Urban Trails: Sacramento. John Soares
are also good options.
8.Extra food. Bring a substantial supply of nuts, trail mix, dried fruit, energy bars, and other healthy snacks.
9.Extra water. Bring more than enough water to keep you fully hydrated for the entire length of your hike, plus some extra. Include water purification tablets or a water filter in case you stay out longer than planned.
10.Extra clothes. Weather can change quickly. Be prepared for substantial drops in temperature by bringing extra layers and raingear. Make sure you have enough clothing to survive overnight, if necessary.
SAFETY CONCERNS
Trails and parks are generally quite safe. However, you should practice basic precautions such as always being aware of your surroundings and letting someone know where and when you are walking, hiking, or running, especially if you go alone.
Trailhead theft. Lower the probability that this rare event will happen to you by locking all car doors, tightly closing all car windows, and taking all valuables with you.
Potential threats from humans. Vagrancy and drug use occur in some urban parks. Stick to the trails and you are unlikely to encounter a homeless encampment. If you do come upon one, watch for human waste, needles, and other hazardous materials.
Despite these warnings, most areas are quite safe. Because these trails are often in urban areas, you should of course always exercise common sense and trust your judgment about a particular park or trail based on the current conditions.
Leafy shade in William Land Park (Trail 3)
DOWNTOWN SACRAMENTO
Sacramento, the capital of the most populous and economically powerful state in the United States, is also one of the fastest growing cities in California. Founded in 1848 near the confluence of the Sacramento and American Rivers to house and provide provisions and services for the thousands of miners searching for gold in the nearby Sierra Nevada foothills, the city grew quickly, becoming the state capital in 1854.
Surviving the end of the gold rush and serious floods, Sacramento prospered in the late nineteenth century as the economic hub of the Central Valley. In the twentieth century, Sacramento also became the crossroads for Interstates 5 and 80, the two main freeways linking California to the rest of the West Coast and the United States.
Despite the burgeoning population and the needs of expanding business, the city preserved some land for recreation. This section focuses on three hikes in and near the downtown area. The first visits more tranquil areas along the north bank of the American River on the Jedediah Smith Memorial Trail. The second takes you into the heart of downtown by visiting Capitol Park and Old Sacramento, where you tour the capitol building and wander past historically significant nineteenth-century buildings near the Sacramento River. The third explores urban William Land Park, home of the Sacramento Zoo.
| 1 | Discovery Park |
| DISTANCE: | 4.4 miles roundtrip |
| ELEVATION GAIN: | Negligible |
| HIGH POINT: | 30 feet |
| DIFFICULTY: | Easy |
| FITNESS: | Walkers, runners |
| FAMILY-FRIENDLY: | Yes |
| DOG-FRIENDLY: | On-leash |
| BIKE-FRIENDLY: | Yes |
| AMENITIES: | Bathrooms, picnic tables, water |
| CONTACT/MAP: | Sacramento County Regional Parks; download map from website |
| GPS: | N 38˚36.021', W 121˚30.460' |
| MORE KEY INFO: | Open sunrise to sunset daily; fee; wheelchair accessible; numerous cyclists |
GETTING THERE
Driving: On I-5 just north of downtown Sacramento, take exit 521, signed for Garden Highway. Whether you are coming from the north or south on I-5, turn left on Garden Highway. Drive east on Garden Highway about 0.4 mile and watch closely for Natomas Park Drive and Discovery Park on the right, where you turn. Pay your fee at the entrance station then continue on the main paved road 0.4 mile to a stop sign. Go straight and then curve left for the final 0.1 mile to the large parking lot. Park near the two-lane bridge on the northeast side.
Transit: Bus 86 stops on Natomas Park Drive near Garden Highway. Cross Garden Highway, enter Discovery Park, and then either follow the driving directions above or walk straight toward the American River to find the trail.
This flat and easy hike in Discovery Park begins at the confluence of the American and Sacramento Rivers and follows the American River upstream via the paved Jedediah Smith Memorial Trail to the turnaround point at Northgate Boulevard. Along the way you’ll enjoy both water views and lush riparian vegetation.
GET MOVING
Before starting the official hike on the Jedediah Smith Memorial Trail, head to the right across the grass to the bank of the American River. Let your eyes follow the American River downstream to its meeting with the mighty Sacramento River. The American River originates high in the northern Sierra Nevada to the east, whereas the Sacramento River begins far to the north in the mountains just west of Mount Shasta. After taking in the waters of the American River, the Sacramento flows south and west to meet the San Joaquin River at the Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta, which then empties into the Pacific Ocean at San Francisco Bay.
Look for yellow concrete posts on the northeast side of the parking lot that indicate the beginning of the trail. You’re in Discovery Park at the western end of the paved Jedediah Smith Memorial Trail (American River Bike Trail). The Jedediah Smith Memorial Trail (see “The America River Parkway” sidebar) extends 32 miles along the American River through Sacramento County to end at Beal’s Point on the west side of Folsom Lake.
Cottonwood trees shade the Jedediah Smith Memorial Trail in Discovery Park.
THE AMERICAN RIVER PARKWAY
The American River Parkway definitely deserves its appellation as the jewel of the Sacramento area. Stretching 29 miles along the American River from the confluence of the American River and the Sacramento River at Discovery Park all the way to Folsom Dam, the parkway allows residents and visitors the opportunity to escape the noise and bustle of city and suburban life to walk, cycle, picnic, and simply enjoy the natural beauty of the river and its riparian borders.
Efforts to create the American River Parkway initially began in the early 1960s. With the cooperation of federal, state, and local governments and agencies, plus the help of organizations like the American River Parkway Foundation and the support of local voters, the parkway has grown to include seventeen different parks. This book features trails in five of those parks, but there are numerous other places you can access the American River Parkway.
The paved multiuse Jedediah Smith Memorial Trail (also known as the American River Bike Trail) winds 32 miles through the American River Parkway from Discovery Park north of downtown Sacramento all the way to Beal’s Point at Folsom Lake. Completed in 1985, the trail is named for the explorer Jedediah Smith (1799–1831) who led the first known expeditions of Americans to California