Touring * Fitness * Artistic *

From Interstate 80 due north of downtown Sacramento, take the Marysville Boulevard/Rio Linda exit. (This is also the Del Paso Heights and Rio Linda Road exit.) Go north 3.5 miles on Marysville Boulevard and then, half a mile after it crosses Elkhorn Boulevard, make a right onto M Street. Five blocks east, turn right again onto Seventh Street. Park next to the tiny Rio Linda Depot.

The best part of the Sacramento Northern Bike Trail is at the beginning, where it passes through a shady tree-lined lane and out to the rural countryside. Grassy fields border either side, and the route offers grand 360-degree views of the fields backed by distant mountains. The trail is a must-skate in the spring, but loses its appeal later in the year, when the central valley heat dries out the grasses. But even in cooler seasons, make sure to fill up a water bottle at the Rio Linda Depot water fountain to carry along with you. Most of the trail has very little shade, and there's no other place to find a free drink. For the first two miles, the trail traverses the fields all by itself, away from automobile traffic except where it crosses a couple of streets. It then follows alongside Rio Linda Boulevard before passing under Interstate 80. Just beyond the freeway, you must cross over to the well-tended greenbelt island in a tidy but decaying neighborhood. The signs on the grass next to the trail say "Stay Fit, Stay Safe: Exercise with a Friend." The further south you skate, the more you might consider this advice; the next neighborhood is even older and shabbier, and the greenbelt is replaced by a raised path. After passing through the south end of the second neighborhood, an unattractive industrial area appears to the left. Up ahead, you'll skate over a railroad crossing and then climb up the bank of the American River levee. Just a mile further on, the trail connects with the Jedediah Smith National Recreation Trail (see pages 90 and 92). This trail is a very popular asphalt bike path that runs through the American River Parkway to Old Sacramento, but at this point, it's officially off limits to in-line skaters. You'll risk a $75 fine if you skate here, and remember, you still have to skate all the way back to Rio Linda.