Folsom Trails? (Granite Bay, Empire: neighborhood, move, bike)

[LRobbins]

I want to take my kids to ride the bike trails along folsom near the river. Are they flat and easy for kids to ride? I see alot of professional bikers riding out there.

[edwardius]

The area around Lake Natomas is fairly flat. If you were looking for an area to take them out, I would start around there.

[hydro]

I would go into the neighborhood trails... Humbug willow creek ... Unless you want to get run over

[ryuns]

The American River Trail is flat enough for most kids, but as hydro mentions, the local trails are probably better. Biggest question is the kids skills and ability to stay focused and cognizant of their surroundings. The problem that one encounters the most on the trail is not the fact that there are kids, but that there are kids who ride unpredictably and move much slower than those around them.

[scorpio516]

Depending on the kid, from downtown Folsom to Beals Point is all up hill and way too much for them.
But the rest of the Am River trail is pretty darn flat - though if you are on the north side of Lake Natoma, the climb to the Hazel crossing is a little steep.

Folsom lake rec area - entrance on the end of Douglas in Granite Bay - has a lot of MTB trails ranging from not bad to pretty tough. Nothing crazy though.

[caligirlz]

Here's a map: Folsom Website - Bike Map
I like the trails out in the Parkway, but it's not along the river... Flat & lots of families.
In Folsom, anything west to east (from Folsom-auburn Blvd) up to E Bidwell or beyond is going to have a gradual uphill grade. The area east of E Bidwell into Empire Ranch is hilly. The area around Lake Natoma is basically flat, with some slight hills/grades. The trail that goes up towards Folsom Lake is steep, so you'd want to avoid that section.