Beals Point Campground

Folsom Lake is a prime launching point for a scenic pedal along 32-miles of paved bike paths! Put a picnic in your basket and stop at one of the many Sacramento County Parks connected to the trail. If you’re looking for an off road experience, Granite Bay Recreation Area offers substantial space and off road bike trails to explore. Mountain biking can also be found on the popular Darrington Trail, on the south fork of Folsom Lake near Salmon Falls.

Boats find themselves in good company at Folsom Lake, be it motor, sail or paddle and as long as you pay the $1 per boat/person fee, you can zoom or glide around Folsom’s sublime summer atmosphere all day long. Check out the Sacramento State Aquatic Center for boat rentals and boating safety classes.

With one hand dragging lazily through Folsom Lake’s serene aquatic body, you might just reel in a trout with the other one...or a catfish, a big or small mouth bass or a perch, for starters. This area is plentiful and popular with fishermen and women and is home to many different sweet spots. Read up on the details and bait your underwater ambitions with know-how.

Folsom Lake State Recreation area is not so much a hiker’s challenge as it is a walker’s delight. The preserved stretch of nature surrounding the lake provides lovely, level jaunts that you can partake in with all members of your family, while luxuriating in the curvacious lake from every angle. For a more secluded hike, explore the North Fork and South Fork of the America River, (Folsom Lake’s two long arms).

Take in the sparkle of Folsom Lake from the saddle, trotting your way along some 80-miles worth of horse friendly trails. Visit the nearby Royal Oak Farm Equestrian Center for lessons, summer camps and more things to get you in the riding spirit!

If you want to get in the mood for windsurfing on Folsom Lake, watch someone else ride the zephyrous current and plan for a day spent practicing gusty equilibrium. Check the conditions and rent gear if you don’t have your own!

Poets have described lakes as still places where water breathes. They are a secret sheen in winter and a universal playground in the summer. Folsom Lake is no exception. Lake-lovers flock to Folsom to dip imaginary fins into sweet waters. Although you’ll share the bounty with boats and water skis, there are plenty of nooks and coves where you can retreat into uninterrupted mermaid daydreams. Warning: spending a day lakeside might just make you lose your appetite for land.

Ready your binoculars! At Folsom Lake you can set your eyes on creatures of both wing and fin, including a variety of waterfowl. Check out Willow Creek and look beyond the 500 year-old oak trees to spot great blue herons or double-crested cormorants. When you’re not aimed skyward, watch for black-tailed deer, coyotes and gray foxes, who are often seen in this area. Also be aware that rattlesnakes are a member of the Folsom Lake community and give them the respect and distance they deserve.