American River Bike Trail (Jedediah Smith Memorial Trail)

My fiance and I planned to move back to his hometown of Sacramento. I had lived in Ohio all my life, and was pretty scared when I first came to visit Sacramento with him to see where we would live. The first time I felt relief and could envision myself living in Sacramento was when he took me to this trail. Lovely spot, beautiful river, always lots to see. Path is clean and well marked. Just took my parents here when they visited for the first time. Great trail, a must for anyone new to Sac.

I do not recommend this trail for solo women.

I went biking on this trail midday on a weekday. I rode from ~ Del Paso Blvd to ~Capital City freeway and back.

Not only were there large groups of transient men congregating both adjacent to and in the middle of the trail, but I was followed on bike by a seemingly well-off guy who I believe was haunting the trail specifically for the purpose of following women. (He was a white male, medium athletic build, mid 30s-early 40s, blue cycling outfit, phone band on left arm, with brown mid length hair.)

I successfully got him to stop following me but the trail is so isolated and lined with dense vegetation that anything could have happened without a passerby noticing. I won't be going there again, not alone at least.

great paved trail for road bikes. went 15 miles out, stopped for breakfast and 15 miles back.

This was my favorite running trail when living in Sacramento. You can hop onto it at so many different points, and there were water fountains and bathrooms! Perfect place for long runs during the weekend!

Great bike trail mostly along the river. Been way too long on this one.

I’ve done this ride quite a bit when the weather is decent. I like to start at sac state and head up to the hatchery.
If you don’t live close by, I would recommend leaving your car at sac state. The chance of a break in isn’t bad. But remember to pay for day parking. Easier on the weekends when most of the students are off campus.
There was a time I was with a group and we used the light rail to get back to sac state.
Some of the serious riders can be rude if your just out for a little exercise but many more are happy to wave and say hello!
There are great places to stop for some picnic lunches and the views are great if you’re like me and get tired of the city.
Some of the trail can flood if we have heavy rain. This year (2017-2018) has been great.
If you decide to go in the summer, bring lots of water and reapply your sun screen. There are lots of areas that have no shade from the sun.

Easy trail - not a lot of people . Very pretty

We started at the east end near Cal Expo. Nice, well maintained trail. This part wasn't particularly scenic (we could only glimpse the river in a couple of spots), and we were mostly in full sun. But it was a great trail to get some miles in off the roads!

Did 50 miles on my hybrid on a Sunday morning. Not too crowded. Cool views.

Very good

This is the very best running trail(s) that cut right through the heart of Sacramento following the American River from the confluence at the Sacramento River (Discovery Park) and reaches Folsom in 28+ miles. You will have a well paved asphalt trail used by bikers as well as some sweet dirt trails that get you away from the crowds and into some pretty scenic forested river settings. Tons of different places to start / stop runs so your potential trail possibilities are endless based on how long you plan on running. Perfect for marathon training. Mile markers on asphalt trails. Gets crowded weekends. Light crowds midday weekdays. Check for flooding closures during rainy seasons. NOTE: Vagrancy camps are scattered throughout trails. Be fully aware of your surroundings. Cell service throughout trail.

Very nice ride... but! Flooded and impassible from downtown Sac which forces u to ride on levee trail thru tent city to get back on trail... if u r only riding part of the trail consider starting on the folsom side... otherwise very nice and cool and green this time of year!

Really fun! There is a nice river that is not deep unless u go closer to the red bridge. The small bike bridge has shallow water, but the water in the shallow water is really fasts, so don't go too far into the water. Lots of clams to find in the water and some lake creatures like a crab, crayfish and more. Overall, the bike ride was amazing! The activities you can do are swimming, hiking, site seeing, and fishing.

I particularly like the section near the Nimbus Fish Hatchery. Wonderful views of the river. Rich wildlife. Good shared access for walker, biker and equestrian.

The initial entrance was uninviting. However the sound of vehicles, sirens and the like were very quickly replaced with birds chirping, as well as leaves rustling and dropping.

I have literally grown up on this trail. There are several off shoots and unpaved trails for running and even horses as well, especially in the Fair Oaks and Orangevale areas.

CAUTION - DO NOT LEAVE YOUR CAR PARKED ON BRIDGE STREET IN FAIR OAKS NEAR THE 20 MILE MARK UNLESS YOU WANT IT TO GET BROKEN INTO

Nice walk...I only walked about 3 miles but you can definitely walk, run or bike along the trails.

Loved it! Not too crowded, was clean, and easy parking.

It's a great place for a run and i enjoy the view of the river.

loved this trail. very clean, not too crowded. enjoyed this one!

At the place where all trails had me start, it was paved but just after a couple miles The road changed to gravel which wasn't comfortable. Also there were several areas of private property. Perhaps beginning of the trail at another area would've been better.

One of the best things Sacramento has to offer!! Great for biking, jogging, hiking, nature walks, picnics by the river. A lot of people do use, but it's such a long stretch of nature that if you really wanted some quiet time, you are sure to find some.

This trail offers beautiful views, easy paved trail and some solitude all in the midst of a bustling city. I rode the trail from discovery park to the 20 mile marker on a Friday and found it quiet and sparsely visited by others. There are many places to catch it from city streets.

At first I was unsure about leaving my car unattended, but it ended up being fine. Just make sure you get back before they close the gate. Upon leaving, I arrived at the gate just in time. The guy was just about to close it for the night. I ended up going about 73 miles, due to losing the trail. It took me 8 hours on my 2011 Specialized Crosstrail. It was basically the first time I'd rode a bike longer then a couple miles. But, the trail is pretty level so, I was able to complete it, with little to no problems.

The American River Trail is a great resource for the community. Every city should have a class I bike route this nice. Most of the ride is up on river terraces or levees, through an extensive greenbelt. From Sacramento, the ride terminates in the historic district of Folsom. A number of parks and river access points are located along the route, which allows people to stroll along shorter portions of the trail. It is used by cyclists, joggers, walkers, people with roller-blades, scooters, and skateboards. The trail is paved to 10 or 12 feet wide, with a centerline stripe and graded shoulders that allow for slower traffic to move out of the way to avoid conflicts.

Me and a friend cycled the American Parkway from Sacramento Downtown to Beals Point (64 miles). and it was awesome. On the way back we went along the Natomas Lake and I'm glad we did because the path is right next to the water. The day we went, the weather was perfect and we had plenty of time because we started out around 8am. On the way in, we had to deal with strollers/walkers/runners/rafters/and lots of other cyclist. One the way back there was low traffic. It was a great experience and I plan to do it again. There is a snack bar at Beals Point.

Most reviews that I've read mentioned the number of people on the trail. My family started in Folsom and biked from Negro Bar down past Hazel street on a Saturday and their was super light traffic.

Went on the trail Sunday and it was packed. College track folks, road bikers, mountain bikers, walkers, dogs on leashes, families, moms, picnics and galore. I decided to burn sometime on the trail and make my way over from Arden to REI to just do some Spring window shopping. It was beautiful weather with a nice breeze. Cant wait until it gets pretty warm. That river is going to get swam in.

I usually bike from home down towards Arden Way entrance going east. This trail does take you towards the river and towards Folsom going east. This trail does, if you want, spit you out at numerous exit points. Going west you can easily get to downtown and certain parts of Cal Expo. Very nice and and there are small parts where not too many folks roam due to it being out of the way. I see at least a few deer in the spring time. If you are riding your bike do bring some sunglasses/ face covering for the bugs. Other than that there are tons of trail that run parallel for moutain biking or trail running. Bring a pak with your swimsuit and take a dip as well. Just be mindful of the river current.

This bike trail is super close to my house, so we ride there pretty often. There are beautiful views at every point, and many places to stop and go down to beaches and picnic areas. It runs from Greenhaven all of the way to Folsom if you can make it that far. It's paved and relatively flat, so it's great for the whole family. We've gone from Greenhaven to Old Sacramento and spent the day there. Great trail, just best to do it in the Spring because you can't expect shade in a lot of areas.