The Jedediah Smith

Jedediah Smith

Jedediah Strong Smith was a hunter, trapper, fur trader, trailblazer, author, cartographer, cattleman, and explorer of the Rocky Mountains, the American West Coast and the Southwest during the 19th century...

 Memorial Trail (or American River Bike Trail) is a paved

Pavement (material)

Road surface or pavement is the durable surface material laid down on an area intended to sustain vehicular or foot traffic, such as a road or walkway. In the past cobblestones and granite setts were extensively used, but these surfaces have mostly been replaced by asphalt or concrete. Such...

 multi-use pathway

Trail

A trail is a path with a rough beaten or dirt/stone surface used for travel. Trails may be for use only by walkers and in some places are the main access route to remote settlements...

 that runs between the confluence

Confluence (geography)

In geography, a confluence is the meeting of two or more bodies of water. It usually refers to the point where two streams flow together, merging into a single stream...

 of the Sacramento River

Sacramento River

The Sacramento River is an important watercourse of Northern and Central California in the United States. The largest river in California, it rises on the eastern slopes of the Klamath Mountains, and after a journey south of over , empties into Suisun Bay, an arm of the San Francisco Bay, and...

 with the American River

American River

The American River is a California watercourse noted as the site of Sutter's Mill, northwest of Placerville, California, where gold was found in 1848, leading to the California Gold Rush...

, just north of downtown Sacramento

Sacramento, California

Sacramento is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat of Sacramento County. It is located at the confluence of the Sacramento River and the American River in the northern portion of California's expansive Central Valley. With a population of 466,488 at the 2010 census,...

, CA

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

, and Beal's Point at Folsom Lake

Folsom Lake

Folsom Lake is a reservoir in Northern California about northeast of Sacramento in Placer, El Dorado, and Sacramento Counties. The lake is formed by Folsom Dam, constructed in 1955 to control the American River. The dam and lake are part of the Folsom Project, which also includes the Nimbus...

, north of Folsom

Folsom, California

Folsom is a city in Sacramento County, California, United States. Folsom is most commonly known for its famous Folsom Prison. The population was 72,203 at the 2010 census....

, CA. The trail is 32 miles (51.5 km) long, and is used as a major recreational destination, as well as a commuter artery for cyclists. 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 19th century, the famous fur trapper, Jedediah Smith

Jedediah Smith

Jedediah Strong Smith was a hunter, trapper, fur trader, trailblazer, author, cartographer, cattleman, and explorer of the Rocky Mountains, the American West Coast and the Southwest during the 19th century...

, explored the area east of Sacramento, between the settlement at the confluence now known as Old Sacramento, and Folsom. The area follows the course of the American River, and is rich in a diversity of wildlife

Wildlife

Wildlife includes all non-domesticated plants, animals and other organisms. Domesticating wild plant and animal species for human benefit has occurred many times all over the planet, and has a major impact on the environment, both positive and negative....

. In the late 19th century, 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 20th century. 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 Folsom

The 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

John Sutter

Johann Augus Sutter was a Swiss pioneer of California known for his association with the California Gold Rush by the discovery of gold by James W. Marshall and the mill making team at Sutter's Mill, and for establishing Sutter's Fort in the area that would eventually become Sacramento, the...

, founder of Sacramento and notable area entrepreneur, first arrived), the Guy West Bridge (a scaled down reproduction of San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge

Golden Gate Bridge

The Golden Gate Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the Golden Gate, the opening of the San Francisco Bay into the Pacific Ocean. As part of both U.S. Route 101 and California State Route 1, the structure links the city of San Francisco, on the northern tip of the San Francisco Peninsula, to...

), California State University, Sacramento

California State University, Sacramento

California State University, Sacramento, popularly known as Sacramento State, is a public university located in the city of Sacramento, California. It is part of the California State University system...

 (or, more commonly, Sacramento State), River Bend 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 and Folsom Lake

Folsom Lake

Folsom Lake is a reservoir in Northern California about northeast of Sacramento in Placer, El Dorado, and Sacramento Counties. The lake is formed by Folsom Dam, constructed in 1955 to control the American River. The dam and lake are part of the Folsom Project, which also includes the Nimbus...

.

Sources

http://www.discovergold.org publication Sacramento Visitors Guide Spring/Summer 2006, pp18–20.

Additional information

Google map showing the trail

http://www.msa2.saccounty.net/parks/Pages/RegionalParksDetails.aspx?pn=American%20River%20Parkway

http://www.arpf.org/

http://railstotrails.us/ca-american-river-bike-trail.html

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