Browns Ravine South Shore Trail is a 13.1 mile heavily trafficked out and back trail located near El Dorado Hills, California that features a lake and is rated as moderate. The trail is primarily used for hiking, walking, and running. Dogs are also able to use this trail but must be kept on leash.
dogs on leash
kid friendly
hiking
walking
running
forest
lake
views
wildlife
Great trail! Moderate difficulty. Very nicely shaded ride with small climbs and descents. Watch out for the poison oak right now (May 2). There is a ton of it along the trail, some is even sticking out into the path. Also, beware of ticks. A friend of mine found one crawling on her when she got home.
Very nice well groomed trail. Almost empty midweek. Good views of Folsom lake. Mostly shaded on Salmon Falls side.
I walked this trail this morning, using Brown's Ravine marina parking lot as my trailhead. A big rainbow over Folsom Lake greeted me at the start, so I figured that was a good omen. The scenery along the trail was prettier and more densely wooded than I expected. Traffic on the trail was fairly light. Poison oak is abundant, and there were a few places where it had started growing over the trail, so be careful about that. The trial condition overall is good, although there are a few places with deep ruts, some rocky patches, and some slippery muddy places (because of the recent rain). Definitely an enjoyable hike and I probably will do it again.
Great trail
There are houses on this trail, not completely unpeopled due to this.
Good trail run. Parked about 0.5 miles before trail head. Couldnt complete because sun was setting. Would go again earlier in day. Seems to be a well Shaded trail with no people.
Directions are maybe outdated? They direct you to an area with posted signs “No Parking” and there is a new curb that you would need to drive over and then risk getting ticketed. I drove further up Salmon Falls Road to the Monte Vista Trailhead parking lot that has a sign near the street that says “Falcon Crest”. FREE parking and nice, big gravel lot. Then hike 0.6 miles to catch the Brown’s Ravine Trail (or something other trails as well) (use your All Trails map to stay on the right trail). The hike was great, rolling hills, peaceful, not too muddy. There were some ticks...common at this time of year...on my dog who mostly stayed on trail except a few times. Decrease ticks by staying on the trail (I had none).
We got on the trail right above the entrance shack where you pay. The guy there told us where the trail head was so we assumed it was ok to ride. As we were riding though all the trail signs were marked, "no bikes." We saw one biker on the trail and a few runners. We kept going to Salmon Falls Rd., but won't be coming back. We were told the reason was that the trail goes on private property. I can't verify that. Anyway the trail is technical and rocky in some areas. There were sections where you could get some speed, water crossings and some short steep climbs. A few overlooks of the lake which were nice. Overall I had fun riding it.
Great morning hike.
John P. recorded Browns Ravine South Shore Trail
Nice single track trail. Watch for some deep ruts on trail. They’re like skinnys, just in reverse. Some good rocky climb sections which are challenging. Mostly moderate ups, downs, and flats. Beautiful view next to lake.
The map takes you to a area on the side of the road with a high curb, so my prius could not go over
The directions on here don’t take you to that trail. Instead it takes you to some area on the side of the road.
Amazing, peaceful
Nice trail
Great day trail. Lots of shade. Some part had become over grown so watch out for ticks
Excellent trail for my kids. Ages 1, 3, and 5.
Great little hike
Awesome out and back to the same lunch spot as a few days ago but starting from to Salmon Falls side. Lots of fungi this time of year!
Kelvin H.
Great out and back trail run with shade, lake views, rolling meadows. Parking and bathrooms at Browns Ravine marina make it convenient for all types of trail activities.
The trail is mostly shaded and has a few intermediate level sections for mountain bikers. Go early in the the morning as the trail can get busy late morning to early afternoon.
Mostly shaded.
As a newer biker..this trail is flow and easy enough to gain confidence..also has a few spots along the trail that are challenging but not too intense. My favorite trail thus far
Not too scenic but has trees and nice shading throughout.
