Once around Folsom Lake

View from the new Folsom Dam Road

Circling Folsom Lake is one of my favorite training rides. I regularly do this a few times each year. Normally, I'll ride this route in a clockwise direction. I was amused to read in several online ride descriptions of this route that this was considered a more dangerous direction, due to the long, curvy and narrow climb up to Cool on Highway 49! Well, it makes sense although I've not had any problems. At any rate, I decided to try the other direction just for fun. This would be a long run on my new Mercian, still getting the bike dialed in.

At Placer School, on Horseshoe Bar Rd.

So I started the ride going up Horseshoe Bar Road out of Loomis, eventually getting on Auburn-Folsom heading south to Folsom. There, I turned on the New Folsom Dam Road. This is a very nice road with 2 sets of bike trails! One is completely separated from the road, it is used by bikes and pedestrians. It seems to me that you could get blocked by the slow traffic. I always take the alternate, a bike trail on the shoulder of the main road. I'm surprised they offer two choices, but it's nice!

Going by the dam; you can see riders on the second bike trail.

Past the dam you navigate residential and semi rural roads to Salmon Falls Road. Salmon Falls is really the heart of this ride. A long undulating climb to Pilot hill. Very pretty, not too busy. A favorite for squids on hot motorcycles. The road surface in generally excellent. The ride was eneventful, I enjoyed it. The climb up 49 from the river did not seem much safer than the climb up to Cool, though. Maybe a few more turnouts. Traffic was heavier because it was later in the day, since it's near the end of the ride going in this direction. Here are a few more shots, no more commentary.

 Salmon Falls Bridge, not sure what caused that blur in the photo.

On Salmon Falls road.

 "The Boat", I've seen this boat on every ride I've taken around Folsom Lake!

 The chimney is all that remains of this old farmhouse.

Yours truly, photo courtesy of the nice folks I met taking a break at Safari Estates(below).

I've often admired this particular view of the Sierra Foothills.

On highway 49 past Cool, dropping to the confluence of the forks of the American River.