Rail-Trails California: The Definitive Guide to the State's Top Multiuse Trails

by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy

Overview

Explore 72 of the best rail-trails and other multiuse pathways throughout California.

All across the country, unused railroad corridors have been converted into public multiuse trails. Level and accessible, these paths are ideal for a brisk fitness walk, bike ride, or stroll with the family. In Rail-Trails California, the experts from Rails-to-Trails Conservancy present the best of these routes, as well as other multiuse pathways. Many rail-trails are paved and run within view of the most scenic parts of town. Others, such as the Merced River Trail, offer rugged scenery on ungroomed, mostly dirt, and somewhat wild paths.

Take in the Southern California sunshine on the smooth Bayshore Bikeway. Enjoy sandy beaches, sea lions, and shopping along the Monterey Bay Coastal Recreation Trail. Travel between two artificial lakes on the Crystal Springs Regional Trail or between two dams on the Sacramento River Rail Trail. Find public art, a Japanese garden, and a wildlife preserve along the Orange Line Bike Path. Experience the varying personalities of the 25-mile Bizz Johnson National Recreation Trail. Whether you’re on feet or wheels, you’ll love the variety in this collection of multiuse trails!

Inside you’ll find:

• Informative descriptions written by rail-trail experts
• Detailed maps for every featured trail
• GPS coordinates of parking waypoints
• Icons indicating the activities that each trail accommodates
• Information you can rely on from the official guide to rail-trails

“You can now throw away all your self-help books on fighting depression, losing weight, toning muscles, finding something to do with your kids, and learning American history. Just use this guide, find a great trail—and enjoy!”
—Peter Harnik, Director, Center for City Park Excellence, Trust for Public Land

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781643590875
Publisher:	Wilderness Press
Publication date:	06/13/2023
Series:	Rail-Trails
Pages:	280
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

Rails-to-Trails Conservancy is a nationwide nonprofit dedicated to converting former railroad corridors to public, multiuse recreational trails that offer easy access to runners, hikers, bicyclists, skaters, wheelchair users, and equestrians. It serves as the national voice for more than 160,000 members and supporters, more than 23,000 miles of open rail-trails across the country, and more than 8,000 miles of potential trails waiting to be built—with a goal of ensuring a better future for America made possible by trails and the connections they inspire.

Read an Excerpt

Merced River Trail

• County: Mariposa
• Endpoints: Briceburg Visitor Center on Central Yosemite Hwy./CA 140 (Briceburg); gate located 600 feet north of Railroad Flat Campground (Midpines)
• Mileage: 4.9
• Type: Rail-Trail
• Roughness Rating: 2
• Surface: Gravel

About 20 miles southwest of Yosemite National Park, the scenic Merced River Trail functions as both a bike/pedestrian trail and a lightly trafficked vehicular road used to access campsites and recreational amenities within the Merced River Recreation Area. Following the historical Yosemite Valley Railroad along the Merced River, the trail offers a relatively flat grade for intermediate skill levels. It’s especially beautiful in the spring with an explosion of wildflowers that lasts from March to May.

The eastern entrance at the Briceburg Visitor Center provides parking, river access, and shade for resting or a picnic lunch along the river. Upon setting off westward from the parking lot, you will pass over a narrow bridge that accommodates both automobiles and bikes. Turn left after the bridge and follow the path west along the Merced River; going straight would take you instead to a switchbacking hiking trail up a mountainside.

The Merced River will be a constant companion, and there are river access points throughout, including places to hop in for a quick swim or to go rafting. Gold prospecting and trout fishing are also common. A popular place to enjoy these activities is the Cable Rock Day Use Area, which you’ll reach after 1.4 miles.

As you continue west down the gravel road maintained by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), you may encounter the occasional vehicle sharing the road to access three campgrounds along the route, all providing restrooms and parking: McCabe Flat (1 mile west of Cable Rock), Willow Placer (1.5 miles after McCabe Flat), and Railroad Flat (0.8 mile after Willow Placer).

Although the multiuse pathway (and BLM road) ends at a gate just north of Railroad Flat Campground, adventurers can find hiking-only opportunities beyond it.

Contact: blm.gov/visit/merced-river and mariposacounty.org/2306/merced-river-trail

Parking

Parking areas are located within Briceburg and are listed from east to west. *Indicates that at least one accessible parking space is available.

Merced River Recreation Management Area: Central Yosemite Hwy./CA 140, 4.1 miles north of Colorado Road (37.6049, -119.9666).

Cable Rock Day Use Area: Roadside parking along Briceburg Road, 1.4 miles west of Central Yosemite Hwy. (37.5943, -119.9879).

Mccabe Flat Campground: Briceburg Road, 2.5 miles west of Central Yosemite Hwy. (37.5965, -120.0035).

Willow Placer Campground: Briceburg Road, 4 miles west of Central Yosemite Hwy. (37.6103, -120.0096).

Railroad Flat Campground: Briceburg Road, 4.8 miles west of Central Yosemite Hwy. (37.6172, -120.0200).

Table of Contents

State Locator Map

About Rails-to-Trails Conservancy

Foreword

Acknowledgments

Introduction

How to Use This Book

Rail-Trails

1. Alameda Creek Regional Trails
2. American River Parkway (Jedediah Smith Memorial Trail)
3. Arroyo Mocho Trail
4. Arroyo Simi Bike Path
5. Ballona Creek Bike Path
6. Bayshore Bikeway
7. Bizz Johnson National Recreation Trail
8. Browns Creek Bike Path and Orange Line Bike Path
9. Cal Park Hill Tunnel and SMART Pathway
10. Calleguas Creek Bike Path
11. Clovis Old Town Trail and Sugar Pine Trail
12. Contra Costa Canal Regional Trail
13. Cowell-Purisima Trail
14. Coyote Creek Trail
15. Cross Marin Trail
16. Crystal Springs Regional Trail
17. Donald and Bernice Watson Recreation Trail
18. Dry Creek Trail (Peggy Mensinger Trail)
19. Eureka Waterfront Trail
20. Golden Gate Park Multiuse Trail
21. Half Moon Bay Coastside Trail
22. Hammond Trail
23. Humboldt Bay Trail North
24. Humbug-Willow Creek Trail
25. Huntington Beach Bicycle Trail
26. Iron Horse Regional Trail
27. Joe Rodota Trail
28. Juanita Cooke Greenbelt and Trail
29. Lafayette-Moraga Regional Trail
30. Lake Almanor Recreation Trail
31. Lake Natoma Trail
32. Lands End Trail
33. Los Gatos Creek Trail
34. MacKerricher Haul Road Trail
35. Martin Luther King, Jr. Promenade
36. Marvin Braude Bike Trail
37. Merced River Trail
38. Mill Valley/Sausalito Multiuse Pathway
39. Mission Bay Bike Path
40. Monterey Bay Coastal Recreation Trail
41. Mt. Lowe Railway Trail
42. Napa Valley Vine Trail
43. Noyo Headlands Coastal Trail
44. Ohlone Greenway
45. Ojai Valley Trail
46. Old Rail Trail
47. Old Railroad Grade
48. Pacific Electric Inland Empire Trail
49. Richmond Greenway
50. Richmond–San Rafael Bridge Path
51. Rio Hondo River Trail
52. Sacramento Northern Bikeway
53. Sacramento River Parkway Trail
54. Sacramento River Rail Trail
55. Sacramento River Trail
56. San Clemente Beach Trail
57. San Diego Creek Trail
58. San Gabriel River Trail
59. Santa Ana River Trail
60. Santa Fe Trail
61. Stevens Creek Trail
62. Sugar Pine Railway Trail
63. Tahoe City Public Utility District Multi-Use Trail System
64. Truckee River Legacy Trail
65. Valley Loop Trail
66. Ventura River Trail
67. Veterans Parkway
68. Virginia Corridor Trailway
69. Walnut Trail
70. West County Regional Trail
71. Westside Rails to Trails (Hull Creek to Clavey River)
72. Westside Rails to Trails (Tuolumne City to North Fork Tuolumne River)

Index

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