Sacramento Trail Running: Start Here

People ask me where to go trail running around Sacramento, but usually that isn't the whole question. What they really want to know is where they can show up without already knowing every trail in Auburn, whether they are fast enough to join a group, and how much trouble they are going to get themselves into by choosing a route off Strava.

Sacramento looks flat because most of us live and work down here in the valley. Drive east and the terrain changes quickly. Auburn, Cool, Foresthill, Folsom Lake and Salmon Falls give us access to everything from smooth rolling dirt to steep canyon trails that will make a 15-mile run feel like an all-day project.

This is the reason I started Sacramento Ultra Crew. I wanted a consistent Saturday trail run where people could get out on real terrain, choose a distance that made sense for them and meet other runners who think spending half a day in the canyons sounds fun.

Where we actually run

Auburn is the obvious center of the local trail scene. Overlook Park, No Hands Bridge, Quarry Trail, Robie Point and the trails around Cool can be linked in what feels like an unlimited number of bad ideas. These trails overlap with or connect to courses used by Western States, Canyons, Way Too Cool, American River 50 and Rio Del Lago, so they are also where a lot of local race training happens.

Folsom Lake and Salmon Falls are great when we want something more runnable. That does not mean easy. The climbs are shorter, but they keep coming, and a warm exposed day out there can turn into serious ultra training quickly. I like these areas for runners building toward a first 50K because you can work on steady pacing without every climb becoming a survival exercise.

Foresthill gets more remote. Once you start using Michigan Bluff, Cal Street or point-to-point sections of the Western States Trail, the logistics matter as much as the route. Cell service disappears, water can be limited and somebody needs to know how everyone is getting back to the start.

We also leave the foothills. Some of the best SUC days have been in Bear Valley, the Sierra, Marin and the Santa Cruz Mountains. Sacramento is a good home base because we can train locally most weeks and still reach completely different terrain when the season calls for it.

How a normal SUC Saturday works

The public Saturday runs are free. We post the location, start time and route options, usually with MED, LRG and XL distances. You pick the route that fits your current training, download it and bring what you need to finish it.

We regroup and keep an eye out for each other. That is a big part of why the crew works. It gives people enough confidence to try a new trail or go a little farther than they would alone. It does not turn the run into a guided tour, though. Everyone still needs to know which route they chose and show up prepared for it.

There is a huge range of experience at these runs. Someone may be training for their first trail race while another runner is in the middle of a 100-mile build. Some people run every climb. Plenty of very experienced ultrarunners hike them. Trail pace changes so much with heat, elevation and footing that one advertised pace would not tell you much anyway.

If you are new, choose the shorter route the first time. You can always come back and make a worse decision next Saturday.

What to bring

Look at the actual route and weather before packing. A cool morning on Quarry Trail is different from a July canyon run or a remote day out of Foresthill.

At minimum, I want runners to think about water, calories and navigation. Download the GPX before leaving home. Carry enough water to reach a refill that you know exists, not a blue line on a map that may be dry. Bring food you have eaten while running before. If the route is long or remote, a charged phone, extra layer and basic emergency plan belong in the vest too.

Heat deserves extra respect around here. The temperature in Sacramento is not always the temperature you will experience down inside the canyons, and the exposed climb back to the car is usually where an optimistic water plan falls apart. Slow down early and carry more when the day calls for it.

Do you need to be an ultrarunner?

No. SUC has “Ultra” in the name because that is the world a lot of us come from, but you do not need a 50K on your calendar. You need to respect the distance you choose and be willing to take care of yourself on the trail.

The group has always had a mix of newer trail runners, experienced racers, hikers and people who mainly want a reason to get out of the city on Saturday. That mix is one of my favorite parts. You never know who you will end up running with or what they are training for.

Free runs, Team SUC and coaching

The free community runs are the front door. Show up, learn the trails and meet people.

Team SUC is the training layer for runners who want the week built around those runs. Members get the structured plan, workload options, coaching notes, race-specific blocks and the private team community. The Wednesday workout is public too, but Team SUC members get the actual workout and explanation delivered through the plan.

My 1:1 coaching is separate from that. It is for runners who want an individual schedule, direct feedback and detailed race planning around their own life and goals.

You do not need to figure all of that out before your first run. Check the next SUC run, download the route and come see what the crew is about. Sacramento has an incredible trail-running community once you know where to look.