Find the top rated walking trails in Vacaville, whether you're looking for an easy short walking trail or a long walking trail, you'll find what you're looking for. Click on a walking trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
_160310_st.jpg)
_0_st.jpg)
_0_st.jpg)
The Contra Costa Canal Trail forms a horseshoe shape route, traversing through the urban and neighborhood landscape of Martinez, Pleasant Hill, Walnut Creek and Concord. The trail follows the canal of...
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...
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 French Camp Slough Trail, also known as the San Joaquin River Trail, parallels both waterways on levees in the southern reaches of Stockton. Near its midpoint, the trail connects to the Pacific...
The Miller Creek Trail is a short paved path that runs on the former alignment of Lucas Valley Road. The trail follows both its namesake creek and the newer alignment of Lucas Valley Road on the...
Like many trails in Santa Rosa, the Brush Creek Trail follow the path of a local waterway. Beginning at its convergence with the larger Santa Rosa Creek, the Bush Creek Trail meanders northward. With...
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 Old Highway 40 Bike Path parallels the Union Pacific Railroad and Amtrak's Capitol Corridor line through eastern Davis. Running on the former US 40 right-of-way, the trail is primarily a commuting...
Marsh Creek Trail follows the sinuous course of Marsh Creek through the outskirts of suburbia and among the rich farmland of Contra Costa County. The 8.5-mile paved extends between Concord Road 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...
Hugging the eastern bank of the Sacramento River, the Sacramento River Parkway Trail travels through Sacramento in two disconnected segments. The older and longer northern stretch passes through Old...
_132467_sc.jpg)
The spectacular Sir Francis Drake Bikeway (also known as the Cross Marin Trail) sits on the recycled roadbed of the former North Pacific Coast Railroad, which used to run from Larkspur to Cazadero....
_0_sc.jpg)
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...
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...
A half mile of the East Bay Greenway is currently open from the Coliseum BART Station (at 75th Avenue) to 85th Avenue in Oakland. The paved trail parallels San Leandro Street with traffic signals and...
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 Humbug-Willow Creek Trail is really a collection of multi-use trails in the city of Folsom, about 32 miles' worth, and more are planned. The trails snake throughout the city, between Folsom Lake...
The Napa Valley Vine Trail is a work in progress to connect Calistoga to the Vallejo ferry terminal, a distance of 47 miles. The trail will roughly parallel State Route 29, a popular wine route and...
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 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...
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 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...
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...
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...
Beginning in 1904, the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway (AT&SF) carried freight through the city of Richmond, reaching its height during World War II when Richmond became a national leader of...
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 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 San Francisco Bay Trail is a colossal effort to create a 500-mile multiuse trail encircling its namesake bay. Along its course, the trail will link 47 cities through 9 counties, providing numerous...
The Sandra Marker Trail runs for a mile on an east-west course through Larkspur, linking the Redwood Highway/San Clemente Drive Paths in the east with the popular NWP Railroad Trail in the west. Both...
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 winding Natomas Westside Path provides a connection from Sacramento's growing North Natomas community to South Natomas and the American River Bike Trail, largely facilitated by the installation of...
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...
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...
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...
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...
Coursing alongside one of Stockton's levees, the Calaveras River Bike Trail services many neighborhoods and provides access to many amenities in the San Joaquin Valley city. The east–west corridor...
The Aquatic Park Trail travels along a hairpin-shaped route through Aquatic Park and around a small lake narrowly separated from the San Francisco Bay. The trail runs parallel to, and across...
The Lafayette-Moraga Regional Trail links its two namesake communities via a former logging railroad corridor that largely parallels St. Mary's Road. Uniquely, mules hauled lumber on the corridor...
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 Browns Valley Road Trail is an excellent commuter trail that parallels its namesake road from Vaca Valley Parkway to Brown Street in Vacaville.
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...
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 Two Rivers Trail runs adjacent to the American River and connects Jibboom Street and State Route 160 in the redeveloping northern reaches of downtown Sacramento. It provides a connection to the...
Like many trails in Santa Rosa, the Brush Creek Trail follow the path of a local waterway. Beginning at its convergence with the larger Santa Rosa Creek, the Bush Creek Trail meanders northward. With...
The Humbug-Willow Creek Trail is really a collection of multi-use trails in the city of Folsom, about 32 miles' worth, and more are planned. The trails snake throughout the city, between Folsom Lake...
The Joe Rodota 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 1984....
_0_sc.jpg)
This 2.5-mile trail segment through San Francisco's Presidio is part of 340-mile network of multi-use trails collectively known as the Bay Area Ridge Trail that climb Bay Area mountain ridges and pass...
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...
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 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...
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 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 Lafayette-Moraga Regional Trail links its two namesake communities via a former logging railroad corridor that largely parallels St. Mary's Road. Uniquely, mules hauled lumber on the corridor...
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...
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...
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 Western States Pioneer Trail runs for 34 miles between Jedediah Smith Memorial Trail and Auburn Equestrian Staging Area near Gum Lane in Auburn. The trail, open to hikers and horseback riders...
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...
_23010_sc.jpg)
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 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,...
Do yourself a favor and skip the first half of this trail if you’re on a board. It’s pretty lame to begin with and the roads that you have to travel along are terrible. Part of the first half is also gravel and you’ll have to walk. But the second half is pretty awesome...especially the last 1/4. Go off the trail a bit and explore the back roads..there are some fun hills.
After reading about the Arroyo Mocho Trail, I headed out to reconnoiter my future commute route to work (Livermore) from San Ramon. The first 4-5 miles of this trail is hazardous for those with novice or beginner level riding skills. Those first few miles are mostly loose gravel with some gaping cracks in the paved sections. After that, the trail turns to a smoother, paved trail. Mountain, Gravel, Cyclocross or otherwise 'wide tires' are recommended for those with less experience riding in loose terrain.
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!
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. This trail gets 4.5 stars – there are some sections that area not all that great, but for the most part of the 24.5 miles we rode (both ways) are fabulous! We started in Dublin and rode to the end. The trail from Dublin through Danville and Alamo was really excellent, going through nice neighborhoods, has a GREAT, smooth surface and was sheltered for the most part so wind was not a great factor either way. The Walnut Creek section was a bit sketchy with some not so nice, unattractive sections with chain-link fences and rough surface. Odd – because one of the sections was used by High School students in large groups going home – it is absolutely used as a transportation route – not just a multi-use trail for recreation. We would have thought it would be better maintained. Past that and into Concord it was nice again except that there is an unmarked break in the trail at Monument Boulevard. We simply crossed a road and ended up on the wrong trail without noticing and there are no markings at all to say turn left here and go a few feet to the Iron Horse Trail so we found ourselves dumped onto a street unexpectedly. This was the Monument Corridor Trail in Concord. When you cross Monument Boulevard, you need to pay attention. It was a bit confusing and difficult to get back to the trail we wanted. But we did and coming back figured out what the problem was. The rest of the trail was ok but a bit choppy (i.e., bumps, cracks) around the airport. There are a couple of underpasses – but you notice right away if you miss them and can see where the trail is – like at Concord Avenue. The end of the trail is through an open field on the side of an airport and can get quite windy – but it isn’t long and is just part of the experience. Overall – a GREAT 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.
TrailLink is a free service provided by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (a non-profit) and we need your support!
Map Search
_23010_st.jpg)
_132467_st.jpg)
