54 MILES / 540 FEET

• American River Parkway Bike Trail, Rancho Cordova, Folsom South Canal, Sheldon, Wilton, Sloughhouse, Grant Line Road.

• SETTING

  • Biking the six miles of the Folsom South Canal is a pleasure:  restful canal views, quiet (depressed below adjacent countryside), undisturbed (usually no other cyclists).

  • Vineyards near Sheldon visible along Grant Line and Wilton Roads.

  • Quiet, rural roads between Wilton and Hwy 16.

  • Grant Line Road affords relatively unobstructed views of the Sierra Nevada Mountains.
    
    

• START

  • Carmichael:  mile 13.5 of the American River Bike Trail, William Pond Recreation Area, Carmichael, CA

    • Travel to the intersection of Arden Way and Fair Oaks Blvd in Carmichael, CA (immediately east of Sacramento).  Park in the Five Points parking lot (SE corner of Arden Way & Fair Oaks Blvd, away from retail outlets) or on Arden Way, west of restricted parking.  Mile 13.5 is at the intersection of the American River Pkwy Bike Trail and the Arden Way access path.

  • Any portion of the American River Parkway Bike Trail can be used as the start / end point.
    
     

• RIDE CHARACTERISTICS

  • Climbing:  540 feet, i.e. negligible.

  • Difficulty:  easy.

  • Risks:  minimal - urban cycling through Rancho Cordova.