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LAKE
NATOMA TRAIL
FOLSOM,
CA
THURSDAY,
FEBRUARY
15, 2018
NOTICE:
The trail on the north side of Lake Natoma has been temporarily closed
so it was necessary to change the route of the originally planned
hike. We will hike out and back from the town of Folsom on the
trail on the south side of Lake Natoma. The hike distances will
be less, but there will still be two optional distances. All
participants will start in downtown Folsom, CA and hike to Lake Natoma
Aquatic Center for a lunch stop. At that point, participants will
have an option to return to Folsom either via light rail from the Hazel
Avenue station or by returning on foot via the trail. If you
return via light rail, the hiking distance is about 6 miles. If
you choose to return to Folsom on the trail, the hiking distance is
about 10 miles. Prior to choosing which car to ride in, you must decide on the 6 or 10 mile route.
DIFFICULTY:
Moderate to Strenuous because of
distance.
ELEVATION GAIN:
This hike is on a paved bike/walking
trail. There are a
few slight inclines
and one climb to the Hazel Avenue American River Overpass. Total elevation gain on
the hike is about 200
to 500 feet depending on whether you hike the 7 to 8 mile route or the
11 to 12
mile route.
HIKE DISTANCE: There are two optional distances
for this hike. Length
is what makes it strenuous not elevation gain.
This hike is a variation on the Lake
Natoma Loop hike that the club has
done in the past. The
first option is
about 7 to 8 miles. The second option is about 11 to 12 miles. All participants will
start in downtown
Folsom, CA and hike about 2/3rds of the way around Lake Natoma for a
lunch
stop. At that
point, participants will
have an option to return to Folsom via light rail from the Hazel Avenue
station.
If you are interested in
circumnavigating the lake, participants will
also have the option to continue walking to Folsom.
GENERAL LOCATION:
Lake Natoma located between Folsom,
CA and downstream
(west) to the Nimbus Fish Hatchery at Hazel Avenue, Sacamento, CA near
Highway
50.
DESCRIPTION:
Scenic Lake Natoma is the focus of this
paved
loop trail. Participants
will have two
options for how to return to Folsom.
We will hike about 2/3rds of the way
around
the lake to the Lake Natoma Aquatic Center for lunch.
Some participants will have the option
to
return to Folsom via light rail from the Hazel Avenue station. Others may choose to take
the entire loop and
return to Folsom on foot . Wildlife
abounds in the marshes and oak woodlands along the trail. The loop also provides
glimpses of Gold Rush
history as well as beautiful views of the lake.
A short ways beyond mid-way on the hike
we will stop at the Nimbus Fish
Hatchery on Hazel Avenue.
TRAVEL TIME/DISTANCE: We
will drive
from Lincoln to downtown Folsom which is about 30 to 35 minutes each
way. Some of the
group will hike to the Hazel
Avenue light rail station, take light rail back to downtown Folsom and
then
return to Lincoln. Others
will return to
Folsom on the loop trail. Hiking
time
for the first option of the hike to the Hazel Avenue light rail station
is
between 4 to 5 hours. If
you choose to
return to Folsom via light rail, you should be back to Lincoln by about
3:30 to
4:00 pm. If you
choose to return to
Folsom by continuing on the loop trail, you should probably add an
additional
hour or hour and a half to your expected return time to Lincoln.
The one-way
distance to the downtown Folsom parking
garage is about 20 miles. Based
upon the
length of the drive, a per-person monetary contribution for gas would
be
appreciated: $3.00 to be given to driver at beginning of drive. Detailed driving
directions will be handed
out to all drivers. Be
sure to bring
money for your light rail fare. A
single
ride ticket is $1.25 for
Seniors (62
& older).
HIKE LEADER/SWEEP: Jim Fisher/Denny Fisher
SPECIAL NOTES:
FACILITIES
AVAILABLE: Bathrooms are available at Folsom
parking garage and
along the trail.
PREPARATION
FOR HIKE:
1.
Hiking boots and hiking poles, water,
layered
clothing, bring: lunch.
2.
Copy of your ID (Driver’s License),
Health
Card, Emergency contact Name and phone number, and credit card.
3.
Bring 2 pairs of shoes along with a
plastic
bag to store your muddy, dusty hiking boots after the hike. Please do not get your
driver’s car dirty by
wearing your dirty boots on the drive home.
RISKS:
None to speak of.
Trail is paved.
While it is also
used by bikers and joggers, we will walk on the opposite side of the
trail
allowing us to see oncoming traffic.
Poison oak can be found in the woodlands
along the trail, but trail is
well cleared. If we
stay on the trail,
we should not come in contact with any poison oak.
If you are extremely succeptable to
poison
oak, it is always a good idea to take necessary precautions.
QUESTIONS:
Call
Denny Fisher at (916) 505-4948.
Rain the day of the
hike day will cancel hike.
MEETING TIME:
8:30AM
in Orchard Creek Parking Lot in the far corner near the Orchard Creek
Fitness
Center .
Leave at 8:45AM
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