California trails · American River Bike Path
American River Bike Path
A 9.5-mile out-and-back in California, with 409 ft of climbing. Reaches Hunkle Reservoir and other lake/viewpoint destinations. Managed by the state.
Elevation profile
Most of the climbing sits in the final third — 70% of the ascent, between mile 6.3 and mile 9.5.
3-D terrain
USGS 3DEP ELEVATION × ESRI WORLD IMAGERY · VERTICAL ×1.5
Reaches
- Hunkle Reservoir (lake)
- North Fork Reservoir (historical) (lake)
- Lake Natoma (lake)
- Tsuchiya-Folsom Lookout Point (viewpoint)
- Norfolk Birdwatching Point (viewpoint)
- Ishiyama Bird View Point (viewpoint)
- Pinckney Viewpoint (viewpoint)
Getting there
American River Bike Path access. About 22 min drive (17 mi) from Sacramento. 38.63649, -121.22549 · directions
Daylight at the trailhead
On October 14, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 6:46 a.m., the sun rises at 7:12 a.m. and sets at 6:28 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 6:54 p.m. (PDT) — 11 h 15 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 19.0-mile round trip takes roughly 7 h 26 min, so leaving the trailhead at sunrise puts you back around 2:39 p.m. — 3 h 49 min before sunset.
Loop options
- American River Bike Path + Historic Truss Bridge Trl - City of Folsom + Riley Street sidewalk — 11.4 mi loop, 795 ft gain
- American River Bike Path + Historic Truss Bridge Trl - City of Folsom + Riley Street sidewalk — 11.4 mi loop, 859 ft gain
- American River Bike Path — 1.4 mi loop, 136 ft gain