Great location, not a lot of people, lots of walking paths. Lots of animals. Interesting to visit…read morewith children.

I love this place, I love this area of Carmichael, and have spent many years fortunately enjoying…read morethe peace and beauty and scents of this place in all seasons, as well as seeing the wild turkeys, deer, squirrels, and birds. My heart rests here, and the American River is the best. Autumn was my favorite time as the beautiful, rich, and colorful leaves lasted through Thanksgiving, and golden light was just gorgeous. I will always love this place, and am thankful I have the memories embedded in my heart and mind. I hope they keep it clean and safe forever.

I love living so close to the river. The American River is so beautiful and getting out the first…read moreday of 1/1/24 was treat. The weather was so nice and everyone was so friendly. Happy New Years :)

Great place to spend time with your family. Very many squirrels, ducks. You can have a barbecue or…read moreride bicycles. Clean toilets.

Absolutely breath taking. From the warm sand between your toes to the cold water on your legs…read more Very peaceful...loving it

Paradise beach is access to the American River from the river park neighborhood! You will know you…read morehave arrived when you see a small parking lot and a pool! Walk straight past that and there's a bike trail and trails! I love taking my dog here to swim and run off leash! The area recently got re done due to the beavers. The area is open sunrise to sunset. Please leave the outdoors better than you found it-- pick up your trash!!!

I love coming here in the mornings to go paddle boarding. I've already been out twice this week,…read moreusually arriving between 9-10 a.m., and there are hardly ever many people out on the water at that time. The water is calm, making it perfect for beginner paddle boarders. I even brought my mom out with me yesterday she was a little nervous about falling in, but since the water was so smooth, we had no issues. We ended up paddling for about an hour and a half, and it was such a relaxing experience. Since I've been coming out so often, I went ahead and bought a Poppy Pass for $135 online, which covers parking at parks all over California. It's a much better deal than paying the $10 parking fee each visit. If you're a beginner paddle boarder, or just want a peaceful lake to enjoy on a weekday, I definitely recommend Lake Natoma.

Lake Natoma is a wonderful place to paddle on some calm flat water in the Sacramento area! Bring…read moreyour paddleboard, kayak, canoe or pool floatie-thingy out to the lake (it's really a reservoir), tote along some food and friends and don't forget your sunscreen!

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.

Small parking lot at the beginning with restroom. Nice grassy field to picnic. Once you head out…read moreyou have three choices when you get about a 100 yards down the paved bike path. (1) Stay on the bike path (2) take the dirt trail towards San Juan Rapids which is what me and the fur baby do or (3) take the dirt trail on the left. All three choices end up at a nice picnic area with tables and benches. You can cool off in the river or cross Jims Bridge and continue the trail. Its fairly level on all three paths. There is some shade but be aware of occasional rattlesnake in the brush on hot days and coyotes.

I grew up near bannister park! It's a wonderful place to play with your kids or bring friends to…read morespend time together. You can ride bikes along the path or take a long walk to enjoy the scenery. There river access for you to float on the river or go fishing. There's tons to do at bannister park!

We went yesterday for the train ride! Was donation $2pp. Train ride was soo cute. 15min ride…read morethrough Hagan park in Rancho. About 8min from KP international market. They have a tiny farm there, we saw 2 pigs. More animals available to interact w on Saturdays. Suggested donation $2pp. They take cash there. I thought u needed advanced tickets so bought online but it's really just whoever wants to ride can line up. https://www.svlsrm.org/ Duck pond: tons of duck and geese Water area: part of american river?? Not sure. Can fish there! Playground: With climate change, unpredictable weather, and summers with many days over 100F, would be nice if all parks in the sac area provided shade. This one has shade only over a small set of swings by a picnic area/ by the trains & barn. The main playground had shade near it but no shade over the play structures. Kids going down the slides could get burned- recommend putting up shade to avoid future liability issues. Overall a beautiful park w a good amt of shade, multiple parking lots and multiple picnic areas. Too far for us to come regularly but likely coming back for the train ride during holidays when I think they usually have a Santa there. (You need advance tix for this)

September 24, 2025 - Rancho Cordova, CA…read more The fenced dog park is great! There's plenty of room for pups to run, with separate areas for big dogs and for small ones (under 15" in height). A few chairs are available for owners, plus a little swimming pool filled with water for the dogs. The grass and shade trees make it extra inviting. It's clear this park is very well cared for.

This has beeen a favorite for a while now. The vibes are great and i love the little "beach" area,…read morebut there is a little trail way too if you want to be more secluded. Great spot over all!

Two boats pulled up right where the kids were swimming they were playing so we had to leave just…read moreglad parking was only $4

Love that this hiking trail is within 5 minutes of my home. Having the parkway available throughout…read morethe Sacramento area makes it Sacramento an even more disrespectful place to live. My husband and I go here for shorter rehabilitation walks (he is relearning how to walk after a spinal tumor was removed), I go here on my own for connecting back to nature and exercise, and the last two days I enjoyed taking a 6 mile hike with brother who was visiting. I have visited all up and down the parkway, at different entrance points, and different times of year. It never disappoints. I have had a yearly pass and it is well worth it for all the enjoyment I get from here.

I spent the majority of my vacation in Sactown along the American River. Just beautiful!…read more Loved this particular spot with wonderful views. I am assuming they get super busy when it is warmer but was nice to be here without a lot of folks around.

We booked a rafting trip with Mother Lode River Center in June of 2024. None of us had ever done…read moremuch more than easy trips on calm water, so it was a pretty new experience for us. Our guides were Erin and Lauren. We had an absolute blast; it was the most fun I've had in years. My sister-in-law was visiting from the UK and she said it was the highlight of her trip. Yes, the rapids are fast and wild and yes, there's a possibility you might fall out of the boat. If you're not a big adrenaline junkie or you're older and this worries you, don't let that keep you from doing this. I'm also not a big adrenaline junkie. Three of us on the raft were over 50. We all had a fantastic time. I never felt like I was in danger and I was never scared. The guides are great at showing you what to do, easing your fears, keeping you safe, and making sure you have a good time. Highly recommended experience, especially if you have a visitor and you want them to experience the best of Northern CA recreation!

I decided I wanted to take the kids I nanny (11 & 13) to do something fun and unique and thought…read morewhy not finally cross off whitewater rafting from my bucket list?! We were gifted a beautiful day on the river with multiple sightings of wildlife including fish jumping, ducklings, geese, and even a bald eagle! The best part was getting to see the kids do something, get scared, have a blast doing it, and then ask to come back for more intensity next time. I really appreciated the guides for their hospitality, humor, and kindness. However my main piece of feedback would be a friendly reminder that nature and outdoor recreational activities are a form of escape and respite from our every day life, so being more mindful of the topics of conversation brought up during the ride is very important to the atmosphere.