There are many access places many with parking. Do a search for American River Bike Trail. You will find a link for a map of the access points. Some are at the Sunrise bridge, Sailor's Bar, Hazel Ave. near Winding Oak Way, Hazel Ave. at the Park and Ride and Negro Bar. Good luck.

No, bathrooms are not open.

The park on the east side of Arden Way has a nice park and a beach for swimming. Also each side has a parking/lot.

There are a few boat ramps along the American River Parkway. Some details can be found at these websites (weel I would have posted URLs but TripAdvisor doesn't allow it): So do a Google search for "American River trail boat ramp" to get a list of several locations. Information includes fees for each location. Hope you have a great visit.

I concur with each of the comments. They only bothersome area is around Discovery Park, the area near downtown Sacramento as there are a lot of homeless encampments. While the homeless may directly harass or attack you, they can at times be unkempt, boisterous, rowdy, partially clothed, and just seem to make that portion of the ride less than enjoyable. Don't get me wrong, everyone needs some space, but the major are untidy and make the whole experience a disappointment. Head east toward Folsom as suggested by other authors and make your ride a great one.

Since the trail runs from Folsom to Sacramento, I believe it is still the same trail.

Yes. Most of it is beautiful. Yes there are homeless people living along this section. No, I didn't perceive it as dangerous. Most of them ignore you, some say "Hi". I am a 53 year old female and I never felt in danger there. I felt a little in danger passing some homeless who appeared to be on crack roaming the city, and on the train.

If you are staying near the Tower Bridge, head up through old town and make sure the river is on your left. You will pass under the first bridge which is called the I street bridge, the next bridge about 1.2 miles up will be the Discovery Park bridge. Cross over this bridge on the left hand side and you will automatically connect on to the trail. Every half mile is marked on the trail with yellow paint. You might encounter a few homeless people here and there, but the trail is frequently traveled by other runners, walkers, and cyclists. You might see a few homeless people, but they mainly keep to themselves. I've never had a problem with them, and I've been running on the AR Bike Trail for years and at all different times of the day. The other alternative if you are staying near the Tower Bridge, would be to head the other way down the bike trail on the boardwalk towards Miller Park. From the Tower Bridge make sure the river is on your right side and head down the boardwalk. At around 0.8 mile you will see the Hwy 80 overpass, keep going under this and you will almost be at Miller park. Go through Miller park, down a slight hill towards a boat ramp and parking area, and towards the end of it near the left you will see the bike trail continue up a short hill. This part of the trail extends for a few miles and there are almost no homeless people up there. Have a great run, and I hope this helps. : )