Trail difficulty
Green
Elevation Gain
30.00 ft (9.14 m)
Trail type
There-and-back
Distance
12.00 mi (19.31 km)
Please respect the outdoors by practicing Leave No Trace. Learn more about how to apply the principles of Leave No Trace on your next outdoor adventure here.

Imagine a bike ride along a majestic green river, with lush ravines and overhanging oak trees stretching for sunlight over the water. The American River Parkway is just that to those living in Sacramento and neighboring suburbs.

With multiple access points, both walking and biking, there really is no bad place to enter. This particular entrance starts you off with a delicious tease of a breeze from the nearby Blue Diamond Almond factory, which offers some incentive to return for the ride back.

From there the bike path follows the American River, a 120-mile stretch from the Sierra Nevada to the Sacramento River confluence.

The ride passes through open meadows and cherry blossom trees, which bloom in springtime, and keeps you in stride with a rich variety of wildlife such as blacktail deer, wildcats, wild turkeys, cranes, herons, and much more. Keep your eyes peeled for sunbathing rattlesnakes during the summer months. Just like humans, they need their vitamin D!

Most of the trail’s earliest inhabitants are no longer seen. The Nisenan Native American tribe originally settled in this area approximately 1,500 years before their first contact with European explorers in the late 1500s. Along these rivers they raised families, held village gatherings in earth and tule roof huts, hunted the fields and fished the river’s nooks, all the while trading goods with neighboring tribes. It was their livelihood. Now, the California State Indian Museum and a variety of other local organizations help service and preserve the community and culture of the area's remaining Native American population.

A bike ride along this river ultimately offers its explorers a taste of human history, solitude from the city, and the beginning of a getaway into the Sierra Nevada.

Logistics + Planning

Preferable season(s)

Winter
Spring
Summer
Fall

Congestion

Moderate

Parking Pass

Not Required

Pros

Lots of rest stops, benches, and water fountains along the trail.

Cons

Prone to flooding during winter months.

Pets allowed

Allowed

Trailhead Elevation

15.00 ft (4.57 m)

Features

Bird watching
Wildlife
Wildlife
Big vistas
Wildflowers
Fishing

Suitable for

Horseback

Location

Nearby Adventures

Sacramento + Davis Metro Area, California
Sacramento + Davis Metro Area, California

Comments

Have updates, photos, alerts, or just want to leave a comment?
Sign In and share them.