How is it possible that it’s been nearly three years since I last hiked at Doton’s Point, on Folsom Lake’s north fork? I can’t believe so much time could have passed already — but it was high time for me to get back out there. Or at least I thought so, until I arrived at Granite Bay and found Park Road blocked off not by the seasonal gate but by a massive construction project. No, I didn’t do my homework before setting out; otherwise, I would have been aware that the road north of the Main Beach will be closed indefinitely while improvements are made to Dike 1. Happily, I was still able to park and hike in on trails I’ve never explored before, so I managed a roughly 4-mile hike despite the slight hiccup in my plans.

I kept arriving at crossroads, and somewhat randomly chose which way to turn. I was more or less aiming toward the small drainage pond near Los Lagos Trail, where I’ve occasionally found some interesting bird life. I found myself paralleling the paved Park Road much of the way, which helped keep me heading in the right direction. I did see quite a few people on mountain bikes during my trek, but most had bells mounted on their bikes, and they all greeted me and let me know how many were in their party. All in all, it was a pretty good autumn day out on the trail.

Choose wisely

California Towhee with seed