Weekend get away by bike:
Bike to BART.
BART to Richmond station. (Amtrak ticket machine in BART station)
Change to Amtrak platform via elevator.
Capitol Corridor train to Sacramento.
Sacramento Light Rail Gold Line to Folsom (ticket machine on platform)
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In Sacramento take the light rail up to Folsom and ride the 30 mile American River Trail back down to Sacramento. This is a wonderful pathway. Great views of the river, lovely bridges to cross, plenty of picnic tables to stop at, fabulous bird watching. Mostly flat with some rolling ups and downs. You are going downriver so overall an easy ride. Buttery smooth pavement for the majority of the path.
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How easy is it?
BART is easy, take the elevators to avoid carrying your loaded bike up or down stairs.
The Amtrak line is right near the BART line at the Richmond Station, not cross platform but a very easy elevator transfer.
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On the Capitol Corridor train each car except for the dining car has a bike rack which can hold three bikes, the door near the rack is marked with a bike logo. You hook your front wheel into a hook and secure a cable to keep the bike from swinging around. These trains are easier to get your bike up onto then Caltrain since there is only one small step up to the train.
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The light rail up to Folsom is bike friendly. Four or five steps up to the train, no bike racks but there was plenty of room for three of us and our bikes. Either have lunch in Folsom or take a picnic to enjoy at one of the many scenic spots along the river.
What could be better?
BART elevators tend to smell like urine. Bikes are not allowed on the escalators so it’s stairs or smelly-vators. No bike racks in BART so you have to lean or hold your bike. If you lean your bike you end up taking up extra seats. The two of us and our two bikes take up four seats.
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Capitol Corridor - great as it is. But boy do I wish it ran all the way up to Truckee - imagine a Lake Tahoe weekend getaway by bike! Using Amtrak you must box your bike as luggage, and you cannot unload your boxed bike at Truckee. There is a nice river path that runs from the Lake almost all the way to Truckee. Dream on.
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Will we do this getaway again? Yes. We stayed over in Sacramento for 2 nights, but, with an early start you could do this as a 1 day getaway. The 1st Capital Corridor train leaves Richmond at 7:42 am on weekends and you arrive in Sacramento at 9:18. The light rail that runs all the way to Folsom leave every half hour.
Posted in Uncategorized | Tags: BART, Getaway, Sacramento, Train
