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Granite Bay Trail

RECOMMENDED ROUTE
Intermediate Intermediate
 4.1 (101)
  1. Areas
  2. CA
  3. …Sacramento Valley
  4. …Sacramento, Folsom, and Roseville
  5. Folsom Lake State Recreation Area
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“Flowing singletrack with banked S-curves, moderate climbs, and great downhill. Fun for all! ”

Shayne Holderby
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Map Key

7.3

Miles

11.7

KM

90%

Singletrack

584' 178 m

High

466' 142 m

Low

519' 158 m

Up

520' 159 m

Down

3%

Avg Grade (2°)

10%

Max Grade (6°)

Dogs Leashed

E-Bikes Unknown

These are multi-use trails so watch out for horses and hikers. Most riders run it clockwise.

Overview

Flowing singletrack climbs to a rest area / viewpoint of Lake Folsom (cool breeze on hot days). Trail is well maintained with banking corners and not a lot of rocks, which makes climbing and downhills fast and fun. Several short "technical areas" some Granite slabs and small rock gardens (all on the downhill if you're going clockwise).

Watch for horses, they have a designated horses-only riding area but they like the views of the lake on the Mt. Bike/Hikers side. Early mornings or late afternoons are the best riding times for less traffic.

Need to Know

The trail length can be increased to 12 miles by starting at South Parking lot (just inside Park Gate) and adding the several trail loops including the water towers. To get to these loops at about mile 2.5 you'll come to a 4-way intersection. The track as mapped here shows you heading right down the hill - instead head straight through the intersection (left is a horse-trail), follow the trail uphill and you'll see a sign. This trail is up and back on the same trail, and the climb is steep and very washed out.

Description

The trail is easily visible at the north end of the parking lot. It borders Park Rd. as a singletrack for about 3/4 mile before turning off to the right and heading into the hills bordering Folsom Lake. There are many intersecting trails but they all eventually come back to the loop shown in this track. At the first fork, take the left climbing fork to run the loop clockwise.

The hills are not steep or long and the singletrack has banked corners and curves constantly. At the the highest point on the trail is a rest area with benches and a great view of the lake (also a cool breeze on hot days). The area south of Beeks Bight has several short technical areas along with some nice granite to ride down.

Contacts

Local Club: Folsom Auburn Trail Riders Action Coalition

Land Manager: California State Parks

Shared By:

Shayne Holderby with improvements by Nick Wright
Full Details

Trail Ratings

  4.1 from 101 votes

#1

in Folsom Lake State Recreation Area

#155

Overall
  4.1 from 101 votes
5 Star
32%
4 Star
47%
3 Star
20%
2 Star
1%
1 Star
1%
Recommended Route Rankings

#1

in Folsom Lake State Recr…

#21

in California

#155

Overall
180 Views Last Month
58,530 Since Jun 29, 2013
Intermediate Intermediate
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Photos

Granite Bay- Folsom Lake, CA
Aug 11, 2017 near Granite…, CA
Overlooking Folsom Lake from the Granite Bay Trail
Apr 16, 2015 near Granite…, CA
Technical area on the Granite Bay Trail featuring large rocks and loose dirt.
Apr 19, 2015 near Granite…, CA
Technical crest to a descent.
May 2, 2018 near Granite…, CA
Rest Area at highest point of ride.
Jun 29, 2013 near Granite…, CA
Scenic views!
Oct 19, 2017 near Granite…, CA

8 Comments

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Weather

Current Trail Conditions

All Clear 26 days ago
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Check-Ins

Sep 22, 2024
Anonymous
Super fun and great for learning — 7h 30m
Sep 13, 2024
Tom Cata
Jul 6, 2023
John Steggall
9h 00m
Apr 27, 2023
John Steggall
Apr 22, 2023
Jonathan Contratto
Fun trial but there is a lack of signage so keep your phone handy for the map! — 1h 30m
Nov 15, 2022
John Steggall
11h 00m
Oct 21, 2022
Rocky Tilney
Need to explore more of trail. A lot of intersecting segments and some of the trails have large ruts. 6mi — 0h 40m
Jul 9, 2022
Douglas Barrett

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