Hours: 6 AM-9 PM daily Entrance/Parking Fee: $10…read moreKayak/Paddle Board Rental Hours: 9 AM-6 PM weekends https://www.lakenatomapaddlerentals.com/ Solos: 1st hr $20, each hr after $15 Tandem (2 people): 1st hr $30, each hr after $20 I had a very hard time finding info about this lovely spot, so there you go. Hope it helps! Entrance is accessible from Greenback Ln with $10 fee required per vehicle. 2 Parking lots available - 1 closer to boat launch area and another further lot that's more convenient for picnic areas and tables. Plenty of tables and area for lots of families to enjoy some water festivities! Have a big party or just want to lock down a few tables? Highly advise to come early. If you just need some space to place your mats down, it should be just fine. Incredible trails alongside the water for walking, jogging, and bike riding. Dogs are welcome but just make sure you pick up after them (I noticed a good number of dog poop near the water edge). Want to take a dip? Feel free! Quite cold but more than welcome to. Biggest reason why we came here? To see how the Kayak Rental system worked. Scan the QR code or visit the site to book your rentals and sign waivers. I was told they rented daily by a worker (young ones) but their online reservations just show weekends and random Wednesdays.. so good luck. Honestly Rental prices are higher than another spot we've been to, but this spot was much closer to home and easier to access. Price for convenience! We didn't go kayaking on this particular day but definitely plan to return with our own paddle board/Kayaks since it just makes sense to invest and go whenever we want versus rent a few kayaks with high rental feels. Who wants to return within 1 hr?! No way, you gotta stay out in the midst of nature for at LEAST a few hours! Pathway Tip: Walking or jogging? Stay on your left. Biking? Stay on your right. Standard Placer County rules. Great spot for families whether you want to picnic, swim, paddleboard, kayak, go for a nice walk, jog, or bike along gorgeous river waters scenery. Have fun!!

Went out to Black Miners Ravine to get on the paddleboard and just decompress a little. This time…read moreof year out there is hard to beat... good vibes, calm water, and a chance to shut the brain off for a bit. Nothing super exciting in this review, just one of those peaceful days you appreciate more as you get older lol. Now fair warning... that water is COLD cold when you first step in but once you're out there it's worth it. Even the ducks were just cruising around being friendly and minding their business. Sometimes you don't need much, just a board, some fresh air, and a little quiet.

What a great beginner level trail!! Easy to find but make sure to park on the El Dorado County…read moreside, which is right off the hillside on 49. if you park on the Placer County side there's a parking fee. In any event, the trail is just beautiful with plenty of shaded areas. Start off walking across the bridge and the trail parallels the river. Plenty of wildlife along the way and the waterfall is very pleasant. Bring waters and maybe snacks. It's safe and fairly well travelled and maintained. There is even a trail...all up hill towards Cool! For the more advanced hikers maybe.

On AllTrails app search "Western States Trail to Calcutta Falls". Parallel Parking on the street…read moreClose to the trailhead - get here early otherwise your parking will be part of your hike. It's early spring. There is lots of wildflowers - lots and lots of butterflies to see. Got to see many reptiles - skinks and a variety of lizards. Many hawks flying overhead. Lots of amazing views of the river. And a couple of small waterfalls. Walked further than the posted trail on All Trails just to add some extra mileage.

Hot in the summer, cool in the winter with a few water/creek crossings! Riding solo is ok, but you…read morenever know what conditions or mechanical issues could bring. Riding with a partner or a group is a lot more fun and brings opportunities for some great action photos!

I was in the area for a California state park lead height. We started at 6:00 a.m. the trail was…read moremoderate. Happy to walk through a very much carved out Trail no issues or problems. Parking is easy but I could see how parking could fill up here it's a moderate size parking lot. I was just as true if you're looking for a moderate hike it does have some areas that are not shaded of course.

January 27, 2026 - El Dorado Hills, CA…read more Not much to recommend unless you have watercraft. We walked along the shoreline, but it was mostly rocky and muddy, and we didn't really see a defined trail. A few people were fishing, there were maybe five boats out on the lake, and a helicopter was practicing water drops, which was interesting but unexpected. Entry fee was $12. Overall, probably better for boaters than for walking or hiking.

Rented a pontoon boat that has seen better days. $500 for the day plus $40 for gas. The ladder was…read morebroken so that made getting back in. The launch here is great

This area makes for a lovely walk, hike, bike, or even fishing outing! A couple of bridges and nice…read morenature with plenty of shade is great anytime

There's a trail here which can be found a bit to the right after you cross over the Fair Oaks…read moreBridge; it's on the side opposite from the Sunrise Recreation Area. While there isn't any parking on the side of the bridge where the trail is, there is some which costs $10 at the Sunrise Recreation Area. Once you reach the trail, it takes about five minutes to get to the top, and then maybe another ten minutes to hike to the fence at the end of the trail. The views once you get to the top are pretty good :-) Tip: Each of the lookouts from the top are on a very steep cliff-edge, with an unprotected drop to the river down below. It isn't possible to see straight down the cliff because of deep errosion at the bottom, but you can see both the bridge and the river. Note that this area seems fairly safe during the daylight hours, but there are a lot of homeless people around the bridge and in Sunrise Park, so I'd suggest avoiding the area when it's dark.

One of the best hikes in the country !!! about a two hours…read morehike straight up with some mini rock climbing.... At the end you will find a nice mini lake...ok ok a pond....its very nice! I took a (cold) swim right before heading back and was dry by the time we got back. youcan opt to take the gondola back to town or hike back down ----be careful !!! we just saw a lady brake her ankle on her way down.... we were really careful after that....

My favorite hiking location and my go-to option when I need a break from everything in the city…read more Beautiful wildlife and scenery makes me want to come back here every chance I get.

Amazing trail in scenic the Folsom SRA…read more Folsom lake gets a lot of attention as Lake Natoma is technically part of Folsom Lake's Recreation area but it couldn't be more different. Location: Lake Natoma is located downriver from Folsom damn and is held back by the Nimbus Dam. The major difference is that there is no motorized boats allowed on the lake and the water level is pretty consistent. This makes it much better for kayaking and paddle boards. It also make it great for waterfront trail that runs around the entire lake. Activities: With the recent renovations this trail is great for biking, walking and jogging. With the scenic view of the water and the scenery. Vibe: Besides the main trail, there are side trails and single tracks that run along the man trail. Lake Natoma has many activities and the multiuse trail is just one part. It's great to have something so great in Sacramento's backyard

Like it or not, the Lake Natoma waterfront and trail enhancement project was completed several…read moreyears ago. The result is the Lake Natoma Waterfront Access Trail. It provides ADA access to Lake Natoma area that's next to the Folsom historic district. The trail is a loop that cuts a path down closer to the river's edge and connects the current American River trail. It was my first time exploring the waterfront access. It was within a hour before dusk (in the winter) so I didn't venture far out. There are no lights out. I used the Gold Lake Drive access point behind Lake Natoma Inn that's also near the Lake Natoma Bridge Crossing pedestrian walk. The upper path is an ADA trail. The trail loops in an oval. It's shared with cyclists and pedestrians. So if you have mobility issues and/or children, please be vigilant and watch out for those cyclists. The lower trail hugs the river which the body of water is called Lake Natoma in this particular area. Not to be confused with the Lake Natoma recreation area off Hazel Avenue. There is a variety of foliage and wildlife to observe. Nearby parking maybe hard to find. You might have to park further away and walk over. But the plus side is that parking is totally free in and around Historic Folsom. Just be aware of the posted time limits.

Beautiful scenery - hike was a pretty steep one about 5 miles but hopping in the lake after is…read moresomething to look forward to . Paddle boarding here is also a MUST

I bike on Salmon Falls Trail normally and was pretty excited to read about this trail opening and…read morewas finally able to try it on 05/01/11. This trial is an ass kicker. It starts you off with climbing then when your legs are about to fall off....you climb somemore. About an hour of climbing you finally reach the top and you are rewared with a nice view of the South Fork American River with the happy rafters riding down it. Look to your right and you get a really nice view of Salmon Falls bridge and Folsom Lake. Unlike the Salmon Falls Trail you share this one with equestrians so look out as you're flying down that hill. Definitly an advanced trail for mountain bikers. I couldn't find a good website for this trial so I linked the Sacbee article please feel free to update that if you find something better. http://www.sacbee.com/2010/09/30/3066300/south-fork-american-river-trail.html I want to thank American River Conservancy and the federal Bureau of Land Management and all those that donated for all their time and hard work and for providing us with this new trail for our recreation.

Looking for a stunning and beautiful water fall without the leg work? Bridal Veil Falls in Pollock…read morePines California is the place where you can do that. On your way from Sacramento to Lake Tahoe, you can just drive right up to the falls from Highway 50, going eastbound. What makes this very convenient is that this is also a large pull out space that you can park to make it really easy to just get right out of your car and take a closer look. This waterfall is 80 feet tall and makes for a nice stop to stretch your legs and enjoy the cool air. When my husband I went, we stopped by this waterfall towards the end of March. The waterfall is not gushing with water but the flow is enough to nice and have that nice flowing sound that relaxes you. This part of the Eldorado National Forest is free to drive through and visit but there is a fee if you wish to visit the Bridal Veil Group Campsite and Picnic Area that is nearby. Definitely worth a visit and something to look out for if you plan on driving to Lake Tahoe from Sacramento.

Amazing nice quick stop on highway 50 heading to Lake Tahoe got some great pictures it's a quick…read morestop so be prepared.

We enjoyed exploring the powerful waterfalls and roaring rivers of Coloma, CA!…read more We did the Dutch Falls Hike Length: 2.5 miles Type: Out and back Level: Moderate Elevation gain: 272 ft Be sure to bring hiking poles, hiking shoes and get ready to get a little muddy (worth it, I promise!)

This trail is pretty well reviewed on Alltrails and Google but I could not find it on Yelp. As is…read moretypical, reviews on other sites can be short and quite limited so from what I read I was excited to try this trail. It is lovely right now, but you can tell it is on the precipice of drying up for the year and turning brown and dusty. Speaking of precipices, there were many areas where the path was unstable of the cliff face had collapsed. The trail was just not well maintained and there were tons of bugs, especially mosquitos due to the sitting pools of water and long grass. Even being coated in bug spray, I found dead bugs in my shirt when I came home and my hiking partner had bugs go in his mouth and eye. We saw poison oak and although I checked my dog thoroughly for ticks after the hike and found none, she is good at staying on the trail so I would be cautious with wandering pups. Overall, the trail is moderate and if maintained would be spectacular. However, the blatant disregard for the trail is a solid reason to take away a star. The other reason is that there is no parking in the area, with the exception of the museum parking lot and we paid $10 to park over a half mile away from the trailhead on a hike that will take you an hour max. Still, while this trail was disenchating, we did drive past a few other parks and trailheads in the area with free parking that we were previously unaware of and will most likely be back another day to try those.