Path to the future

Escape the rush-hour parade of pedalers, pedestrians and pets on the American River Parkway. Head instead for the more placid surroundings of an emerging trail near Placerville.

This 6.3-mile foothill foray doesn't extend far enough yet to appeal to the serious cyclist, so that makes it all the more appealing for walkers and runners.

Known formally as the El Dorado Trail, it passes by estates and trailer parks, hobby farms and subdivisions, meadows and ponds, windmills and power lines. Going from west to east, it climbs gradually to around 3,000 feet at its present eastern terminus near Camino from Placerville's 1,866 feet of elevation.

This path is the latest example of the nationwide movement to convert old railroad routes into pedestrian and biking trails. In Missouri, for instance, enthusiasts have created a 225-mile bike path that stretches across most of the state.

El Dorado County officials envision a time when this 6.3-mile segment will be part of a bike trail that spans dozens of miles.

"This is a trail that will connect with the American River Parkway, go up through the foothills through Placerville, and then cross the Sierra Nevada at the crest of Echo Summit," predicts Bob Smart, an El Dorado County parks and recreation commissioner and frequent user of the paved and unpaved segments. "At Echo Summit, it crosses the Pacific Crest Trail."

From there, as the vision goes, hikers could trek north or south on the PCT to Canada or Mexico. Or, the truly adventurous could, when connections are made, head east on old Pony Express trails to the Lake Tahoe basin. Once on the old mail route, it would be possible to trek clear to St. Joseph, Mo.

To walk the current stretch around Placerville, which meanders alongside Highway 50, is a delightful taste of what could come.

Nature has blessed the path with wildflowers and raspberry thickets, scrub oak and orchards. Hawks circle above the Sierra foothill vistas to a symphony of morning birds. One proud peacock the locals call "Pretty Boy" struts in a trailside pen and eagerly primps for passers-by.

Trains have left the stations

The El Dorado Trail got its start in the late 1980s, culminating in 1992 when members of the advocacy group Trails Now worked with local governments to acquire lands known as the Michigan-Cal Railroad right of way. Up until the 1980s, the standard-gauge railroad hauled lumber from Camino's Michigan-California Lumber Co. to Placerville, where it linked to the Southern Pacific Railroad.

The Southern Pacific railroad paths through El Dorado County included routes from Placerville to Latrobe (seven miles south of Highway 50 on Latrobe Road), and Latrobe to Folsom. Some of those tracks still exist and are the basis for potential rails-to-trails expansions of the El Dorado Trail, Smart said.

"Sacramento County, El Dorado County, the City of Folsom and Sacramento Regional Transit have been studying this," he said. The various agencies manage the right of way through what's called a joint powers authority (www.sptc-jpa.org), and maintain the Sacramento-Placerville Transportation Corridor.

Expansion plans – which should excite hikers, cyclists and equestrians – would link the El Dorado Trail to the American River Parkway in Folsom using the old railroad bed. Once improved and perhaps even paved, it would add at least 28 miles to the parkway's 32 and provide about 60 miles of trail system all the way from Discovery Park in Sacramento to Placerville.

And, eventually, beyond.

"Theoretically, you could go from sea to shining sea, all they way to the East Coast, if you hooked up to trail networks (in states to the east)," said George Sanders, who serves as the general services director for El Dorado County.

Take a hike

To get a taste of the future, you must come to Placerville and sample the present El Dorado Trail. Make a day of it beginning with breakfast downtown at the Hangtown Grill, 423 Main St. The city offers parking areas all around town, although some have two-hour limits.

About the writer:

• Call the Bee's Bob Ehlert, (916) 321-1101.