Folsom Lake State Recreation Area

Folsom Lake State Recreation Area
Map showing the location of Folsom Lake State Recreation Area
Location El Dorado, Placer, and Sacramento Counties, California, USA
Nearest city Folsom, California
Coordinates 38°43′54″N 121°7′59″W / 38.73167°N 121.13306°WCoordinates: 38°43′54″N 121°7′59″W / 38.73167°N 121.13306°W
Area 19,564 acres (7,917 ha)
Established 1956
Governing body California Department of Parks and Recreation

Folsom Lake State Recreation Area is a state park unit of California, USA, on and around Folsom Lake in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada. It is located near the city of Folsom, California, about 25 miles (40 km) east of Sacramento. The 19,564-acre (7,917 ha) park was established in 1956.[1]

The lake and recreation area offer opportunities for hiking, biking, running, camping, picnicking, horseback riding, water-skiing and boating. Fishing offers trout, catfish, largemouth and smallmouth bass or yellow perch. Visitors can also tour nearby Folsom Powerhouse State Historic Park (once called "the greatest operative electrical plant on the American continent"), which from 1885 to 1952 produced 11,000 volts of electricity for Sacramento residents. For cyclists there is a 32-mile-long (51 km) bicycle path that connects Folsom Lake with many Sacramento County parks before reaching Old Sacramento. The park also includes Lake Natoma, downstream from Folsom Lake, which is popular for crew races, sailing, kayaking and other aquatic sports.

The primary recreation season coincides with the spring and summer months when temperatures are in the 80s, 90s and 100s. Visitation is highest from April through September. In the spring months when school is still in session, evenings and weekends are the times of highest lake activity.

Panoramic view of Folsom Lake

See also

References

  1. "California State Park System Statistical Report: Fiscal Year 2009/10" (PDF). California State Parks. p. 20. Retrieved 2011-12-19.

External links