- Jedediah Smith Memorial Trail
The
Jedediah Smith Memorial Trail (or American River Bike Trail) is a paved multi-use pathway that runs between the confluence of theSacramento River with theAmerican River , just north of downtown Sacramento, CA, and Beal's Point atFolsom Lake , north of Folsom, CA. The trail is 32 miles long, and is used as a major recreational destination, as well as acommuter artery forcyclists . The trail is considered one of the longest paved purpose-built bike trails in the country. The trail is maintained by the County of Sacramento and is painted with mile markers placed at every half-mile increment.History
In the early 1800s, the famous
fur trapper ,Jedediah Smith , explored the area east of Sacramento, between the settlement at the confluence now known asOld Sacramento , and Folsom. The area follows the course of the American River, and is rich in a diversity ofwildlife . In the late 1800s, the trail was marked out by a prototype cycling organization, The Capital City Wheelmen, but was soon abandoned as a viable commuter artery with the onset of automobiles in the early 1900s. The trail fell into disrepair until it was reexamined as a transportation route by cyclists in the 1970s, when the pathway was paved. A section of the trail has been added in the last few years that runs up the South side of Lake Natoma and takes you into Downtown FolsomThe Jedediah Smith Memorial Trail, now more commonly known as the American River Bike Trail, is used by approximately 5 million people annually.
Notable Landmarks & Attractions
The trail passes several places of interest between Sacramento and Folsom. The recreational areas of Discovery Park, Sutter's Landing Park (the point at which
John Sutter , founder of Sacramento and notable area entrepreneur, first arrived), the Guy West Bridge (a scaled down reproduction of San Francisco'sGolden Gate Bridge ),California State University, Sacramento (or, more commonly, Sacramento State), Goethe Park, Ancil Hoffman Park and the adjoining nature centre dedicated to local activist Effie Yeaw, the Fair Oaks walking bridge, the Nimbus Fish Hatchery, Lake Natoma andFolsom Lake .ources
http://www.discovergold.org publication Sacramento Visitors Guide Spring/Summer 2006, pp18-20.
Additional Information
[http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&om=1&msa=0&msid=105990635611814430241.000441895adb1735c71b3&ll=38.644227,-121.263657&spn=0.171615,0.32135&z=12 Google map showing the trail]
http://www.sacparks.saccounty.net/our-parks/american-river-parkway/
http://www.arpf.org/
http://www.sacparks.net/our-parks/american-river-parkway/docs/jedediah-smith.pdf
http://activities.wildernet.com/pages/area.cfm?areaid=CASAJS&cu_id=157
http://www.saccycle.com/bikewaymaps/map6.htm
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.