Urban Trails: Sacramento. John Soares

Trails

       25Lodi Lake Nature Trail

       26Howard Ranch Trail

       WEST OF SACRAMENTO

       27Cache Creek Nature Preserve

       28Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area: Pond Walk

       29Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area Loop

       30Covell Greenbelt

       31UC Davis Arboretum

       32Putah Creek Riparian Reserve

       33Putah Creek Nature Park

       34Blue Ridge Trail

       35Homestead Trail

       Acknowledgments

       Resources

       Index

      TRAILS AT A GLANCE

      INTRODUCTION

       TRAILS FOR FUN AND FITNESS IN YOUR BIG BACKYARD

      UNTIL ABOUT A HUNDRED YEARS ago, most people lived in rural areas and the natural world was an integral part of daily life. Now many of us live in cities or in suburbs adjacent to cities. And too often we let the bustle and distraction of daily life—work, traffic, family and social commitments, phones, computers, the internet, television—keep us from paying much attention to nature, let alone spending significant time in it. There’s good news, though. For decades, states, counties, cities, and towns across the country have been acquiring land and creating parks and recreation areas with trail systems, and the Sacramento area is no exception.

      Urban Trails: Sacramento covers a wide variety of trails for all abilities and ages in Sacramento itself and in the surrounding towns, hills, and valleys, allowing you to experience nature in your life on a daily or weekly basis. Whether you are a hardcore hiker, someone who likes flat and easy walks, a parent with young children, or a runner looking for new trails, Urban Trails: Sacramento provides detailed information so you can easily identify and then enjoy the perfect hike, trail, or path near you.

      Downtown Sacramento—Old Sacramento and the capitol region near the intersection of I-5 and Business 80—serves as the central hub of the book with the first three hikes. The book then moves east along I-80 and US Highway 50 to cover trail systems in Roseville, Folsom, and other towns, including several along the American River and around Folsom Lake. The next region includes Auburn State Recreation Area and nearby areas in the Sierra Nevada foothills. Then come hikes in the Central Valley south of Sacramento, including trails in the Cosumnes River Preserve. The book then heads west to cover several hikes in and near Davis before ending in the Coast Range foothills near Lake Berryessa.

       Coon Creek in Hidden Falls Regional Park (Trail 13)

      This guidebook has two main objectives. The first is to help you boost your physical fitness. Whether you’re walking, running, or biking, book in hand, you can get on a nearby trail just about every day of the year.

      The second objective is to help you boost your mental health. Studies show that spending time in nature improves cognitive abilities and increases happiness. Plus, when you hike with friends or family, you build social relationships, which also benefit mental health.

      Sacramento and its surrounding areas continue to grow, but so do opportunities to walk, hike, and bike. Whether you live here or visit here, use this book to get outside and get more out of life.

       Late afternoon in Davis’s Covell Greenbelt (Trail 30)

      HOW TO USE THIS GUIDE

      THIS BOOK IS ORGANIZED TO make it easy to choose the best trails for you and your hiking companions. I’ve walked every step of these paths, so you can be confident that all the information is accurate at the time of publication. However, regulations can change and trails can temporarily close, so always check with the managing agency for current conditions. You can find agency contact info in the Resources section in the back of the book.

       THE DESTINATIONS

      This book covers thirty-five trails and trail systems in and around Greater Sacramento, including downtown, the suburbs, the Sacramento Valley, and the nearby Sierra Nevada foothills, including Auburn State Recreation Area.

      Each route description begins with the trail name or park name, followed by a block of information that details the following:

      Distance. Here you will find roundtrip mileage or a total mileage of trails.

      Elevation gain. The total amount of elevation you’ll climb over the course of the route is given in feet. This number takes into account all the ups and downs, not just the difference between the starting point and the high point.

      High point. The highest point of elevation you reach during the journey is also provided in feet.

      Difficulty. The five categories of difficulty are easy, easy to moderate, moderate, moderate to challenging, and challenging. A subjective measurement, the difficulty level is an estimate of the total effort required to complete the route. It primarily reflects total distance and elevation gain but can also take into account short, steep stretches of rough, difficult-to-negotiate trail. Always assess the abilities of the least able person in your group when picking a hike.

      Fitness. This category indicates whether the trail is best suited to walkers, hikers, or runners. Paved paths that are mostly level will appeal to walkers and runners and to people with mobility issues or with small children and perhaps a baby stroller. Trails designated for hikers have narrower, unpaved paths that typically have more elevation gain. Of course, a dedicated hiker can walk a level, paved path, and a hard-core runner can run on steep dirt trails.