American River Bike Trail (Jedediah Smith Memorial Trail)

Beautiful. Do it and stretch before

Great trail and super close to downtown.

Mostly a paved bike trail. I do this walk often from discovery park and walk all the way through J street Bridge. I have taken my dog with me twice and decided to not do it again because the homeless population close to Del Paso Blvd have encampments and their dogs are sometimes without a leash. Last time there were two unleashed pit bulls and we had to get help from a guy running to be able to pass that area without my 7 year old German shepherd getting attacked. It was very stressful.

I started the trail at Guy West Bridge in East Sacramento. From that point and all the way to Folsom, the trail is amazing. Plenty of river access points, benches to rest, water fountains, restrooms along the trail. Flowers, bees, birds, dragon flies, caterpillars, butterflies, rabbits were abundant. About 80% of the trail is shaded for at least late afternoon to evening rides. Most people will move out of the way and the professional cyclist do zoom right by you like you were nothing lol I can average about 15mph on my fixed gear road bike but those people are truly professional. I cant believe I made it all the way to folsom on my first try but on the way back I was exhausted, so make sure you pace yourself. Great trail!

Catrike Road trip.

Beautiful views, walked right alongside the river and stopped many times to relax

I love this trail. Absolutely beautiful scenery for the majority of the ride.

I parked near by Nimbus Fish Hatchery and it was free. Between the paved trail and the hills, it was a beautiful, good and somehow challenging time. I stayed in a loop walking almost 6 miles total and I didn't not see homeless people. I intend to go back several times and get to know better the place and also give a try with my bike! I was very pleased with the overall experience!

All day parking was 5 dollars at discovery park at he trail head. Jogged 7 miles towards cal expo and turned around and came back. Lots and lots of speeding cyclists going well above the 15 mph recommended speed which made it difficult to take my dog on the leash as they were zooming on both sides of the path. Very quiet and peaceful- no traffic noise. Well travelled by homeless people so I don’t recommend this park at dawn or dusk.

I usually ride from the dog park off of Howe Ave. and University Ave. all the way to Folsom. The American River Trail is a nice paved trail with a center line for oncoming traffic. A lot of road bikers, some going faster than the posted 15mph, but they will often tell you they are on your left to pass. Watch for walkers and runners too. There are benches along the trail to stop and sit if you want as well as restrooms and water in certain sections. Plenty of opportunities to take in the view of the river. I think singletrack west of Hazel is posted no bikes, but east of Hazel is ok. The singletrack is sometimes narrow with poison oak as well as raspberries so don't fall into either, ha! Great trail for a family outing too.

nice trail but to many homeless people camping on the sides. feel unsafe.

I didn't ride the whole trail but I really loved what I saw. courteous riders and lots of spots to get off and explore.

This is a great trail, but unfortunately it’s not very safe. Homeless people were emerging from the bushes unexpectedly. It’s a shame.

Stayed at the Westin hotel and started our ride from there. Within a few miles the homeless situation hit head on. Hundreds of homeless and saw two groups smoking crack right in the open on the trail. Not safe for families. Sad to see how California is simply ignoring this issue and it’s made its way to Sacramento.

Heavy bike traffic. Great for trail running. Parts of it are not safe due to homeless camps. Beautiful path.

Great trail! Lots of shade, hills, clean, well maintained, loved it and will be back!

paddle boarding, nice and calm.

good intro-to-biking trail.

An easy hike next to the American River, which is flowing beautifully this time of the year ( it doesn't hurt that Northern California has received enough rain/water to end our drought ). Also, there are several trails that are made for anyone: Horseback riding, runnning and walking can all be done with this trail. Enjoy!

Great trail for running and cycling. It is my go-to trail in Sacramento.

flat well tended beautiful and fun all year round.

Great running path! It's mostly flat, had bathrooms and water (it's a few miles at least between the bathrooms, but not bad). For a long run I would recommend bringing a water if your own. Nicely shaded which makes it nice even in hotter weather. On Saturdays there's a lot of people on it, which makes me feel safe. I love how long it is! Perfect for those weekend long runs :D I would usually start the trail by Sac State and run up toward Folsom.

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