Best Trail Running Trails near Sacramento, California

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.

Nice scenery. A lot of birds, squirrels, and sunshine

Trail is well maintained and safe. No inclines and can be walked leisurely. No issues with sharing. Plenty of residential parking available on La Riviera.

Not bad trip!!!!

I'm not sure if I was to give a review on some of your hoods if you guys would have the the perfect landscaping or the cleanest people either,I bet my life on it half of those homeless people out there didn't get what they wanted either but it a spot for them to rest and image them going to your hood I bet you guys wouldn't be very happy with them either.One thing I know is I'm not homeless but I know a few of them and most of them watch out for each other like family and not all of them dreamed of being homeless but this world we live in today is not very kind to most of us and instead of avoiding them try asking them there story I bet they had a home once and family without being outcast.They are people just the same as you but for whatever reason there home is the ground or tent and that's there hood aka home. To them it's a place to be and call home and to you it's disappointment and dirty but walk a week in there shoes bet you won't smell like roses

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.

Personally, I find this "trail" boring. It is flat, and basically a dirt sidewalk. You are always near heavy traffic. It's more fun to hike inside the park around the ponds and gardens. Stop in a the Bark Shop on Riverside, across from Vic's Ice Cream for more creative 5k and 10k walk instructions put out by the Sacramento Walking Sticks club.

I like to park at or near the Rivers Edge restaurant on Riviera at Watt. I follow the Watt bridge on-ramp over the river to the American River Recreation area bike trail. That parking pot also serves a bike store, a couple of Brew pubs, and a Big Lots store.

Was a great hike, lots of trees and was worth the drive to visit it.

Great beginner run.

Loved seeing so many favorite trees all labeled for us. We also wandered into the Capitol to explore. It was in the low 90’s outside. It was delightful to cool off inside while we enjoyed museum displays as well as the rotunda.

It was Labor Day so the park was really all parked up and overflowing w people. We’ll try it another time.

For passenger vehicle parking, try University Avenue near Guy West Bridge (zoom in on map to find where Guy West Bridge is located). And the side streets within the circle of University Avenue. Check street signs for time limit and confirm if any permits are required. Many spin-off dirt trails towards the river accessible by walkers and horses only. Dirt trails away from river accessible by all three users = hikers, bikers, horses.

Please respect other trail users. Please be wise and keep your dog on a leash. There's too much traffic on this section of the ART and you'd be heartbroken if another dog attacked your dog, or if a cyclist collided with your dog. Flexi-leashes are dangerous to cyclists and runners. You also don't know how your dog might respond to a horse. Some dogs go ballistic when they see a horse, which is dangerous to horseback riders. Keep your dog close to you. Thank you.

Very nicely done by the city of Sacramento! Maybe a 3+ but too flat and too little to see for anything higher. Did see what looked like a Peregrine Falcon but a Falcon for sure and not a hawk. Two miles of sidewalk through at least 3 city parks and a couple of schools. Clean and well taken care of... No homeless like Modesto and Manteca. Connects up with other trails on both ends...

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.

Aaron is right. Homeless a serious problem here and along lower American River Bike trail. I have been threatened. Homeless population has gone up 35% during administration of current mayor.

loveeeeee since I was 11 years old

My everyday lunch walk. Always beautiful.

Kinda sketch

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!

Followed the directions which led me to a parking lot to URV which is the University Residence Village parking lot. So whoever posted the directions most likely lives there or goes to the university. Every space is marked Permit Parking or has a number and the entry gate says access to URV residents only.

I am sure there are other access points along the way but just didn’t have the energy to locate another entry point.

So if someone knows a more accessible-to-all access point, please point it out.

I don’t know if I’d ever run on this trail. It seemed more like a cool boardwalk to check out the river and old Sac. Fun either way though.

Cool view of the Capital and Downtown.

Nice trail around the park.

Nice park with a golf course close. Especially green this time of the year. Phone and app didn't like this one... I played the course a couple of times years ago...

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

A good walk but not outstanding - except for a great bridge to view and walk over!!! We did this hike in the winter and it was overcast and cool.

I live down the street and I love this park.
The running track is easy on my shin splints. The rose garden is beautiful and on the weekends there are often craft shows or garden shows at the show hall.
There is a basketball and tennis court, a play ground, and a swimming pool. Lots of trees and I’ve seen that a fairy lives in one of them. (Great for kids)
I wouldn’t recommend riding your bike here, unless your a kid.
On the weekends there are yoga people and prayer circles and parties and drumming circles. It’s just amazing. In the evenings there are a lot of fitness camps and people doing boot camps.
There are tennis courts and a beautiful revamped duck pond. (Don’t feed them bread says the signs)
Lots of people like to bring their dogs and there is a gated dog park a few blocks away over the levee. Lots of benches and picnic tables!
Parking can be a pain in the butt, but there are some spaces, carpool if you can. There is also a library!

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.