Sacramento, CA

State Capitol Park & Downtown

This is a  ‘runseeing’ tour of downtown Sacramento, anchored by Capitol Park. We’ve mapped a route that uses Capitol Ave. as an anchor, though the other downtown streets in Midtown & Boulevard Park adjacent to the Capitol are pleasant for running — tree-lined, with nice homes. So you could create your own here. The downtown streets are lettered in the 2.2 miles east-west between I-80 and I-5 and numbered in the 1.8 miles north-south between the train tracks and SR 80. 

Start on Capitol Mall at Crocker Park, heading west — this makes for the nicest approach to the Capitol. It’s a landscaped parkway with nice views of the Capitol building.  Around the Capitol is a pleasant park with a Museum, Peace Rose Garden, & Firefighter’s Memorial. Continue past the Capitol to to 29th St. Turn around, taking a brief jaunt to Sutter’s Fort State Historic Park. For the return, you can run on the more commercial streets north of Capitol Ave. (K&L), or the more residential streetsn (P&Q) south of Capitol Ave., which feature some nice parks.

Add-Ons: Just across Highway 80 from Sutter’s Fort State Historic Park is McKinley Park, which features a 1-mile jogging path around the perimeter. At the west end, take our Southside Park route or enjoy additional running on trails along the Sacramento River & American River.

Note: The Capitol serves as the finishing point for The California International Marathon, Sacramento’s premier marathon.

Essentials
  • 4.4 miles (7.7 km) out and back, with good add-ons
  • Flat
  • Capitol Mall near Crocker Park

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Essentials
  • 4.4 miles (7.7 km) out and back, with good add-ons
  • Flat
  • Capitol Mall near Crocker Park