As much as I do love the rain, today's miserable weather has me dreaming of sunnier days, so I'm sharing a few of our favorite winter hikes. During the winter, I tend to keep the hikes closer to home. The days are shorter, the weather is unpredictable, and if we drive to far, we may end up in the snow. So the hikes I'm sharing today are all less than 45 minutes from Sacramento, and can be done in a couple of hours.
Cosumnes River Preserve: Located south of Elk Grove, this preserve is wonderful in all seasons, but it is our favorite winter spot. I have a great love of the naked gnarled oak trees, which are abundant here, but also, this is the season when the migrating waterfowl come to visit. The sounds of the various birds are soothing, and the sunsets here are stunningly reflected in the water. You can take a 15-minute walk through the waterfowl trail, or stay all day cruising the many various paths, and if you're around when the visitor center is open, it's worth a look. There are benches sprinkled throughout so you can pause and soak it in.
West Sacramento River Walk: As the name suggests, this is more of a walk than a hike, but the paved trail is great in all weather. Starting at Drakes: The Barn, this walk takes you along the river past some beautiful public art, including our favorite piece pictured below. A pier takes you directly over the river, and the wonderful Devil May Care ice cream parlor makes for a great post-walk treat.
Griffith Quarry: This 23-acre quarry and museum in Penryn is fantastic for all the little climbers (with caution!). My kids absolutely loved the winding trails each leading to a new pile of granite rocks to climb. The trail itself is a breeze, and can be traversed in an hour. There's a portable restroom and plenty of spots for a picnic lunch.
Zen Garden Nature Trail: After walking around and having lunch in Volcano, we visited this lovely trail. This is another winner for kids like mine who like to climb. Filled with remnants from the area's mining days, this rocky and lush trail is an easy mile or two, depending on whether you start from the Black Chasm Cavern visitor center, or park further up the road. Munnerlyn's Ice Cream shop is an easy stop on the way home, and if you wish to make a longer day of it, visit the cavern or the nearby Grinding Stone Park.
Paradise Beach: Paradise Beach is a stretch of riverbank behind Glen Hall Park in East Sacramento. These trails are so lush in parts, even in the driest months, they almost make you forget you're in Sacramento. And in other spots, it is so barren and sandy it looks like a desert.
Rockeville Regional Park: It's been over a year since we first visited this park in Fairfield and I've been dying to go back. It lives up to the name, with lots of fun and interesting rock formations, but also has a great view of the cities below, and stunning manzanita and oak trees all around. There is a pond with some waterfowl as well, and many miles of trails to wander.
Guy West Bridge: Last on this list is the Guy West Bridge, which connects CSU Sacramento to the Jedediah Smith Memorial Trail. The bridge itself is fun to walk across, but as soon as we crossed to the other side, we found a family of deer grazing nearby. Funny thing is, as a student, I never once walked across this bridge.
I hope you were able to find a new hike to enjoy on this list, or a spot for your next photo session!
