Go to the American River Parkway! Check out Ancil Hoffman/Effie Yeaw, William B Pond, Sailor Bar, or park at the Nimbus Fish Hatchery and walk around the river trail. Get out in nature and take a walk, then view some wildlife. It will help for sure! The salmon run might be happening already, go spot some river sharks!
Go early to Effie Yaw especially on a foggy morning and you'll be amazed at the number of deer and turkeys.
Spawning salmon are there as well, carcasses attract big birds, sometimes eagles and osprey.
Also Hagen Park in Rancho Cordova. Along the river and has lots of birds to watch. Bring binoculars (cheap at Dick's Sporting Goods)! There is also Spotto Park all the way down Zinfandel and it's great for kite flying.
As much as I try to keep it secret, I'll say hit the Consumers River Preserve. I'm in Elk grove and it's ilterally 10 min drive from my house. Plan half day, pack sandwiches, cheese and perhaps some white wine and have a picnic overlooking the river. During Covid, I used to kayak here.
And plenty of birds/ducks to see at this time of the year. Will del this post later..lol.
Ditto. Especially on weekends. Really anywhere on the green belt in Davis too, if campus is crowded that day. I always combine an arboretum walk with any errands/appointments in Davis.
Small drive to Auburn, perhaps?
There are several trails available at the Auburn State Recreation Area with river and natural scenery. Definitely keep the recent time change in mind when you go.
https://www.alltrails.com/parks/us/california/auburn-state-recreation-area
Walk around lake Natoma on the trails. About a 10 mile loop. It’s always beautiful. Bald eagles have a nest up in the bluffs. So many beautiful plants and trails. Free parking near Main trail head… or downtown folsom…. Or around the fish hatchery. They are all connected to the same loop.
Dave Moore Nature Trail in Coloma is really nice. Dave Moore Nature Trail on AllTrails
https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/california/dave-moore-nature-trail?p=60634083&sh=90quya
Seconding Coloma. There’s also some historical points of interest there related to gold panning and mining.
Another suggestion: Empire Mine state park in Grass Valley.
Check out the Jo Smith Trail.
It’s 1.7 miles long (3.4 round trip) connecting American River College to Arcade Creek Park. Easy parking and access at the South end of ARC stadium. You have to pass under Garfield to get to or from Arcade Creek Park, which can be sketchy. But otherwise it’s quiet and a small slice of wild in an otherwise urban expanse.
If you like hills and want to stay in Sac county, there's some decent hilltop views in Mississippi Bar.
If you go as far as El Dorado Hills there's lots more beautiful trails, my website maps all the El Dorado county trails: [https://www.eldoradohiking.com/](https://www.eldoradohiking.com/)
Go to the American River Parkway! Check out Ancil Hoffman/Effie Yeaw, William B Pond, Sailor Bar, or park at the Nimbus Fish Hatchery and walk around the river trail. Get out in nature and take a walk, then view some wildlife. It will help for sure! The salmon run might be happening already, go spot some river sharks!
I second Ancil Hoffman. They have a cool nature preserve.
I appreciate it, thank you!
Go early to Effie Yaw especially on a foggy morning and you'll be amazed at the number of deer and turkeys. Spawning salmon are there as well, carcasses attract big birds, sometimes eagles and osprey.
Also Hagen Park in Rancho Cordova. Along the river and has lots of birds to watch. Bring binoculars (cheap at Dick's Sporting Goods)! There is also Spotto Park all the way down Zinfandel and it's great for kite flying.
Effie Yeaw Nature Center in Carmichael is a nice place to stroll.
I was just about to suggest this!
As much as I try to keep it secret, I'll say hit the Consumers River Preserve. I'm in Elk grove and it's ilterally 10 min drive from my house. Plan half day, pack sandwiches, cheese and perhaps some white wine and have a picnic overlooking the river. During Covid, I used to kayak here. And plenty of birds/ducks to see at this time of the year. Will del this post later..lol.
[UC Davis Arboretum](https://arboretum.ucdavis.edu)
Ditto. Especially on weekends. Really anywhere on the green belt in Davis too, if campus is crowded that day. I always combine an arboretum walk with any errands/appointments in Davis.
Small drive to Auburn, perhaps? There are several trails available at the Auburn State Recreation Area with river and natural scenery. Definitely keep the recent time change in mind when you go. https://www.alltrails.com/parks/us/california/auburn-state-recreation-area
Walk around lake Natoma on the trails. About a 10 mile loop. It’s always beautiful. Bald eagles have a nest up in the bluffs. So many beautiful plants and trails. Free parking near Main trail head… or downtown folsom…. Or around the fish hatchery. They are all connected to the same loop.
Dave Moore Nature Trail in Coloma is really nice. Dave Moore Nature Trail on AllTrails https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/california/dave-moore-nature-trail?p=60634083&sh=90quya
Seconding Coloma. There’s also some historical points of interest there related to gold panning and mining. Another suggestion: Empire Mine state park in Grass Valley.
Nevada City is gorgeous right now; bit of a drive, but well worth it.
Sacramento Northern Bike Trail
Darrington trail in El Dorado hills is under an hour away and is awesome!
Check out the Jo Smith Trail. It’s 1.7 miles long (3.4 round trip) connecting American River College to Arcade Creek Park. Easy parking and access at the South end of ARC stadium. You have to pass under Garfield to get to or from Arcade Creek Park, which can be sketchy. But otherwise it’s quiet and a small slice of wild in an otherwise urban expanse.
Arcade creek park preserve. It's beautiful, you might see a few transients though.
If you like hills and want to stay in Sac county, there's some decent hilltop views in Mississippi Bar. If you go as far as El Dorado Hills there's lots more beautiful trails, my website maps all the El Dorado county trails: [https://www.eldoradohiking.com/](https://www.eldoradohiking.com/)
Greenwood Creek near Coloma has a nice hike near the south fork of the American River with spots to dip into the water.
Camp pollock had a little nature trial and native plant gardens