Find the top rated bike trails in Vacaville, whether you're looking for an easy short bike trail or a long bike trail, you'll find what you're looking for. Click on a bike trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
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The Pacheco Hill Path is a straight shot along US 101 between Marinwood and Novato. In the north, the trail ends just outside of Hamilton at the entrance to the Loma Verde Preserve. Several bus stops...
The Pacific Gas and Electric Greenbelt bisects Stockton's Weston Ranch neighborhood diagonally from French Camp Road to the San Joaquin River via an overhead electric utility corridor. The main trail...
The Novato Boulevard Path is a multi-use trail that can be used recreationally, but is more useful as a commuting route. Closely following its namesake road, the path is completely separated from the...
If you are attracted to the rolling, wine country landscapes and historical architecture of Sonoma Valley, the Sonoma Bike Path won't disappoint. Located in the heart of historic Sonoma, just over an...
The bulk of the High Canal Bridge Pathway runs alongside its namesake waterway, offering scenic views and a sense of serenity in the middle of the ritzy Marin County communities of Larkspur and Corte...
The Dry Creek Parkway is an enjoyable cycling and walking corridor through northern Sacramento County and southern Placer County that includes trails, parks and open space along Dry Creek. Currently,...
The Folsom Parkway Rail Trail extends from historic downtown Folsom to a connection with the Lake Natoma Trail north of US 50. The trail provides a direct connection to three light rail...
The Miners Ravine Trail winds its way through the city of Roseville, following the course of Miners Ravine and Dry Creek through a wooded greenway and among suburban neighborhoods and business...
The Napa River Trail parallels its namesake river through the City of Napa from Kennedy Park to just south of Trancas Crossing Park. It is currently open in two disconnected segments. The southern...
The Creekside Loop offers a scenic, albeit short, route around Larkspur's Creekside neighborhood. Half of the trail follows Magnolia Avenue—where it is appropriately also known as the Magnolia Avenue...
The Bon Air Road Sidepath, as its name suggests, closely follows Bon Air Road in scenic Larkspur and Kentfield. The main trail begins at a junction with the Creekside Loop at Magnolia Avenue and runs...
The Foulks Ranch/Laguna Greenbelt is a neighborhood trail that winds through the Laguna Creek West and Foulks Ranch subdivisions in Elk Grove. The scenic route provides access to several parks,...
The Petaluma Trails consist of 5 trails, each one through a unique and scenic part of historic Petaluma. There is a two-mile circular loop through Shollenberger Park and a one-mile trail that links...
The Isabel Avenue Trail runs north-south on the western boundary of Livermore in the eastern San Francisco Bay area's Tri-Valley region. As its name suggests, the path primarily serves neighborhoods...
The NWP Railroad Trail runs on an arrow-straight course through Larkspur and Corte Madera in ritzy Marin County. Its name is derived from the railroad that once made use of the corridor: the...
One of the newest trails in Elk Grove's impressive system, the Franklin Creek Trail provides extensive recreation and active transportation options to residents of the city's southern neighborhoods....
The West County Regional Trail is built along the corridor of the old Petaluma and Santa Rosa Railway, which carried passengers between Santa Rosa, Petaluma and Sebastopol until it was abandoned in...
The Lincoln Hill Pathway provides an uninterupted alternative to busy Lincoln Avenue (and busier US 101) via an "urban canyon" between the soundwalls of US 101 and the SMART commuter rail project. The...
The college town of Davis is famous for its bikeability, due in part to the network of neighborhood greenways planned into the community as it grew. This series of bike paths crisscrosses the...
The Golden Gate Park Bike Path winds through San Francisco's famous city park, providing both a retreat from urban life and an important link in the city's growing bike network. The paved trail passes...
Although most area residents (and Google Maps) consider the Lake Natoma Trail part of the American River Bike Trail, it is a separate trail in its own right. The Lake Natoma Trail dips and dives...
Davis is a bike town, and they love the trails that connect to the UC Davis campus. For a little excursion, take the scenic trail out of town and through farmland on the straight shot along Russell...
The Dry Creek Parkway is an enjoyable cycling and walking corridor through northern Sacramento County and southern Placer County that includes trails, parks and open space along Dry Creek. Currently,...
The Pacheco Hill Path is a straight shot along US 101 between Marinwood and Novato. In the north, the trail ends just outside of Hamilton at the entrance to the Loma Verde Preserve. Several bus stops...
Nimitz Way links Tilden Regional Park and Wildcat Canyon Regional Park via the ridge between Wildcat Creek and the San Pablo Reservoir on the northern outskirts of Berkeley. The paved 4-mile trail...
If you are attracted to the rolling, wine country landscapes and historical architecture of Sonoma Valley, the Sonoma Bike Path won't disappoint. Located in the heart of historic Sonoma, just over an...
Oakland's Lake Merritt Trail closely follows the lake's shoreline for a pleasant, paved trip with beautiful views and connections to several parks and attractions right in the heart of the city. The...
The Alamo Creek Bikeway is a shaded path along Alamo Creek in Vacaville. The trail connects residents with several parks, including Nelson Park, Patwin Park and Beelard Park. The trail is not just...
The Prince Memorial Greenway is a short urban trail on both sides of Santa Rosa Creek in the Sonoma County community of Santa Rosa. A major component of the city's efforts to clean up and restore the...
The Folsom Parkway Rail Trail extends from historic downtown Folsom to a connection with the Lake Natoma Trail north of US 50. The trail provides a direct connection to three light rail...
The Pacific Gas and Electric Greenbelt bisects Stockton's Weston Ranch neighborhood diagonally from French Camp Road to the San Joaquin River via an overhead electric utility corridor. The main trail...
The Arroyo Mocho Trail is a part of a network of multi-use trails in Livermore and which also links with the city of Pleasanton. The trail provides access to neighborhoods, schools, numerous parks,...
Running from Solano Community College on the southwest edge of town and into the town of Fairfield, the Fairfield Linear Park Path provides convenient bike access to the action on campus and in the...
Named for the Ohlone Indians who once lived in the area, this trail doubles as a commuting corridor and a recreation destination for the cities of Berkeley, Albany and El Cerrito. While the Ohlone...
The Novato Boulevard Path is a multi-use trail that can be used recreationally, but is more useful as a commuting route. Closely following its namesake road, the path is completely separated from the...
Follow the Sacramento Northern Bikeway for a tour of Sacramento and its surrounding communities, weaving through historic neighborhoods and parks and finishing in a scenic rural area. The paved trail...
The Southside Bikeway connects downtown Vacaville via a former Sacramento Northern Railway corridor to the city's southern neighborhoods near Al Patch Park. The route is a nice, short path, ideal for...
The Elk Grove Creek Trail is open in two disconnected segments along its namesake waterway in the cities of Elk Grove and Sacramento. Both portions offer a smooth paved surface and scenic views of the...
Located in a quiet residential neighborhood, the Natomas Westlake Path runs along the shoreline of its namesake lake in the growing Natomas section of Sacramento. While the northern stretch of trail...
The Folsom South Canal Recreation Trail provides a useful connection from southeast Sacramento County to the American River Bike Trail. The canal was constructed in the 1970s as part of the Central...
The Corte Madera Creek Path is open in two disconnected segments that can be linked via a bike ride on low-stress S. Eliseo Drive or a walk or run on its sidewalk. Both sections closely follow the...
The Laguna Creek Trail takes users from a trailhead and equestrian staging area on Waterman Road to parks, retail centers and residential neighborhoods both north and south of Camden Lake. The scenic...
The Santa Rosa Creek Trail follows the meandering course of Santa Rosa Creek, beginning in downtown Santa Rosa and heading west beyond Willowside Road. From end to end, the trail is only a few miles...
The Alamo Creek Bikeway is a shaded path along Alamo Creek in Vacaville. The trail connects residents with several parks, including Nelson Park, Patwin Park and Beelard Park. The trail is not just...
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Tucked in the quiet Oakland hills neighborhood of Montclair, the Shepherd Canyon Trail (a.k.a. Montclair Railroad Trail) is a popular community rail-trail that has come to symbolize the power of...
The Napa River Trail parallels its namesake river through the City of Napa from Kennedy Park to just south of Trancas Crossing Park. It is currently open in two disconnected segments. The southern...
One of the newest trails in Elk Grove's impressive system, the Franklin Creek Trail provides extensive recreation and active transportation options to residents of the city's southern neighborhoods....
The Folsom South Canal Recreation Trail provides a useful connection from southeast Sacramento County to the American River Bike Trail. The canal was constructed in the 1970s as part of the Central...
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Roseville’s Dry Creek Greenway is planned to one day span 4.25 miles through the southern neighborhoods of this central California town. Currently, just shy of a mile of the paved pathway has been...
The Pacheco Hill Path is a straight shot along US 101 between Marinwood and Novato. In the north, the trail ends just outside of Hamilton at the entrance to the Loma Verde Preserve. Several bus stops...
The paved trail at the heart of the developing Ninos Parkway uses a utility corridor to connect Sacramento's Northgate neighborhood with city parks, schools and the American River Bike Trail. Plans...
The Dry Creek Parkway is an enjoyable cycling and walking corridor through northern Sacramento County and southern Placer County that includes trails, parks and open space along Dry Creek. Currently,...
The trail through the Cal Park Hill Tunnel offers a quick, smooth ride through the hill that separates San Rafael from the ferry terminal in Larkspur and southern Marin County. As part of the 70-mile...
Oakland's Lake Merritt Trail closely follows the lake's shoreline for a pleasant, paved trip with beautiful views and connections to several parks and attractions right in the heart of the city. The...
If you are attracted to the rolling, wine country landscapes and historical architecture of Sonoma Valley, the Sonoma Bike Path won't disappoint. Located in the heart of historic Sonoma, just over an...
The Johnny Cash - Folsom Prison Blues Trail skirts the Folsom State Prison, which Cash sang about in his well-known 1955 song "Folsom Prison Blues." The trail—formerly known as the Folsom Lake Trail...
The Petaluma Trails consist of 5 trails, each one through a unique and scenic part of historic Petaluma. There is a two-mile circular loop through Shollenberger Park and a one-mile trail that links...
If you're looking for a gentle rail-trail in Marin County that offers stunning views of both San Francisco Bay and Mt. Tamalpais, the Tiburon Historical Trail is for you. Known alternately as the...
Located in a quiet residential neighborhood, the Natomas Westlake Path runs along the shoreline of its namesake lake in the growing Natomas section of Sacramento. While the northern stretch of trail...
Named for the Ohlone Indians who once lived in the area, this trail doubles as a commuting corridor and a recreation destination for the cities of Berkeley, Albany and El Cerrito. While the Ohlone...
The start of the trail by the fish viewing area is a FIRE TRAIL. The second half, after crossing the road, is paved asphalt. Unfortunately I showed up with my road bike and not my mountain bike, so my ride was a short one.
A friend and I rode this trail as part of a two-day bike ride in East Bay – riding the Iron Horse Trail and the Contra Costa Canal Trails. On the first day – we road mostly the Iron Horse and then rode the Eastern Section of the Canal Trail to the end and back. This section of the Canal trail started out a bit rough but only for a small portion – maybe 100 yards – then the surface was smooth and it was a great ride along the canal through nice neighborhoods. We spent the night near the intersection of the Iron Horse and the Canal Trail and rode the Western Section the next day before heading back down the Iron Horse Trail. The western section of the trail was great as well – nice surface – easy to follow with a minimum of street crossings. Both of these trails have a lot of street crossings, but almost all of the crossings give a preference to the trail. We only had to wait at a few. Definitely a nice place to ride!
The Traillink information is a little dated. The official Folsom site lists this trail as being 50 miles long, which is accurate but misleading. There are at least 50 miles of trails but it's a bunch of interconnected short trails and not one long route.
These trails are the craziest maze of paved trails I've ever been on. There are very few signs telling you where you are or which way to travel to get to a particular section or street, so if you decide to ride this trail take your GPS with you and a copy of the bike trail map or you will get lost. I took my family during the summer of 2017. We had a GPS and a printed map and we still took several wrong turns.
Even though you're probably going to get lost, it's well worth the trip. The trail meanders through apartment complexes from time to time, but you're generally surrounded by great scenery. We passed several ponds and creeks, and crossed over several scenic bridges. Folsom is a bike friendly community, and is safe enough that we weren't nervous after dark. If you can figure out where you are, there are plenty of places near the trail to get a meal. We found a few restrooms along our route and used the GPS to find food. Restaurants with outdoor tables and bike racks are a common sight in Folsom.
There aren't any towering hill climbs, but there were a few segments that were steep enough that I had to tow my five year old. If you're traveling with toddlers you should talk to a local bike shop to find an easy section. We didn't encounter anything that our nine year old couldn't handle.
I live near Discovery park, which is where the American River / Jedediah Smith bike trail starts. That trail connects to this trail system somewhere around mile marker 25. I usually pedal from Discovery park with my kids, so I don't think I've pedaled more than half of what's currently available in this trail system. As a result I can't vouch for every inch of it. However, the sections I have traveled are good enough that I would not hesitate to drive for three hours to come ride this trail if I wasn't local.
I tried this with my young kids in 2016. We started in Discovery park on the Jedediah Smith (American River Bike trail) , biked down to old Sac on the Sacramento River Bike Trail where we had some ice cream cones, and on the way back to Discovery park we decided to take this trail to 12th street, take the 12th street bridge (N Sacramento FWY) over to Northgate blvd and get back on to the Jedediah Smith trail.
The trail itself is in good condition and connects up to several other glorious area trails. It's paved the whole way with a few dirt spurs that go down to the river's edge and fairly open.
However,
I don't know where the photo that's featured for this trail was taken as I didn't see anything remotely similar on our route. There were a lot of homeless folks camped out along the route, and very few of the regular bikers and hikers that you normally see on the other trails. Getting off on 12th street was hair raising with little kids in tow, and there isn't a connector to put you back on the American River bike trail on the other side of the bridge, so if you don't know where you're going you might get lost and end up in a homeless camp.
If you're with a few buddies and it's still broad daylight, then it might be worth doing. Unfortunately, the trail gets very little traffic right now (so the police rarely patrol it) and it really doesn't go anywhere. If they ever build the trail out to the University it will might probably become a great trail. As of spring 2018 it's really not worth riding this trail even if you live here.
This is a great trail that is a smooth ride with many benches and stopping points along the way, even a few restrooms as well. People are decently considerate on the trail but you will have the occasional "tour de Sacramento" guy going way too fast.
Also if you are a mountain biker steer clear, the Park Rangers do not mess around here and you don't want to be caught off the paved trail, there are many off road paths along the route but strictly no bikes on that part.
BE CAREFUL on the part of the trail that connects Antioch to Oakley. There are guys riding motorbikes on the trail sometime. They usually stick to the hills but will come down to the trail. There are some incredibly blind turns and these guys are driving really fast. They WILL hurt someone or themselves one day.
I don't really enjoy this trail. I only use it for my convenience. In fact, I use this trail to get to the Marsh Creek Trail, which is awesome!
Nice flat trail that is perfect for older dogs. Lots of garbage cans available along the way for dog poop.
If you are looking for a smooth ride without a lot of traffic, this is your trail. The first half near lake Natoma has been freshly repaved and is billiard table smooth. The two street crossings have signals but other than those, it's a great path for fast riding.
I ride form the North end of the trail. Most riders do not go south of CA16, Jackson Rd. The channel is cut to a very flat slope, and the train follows that slope almost all the way to CA16.
There are sections below grade where the sun and wind do not go in late afternoon. If you are looking for a place to practice your speed riding this is one of the best. It is a great tie-in with CA16 which has wide bike lanes for all but a short section at Rancho Murieta to CA49.
Ride 10.5 miles from Nimbus Fish Hatchery to Ca 16. Take Ca16 East to Plymouth for an extra 25 miles
Back to the South end of Folsom South Canal. At times there is water in a ditch you can ride through just South of Ca16, You need to lime over or under the gate at Sloughhouse Rd. There is more water to cycle through where the canal goes under Dear Creek, but when you get to where the channel goes under the Consumes River, you may have to swim. The river is about 120 feet wide, and the canal is underground for approximately 700 feet. There are about 450 feet of field between the river and the next section of the channel.
You should be able to go East on Ca16 for 4.5 miles, turn South on Dillard Rd for 3.8 miles and pick up the canal again but you cannot quite get to Twin Cities Rd.
I only rated it this high as I only saw a very small section. We walked from 3rd street south to Imola. this is a rough area. no lights along the trail it runs between the river and the railroad tracks. lots of homeless camping. such a shame as the trail is a nice wide trail in good shape.
The start of the trail in Berkeley leaves much to be desired. A clean up and improvements to update the trail for overall safety and as a community attraction is needed. Better signage should be mandatory. Almost gave this trail a 3 star rating but soon as you are in the Albany/El Cerrito areas the environment is different in a very good way - well maintained, clean, no vagrants ( I rode the trail midday on a Sunday) , used by pedestrians & cyclists. Evidently enjoyed by the community. Being right next to BART is a plus - helpful for commuters and cyclists wanting to explore other areas.
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