The Jedediah Smith Memorial Trail (or American River Bike Trail) is a paved multi-use pathway that runs between the confluence of the Sacramento River with the American River, just north of downtown Sacramento, California, and Beal's Point at Folsom Lake, north of Folsom.
The trail is 32 miles (51 km) long, and is used as a major recreational destination, as well as a commuter artery for cyclists. The trail is considered one of the longest paved purpose-built bike trails in the US. The trail was recognized as a national trail in 1974.
The starting point is Discovery Park (on the left hand side of the road at the North side of Jibboom Street Bridge) and the trail terminates at Beal's Point (at the top of the hill, where the bike trail intersects Oak Hill Drive). Or you can run the other direction, which would probably be faster since it is net downhill.
Prior to 2014 the first ~ 26 miles of the American River 50 Mile race used this trail (running uphill from Sacramento to Folsom Lake).
Comments
Hey kdemtchouk! Thanks for submitting this route. I biked the eastern half this morning and was wondering if it would be better to stay on the north bank rather than crossing over at Rainbow Bridge to avoid all of the road crossings through Folsom. You could instead cross the river downstream at Hazel Ave. Thoughts?
That sounds like an excellent idea! I was following the “official” bike trail when I ran this route and the Folsom road crossings were def annoying.