Biking in Sacramento? (San Francisco, Davis, Chico: environment, work, home)

[indiechixor]

I am concidering moving to Sacramento from Chico, Ca.

Chico is hailed as a bronzle-level Bike-friendly city, so i am hoping locals in the area will be able to reply and let me know how easy it is to get around Sac on a bike. I'm pretty used to having flat, easy terrain to ride on.

Do many people use bikes as a main form of transportation?

Any help is golden.

[KidBlue]

Sacramento is mainly a commuter city. There are good bus lines in the downtown area and light rail (you can take your bike on light rail) out of town. The city that is a bike riding haven is Davis. You can bike anywhere in Davis. It's easier to bike than to drive there.

You will be able to get around downtown Sacramento and mid town areas on a bike just fine. You can also take a bike on the SacRT (regional transit). But since Sacramento is mainly a car city, you would need to keep your eyes open when riding a bike. Sacramento and the outlying areas have a great bike trail. I'm not sure how far towards Tahoe it goes, but it is very nice. A lot of the trail is next to the river(s) and Lake Natoma.

[Back2School]

I agree. Davis is the place to be if you are into biking. I lived there for five years while attending UC Davis. I barely drove my car 25 miles/week, just to go the supermarket.

[Guingirl]

We also have the American & Sacramento River bike trails that I have heard are VERY nice...

[Back2School]

Originally Posted by Guingirl

We also have the American & Sacramento River bike trails that I have heard are VERY nice...

Yes, they are. But if you are going to bike there, especially near discovery park, then make sure you go with friends. There have been assaults there on single people, mainly by homeless people that live in the wooded areas. It seems safer out by Folsom and Watt/Howe on the trail, but like always, crime is anywhere you go (not just in Sacramento). Always be aware of your surroundings.

If you live in North Natomas, there really isn't a good safe route South to downtown. You have to cross freeway overpasses at either Truxel or Northgate. You pretty much take your life into your hands, since cars are merging onto/off of the freeway and they really aren't looking/don't care about bikers. If biking to work downtown is on the agenda, I'd recommend staying away from North Natomas.

Davis (15 minutes from Sacramento by car) is really where you want to be if biking is a way of life for you. It's encouraged like no other there. You'd have to go to Palo Alto, Seattle or Chico to get similar bike-friendly environments. But Davis is very expensive.

Outside of Sacramento, there are also lots of nice biking trails in the foothills east of Sac. And if you want to go the birthplace of mountain biking, Mount Tamalpais is 1 1/2 hours away in Marin County (North of San Francisco). The Markleeville Death Ride takes place in the Sierra Nevada mountains near Lake Tahoe every year. Not for the feignt of heart. That's two hours away.

Good luck!