Touring * Fitness * Historic * Slalom *

From U.S. 50 going east away from downtown Sacramento, exit at Hazel Avenue heading north. Pass Gold Country Boulevard, cross the American River on the bridge, and continue up to Sunset Street, 2.5 miles from U.S. 50. Turn right and follow Sunset until you reach its intersection with Main Street. The access path to the trail is just east of this intersection. Look for curbside parking if nothing else is available near the access path. From here you'll join the main trail about 1.5 miles beyond the bridge at Hazel Avenue between mile markers 24 and 25.

Rough-and-ready skaters can choose a second, more challenging trail entrance near marker 22. To reach it, turn left at Gold Country Boulevard just before the bridge over the American River. Take the first right to enter the fish hatchery, where parking is free, although the lot is paved with gravel and dirt. Park close to the entrance driveway, because the trail crosses it at Gold Country Boulevard. The trail description starts at this parking location.

There are many other access points to this 31 mile trail. W e highly recommend you pickup a trail map available at the paid entrance kiosks and create your own trips.

The Jedediah Smith National Recreation Trail is indisputably the best skate near the city of Sacramento, taking a scenic route along the bank of the American River. The best and wildest part of the river is to the east, following the north shore of Lake Natoma. Along this section, the trail is fairly flat, with only one hill that will challenge intermediate skaters.

Beautiful weekends bring out lots of pedestrians and packs of fast-moving cyclists. In addition to the crowds, beware of mountain lions (several signs along the trail are posted with this warning, anyway). In the summer, the trail can be sunny and hot, so carry a large water bottle and wear your sunglasses and a high SPF sunscreen.

Starting at the fish hatchery, skate the trai back up to Hazel Avenue. Turn left to head north across the bridge, taking advantage of the protection from the heavy, fast-moving traffic offered by the Arthur L. Kiefer Pathway. This is a fairly steep climb. At the other end of the bridge, the trail drops steeply to the left, back under the bridge. You may perfer to walk sideways down the steep gravel and grass slope (hold onto the wire fence so you won't slip) to the paved path that picks up under the bridge. Now you can start skating for real on the 10-foot-wide path with its yellow dividing line.

You must first pass the Nimbus Spillway and Dam before getting into more natural scenery. But from here on, the view just keeps getting better and better. Look across Lake Natoma and you're likely to see crew or waterskiing teams from Sacramento State University's Aquatic Center competing on the water. The trail veers away from the lake near mile 24 (each mile is painted on the pavement in big white numbers). Between the trees, you'll see piles of rounded rocks nearby on the left. These are the tailings left behind by the placer mining efforts of the forty-niners in the days of the gold rush. Just around the corner is the intersection with the access path from Main Street and Sunset Avenue, the location described in "Directions", where beginning skaters should park.

The wide open area of the Mississippi Bar narrows somewhat at mile 26, and a wonderful, long hill where you can see the trail and approaching traffic far ahead descends down to lake level from here. This is a great spot to practice slaloms or enjoy a little speed, as long as you can get it back together if you meet a large bicycle club just around the corner. The trail flattens out again as it follows the narrow strip below the cliffs that drop straight down to the water's edge. Watch out for mud slides here in the winter and spring.

The trail stays relatively flat for the next mile, still far from the sights and sounds of urban life. Turn back when you reach the little meadow at the group camping area at Negro Bar, where this description ends. (See the Jedediah Smith National Recreation Trail East below for a continuation of this trail in reverse.)

You can now make a loop of this trip, circumnavigating Lake Natoma. Continue a quarter mile past the mile 28 marker to the junction to turn right on the south-side trail. Follow this trail along the south shore of the lake, past the Nimbus dam to the fish hatchery parking lot where you started.

You can also head east on the trail from the fish hatchery. This section continues all the way to Discovery Park in Sacramento, described in Jedediah Smith National Recreation Trail West. See the link below.

• Jedediah Smith Memorial Trail Map - Offical Trail Map in pdf format

• Jedediah Smith Memorial Trail East
• Jedediah Smith Memorial Trail West
• Lake Natoma Loop