Once in a while I like to ride the canal to just have a long, flat stretch to ride with no climbing. The only "climbs" are the few places where you may have to go up an overpass and then back down onto the canal. As for scenery, well, there ain't none. Its a boring ride but nice and flat and not crowded at all, particularly toward the south end. Its a great place where I take new riders to get them used to their bikes, changing gears etc. without the chance of being stuck on a hill in the wrong gear.
As others have mentioned, for some reason, they keep the far south end of the trail closed off completely which seems very odd. On one ride there I followed a contract security officer down to the south end at Sloughhouse Road. He was opening the gate on the south side of the road and I was preparing to follow him in there when he informed me that that was the end of the public access; it was closed completely from that point south. I wish that they would change this; seems a bit ridiculous to not allow bikes/hikers access to that area.
All in all, if you rode the entire accessible area of the trail from one end to another, it totals nearly 13 miles. I generally start near Sunrise/16 at the Park-n-Ride Lot there, ride south to where its closed off, turn around and ride all the way north to the Fish Hatchery and turn around and come back. There are no longer any restrooms along the trail (they used to have at least one porta-potty however I'm sure that was probably vandalized enough to make them remove it. But, being as isolated as most stretches are, particularly near the south end, its not much of a problem.
The American River Bike trail is much more scenic but crowded, particularly on weekends. But if you're looking for a great stretch of flat riding without the crowds, the canal is it.

Not conventionally beautiful, but a great ride along the canal through some industrial and suburban landscapes. The trail is mostly in good condition for road bikes. Didn’t see many other riders, most of the company was in the form of a nice variety of birds. Even though it’s man-made, it’s nice to have the water alongside you the whole way. Very little shade, so if you’re going in summer bring a lot of water or choose a cloudy day. I’ll definitely ride this one again!

Great for anything except a road bike

Nicely paved trail but it’s usually crowded with people walking their dogs. it’s also a bit skinny

Awesome trail but it’s closed for levee construction until November 2020

Great trail with nice views of the delta water ways , nice having this in my back yard , hopefully in the future they can extend it a little further out in the delta.

Lots of families, bike riders and people on parts of the trail through out the day. Lots of places to stop for restroom, food, etc. Safe for single riders.

Separate but adjacent trails for bikes and pedestrians. Sandy gravel and asphalt. Next to a multi-lane, high-traffic street. Some young trees planted along the route, but less green than many trails. Largely flanked by dried grass. Best for family bike outings or an easy stroll.

I just got back from trying this trail out and I was very disappointed!! I started off Cherokee and the trail starts near there. Not even 2 miles Ahead you will find the homeless on both sides of creek. I counted almost 2 dozen. They were definitely not happy I was there. As I go along I’m passing project housing and run down apartment buildings. My buddy was robbed by the homeless so I was very uncomfortable. I turned around and went back to my truck and left. Trail is paved pretty flat for the most part. I really started liking the trail but I’m too uncomfortable. Anyway try it out and maybe you’ll end up liking the trail. Be safe