Sacramento is the capital of the U.S. state of California and its fourth largest city. The city is located at the confluence of the Sacramento River and the American River in the northern portion of California’s expansive Central Valley. Due to the city’s high vulnerability to floods, much of the land to the west of the city is permanently reserved for a vast flood control basin. There are some good spots for running in Sacramento, focused on routes along the river, some pleasant parks, and residential areas downtown in the historic part of the city.
A great way to get oriented is to take our ‘runseeing‘ tour of Sacramento’s downtown & Capitol area. The best places to run in Sacramento are the large network of trails along the American River, anchored by the Jedediah Smith Trail, and trails along the Sacramento River. There’s also nice running at William Land Park & adjacent neighborhood. East of Sacramento, we like running along Lake Natoma in Folsom, and the Humbug Willow Creek Trail. Drive or take the 15-minute train ride to Davis to run around the UC Davis campus & Arboretum, and the numerous greenway trails.
Runners should note that summers in Sacramento can be quite hot.
