was great - plenty of space for multiple bounce houses for kids, shaded awnings, large grassy areas.Parking isn't free but it's also very reasonable. Park is maintained clean and the bathrooms are good.Parking can be a little tricky if there are multiple events going on at the same time, but overall manageable.Not too far from much of East Sacramento and beyond - a solid place for an afternoon walk or outing w/ the family/kids.

Large nature-centric community park that has a little bit of everything. There's a very spacious picnic lawn but I'd say the main draw of this park is the woodland region that covers a part of the American River (river has been roarin' as of late due to the recent storm!). Park could be more well-kept as there are some areas that are full of weeds and branches. Not many paved walkways here but the park is relatively flat; great for beginner hikers! Park seems pretty safe since it's kinda nestled in a dense neighborhood and is gated. Overall a nice place for a relaxing outing if you're in the area.

Love this place! Great family walk. There are some unhomed people around, but we have never had any issues. I

This is an awesome park, very family and dog friendly. Not sure why the hours say closed on weekends, but the park is definitely open.Great for mountain bikes, road bikes, running, jogging. This park does not have any strenuous hikes. Just go there to enjoy the river and the wildlife. The sunset views are beautiful too. Parking is $5/vehicle for the whole day.

Today was my first time going to this area. I almost don't want to review it because it's a hidden gem! I don't want people crowding it! I went here during quarantine hoping that I could get outside and socially distance. This park was just the right place! It costs $5 to park and $8 on holidays. There is ample parking and the walk to the water is less than 5 minutes. The park had provided port-o-potties for Memorial Day Weekend. The water is very shallow but it IS flowing so it's clean and clear. Because the water is so shallow, it seems like it would be a safe place for kids. It is full of large, flat, shallow rocks that aren't slippery and I was able to walk safely barefoot. You can wade all the way across the river. It only ever came up to my waist. I'm sure it's deeper in some places.I highly recommend this for the hot Sacramento summers!

Saturday, 6/27/2020 - This is our 1st time visiting William B. Pond off Arden. It's $5.00 to get in. This is actually a cute little location for BBQ-ing, get togethers, and swimming. There's pathways for joggers and bikers right by the river. You see them everywhere biking and jogging. You see people at picnic tables having family time. Lots of shades everywhere. Pros:1) lots of parking2) lots of picnic tables and grills everywhere. 3) lots of shade.4) plenty of pathways to walk through. 5) you see people everywhere walking, jogging or biking on the cement pathways. 6) everyone that I ran into was very friendly. 7) due to the COVID19 virus going around, people stayed their fisted distance. Not the kids tho. They don't know any better and you have to remind yours to stay 6 feet apart. Bit how can they when their having so much fun. Lol8) roomy all around of course.9) it wasn't so packed when we arrived. 10) river wasn't too cold. Once you jump in, it's actually perfect for swimming. Shallow where we were at. Great for the kids to swim. Current wasn't too strong.11) there's bathrooms and/or porter potties close by. Cons:1) by 4:30pm, the edge of the river got pretty packed and it was getting a bit crowded. So we left. 2) the pathway to the river is super rocky and uneven. So be prepare to balance and walk. It's about 1/2 mile walk from your car to the river. Not a bad walk. My conclusion? Great location, great place. I'd definitely go here again. The park was pretty clean. I hope people pick up after themselves to continue keeping the park clean. We made sure to bring extra bags for our garbage and made sure to take our garbage and toss it in the bigger trash cans available there. There's no bbq next to the river. So if you're planning to go swimming, bring easy ready foods to eat.

Much appreciated for your support for my friends and family who had passed away and we had an honor candlelight memorial to the lost one, and we will never forget this forever!I wish that I could find their name (the staff) but they allowed us to stay for more than 30 minutes which is supposed to be closed after 7 pm, which we really appreciated and be remembered a lot! Thank you, William Pond.

Water is way too high to do anything, foliage surrounds the pond and there's no way to the water.

I enjoy coming here with my boyfriend for long nature walks. We can spend almost an entire day out here just enjoying the nature trails and large park we can have picnics at. Very inviting place for all types of activities like biking, hiking, nature observing.