A collection of travel and adventure stories

Folsom-Lake Natoma-Negro Bar Kayaking

Description and Directions >>

Description:
Lake Natoma is located in Northern California near Sacramento, CA. Negro Bar is a popular family beach and paved boat launch located in Folsom, CA. Picnic facilities, bathrooms and summer kayak rentals are available. The lake has a 10 MPH speed limit and is a popular spot for kayaking, canoeing, and fishing. A bike trail winds along the shores of the lake. Total paddle length varies - the lake has about 13 miles of shoreline.

Activities:
kayaking, boating, fishing, hiking, biking, picnicking, swimming

Directions:
From Hwy 50 East from Sacramento, exit onto Folsom Blvd. Go north. Cross the American River, and turn left at the traffic light onto Greenback Lane. Turn left into the park entrance at Negro Bar.

Story Date 6/27/2003
Publish Date 4/6/2004

Story Perspectives >>

According to Mikala: Lake Natoma in Folsom is our most frequent paddling area. The lake is very close to home (about 15 minutes) and offers calm paddling because speed boaters are not allowed (I think the speed limit is 5MPH). I was amazed that this lake existed in the middle of the city!

One area that we like to paddle is to the left of the boat ramp, which takes you to the upper end of the lake and up the river a little ways. Along the way, you pass under the Folsom bridges and paddle near exposed rocks and rock walls. We paddle as far as is allowed - until the no trespassing sign posted by Folsom Prison. You can actually see the prison from your kayak as you near this area. Right before the sign, there is a nice little beach to land at and have a picnic lunch. Depending on the time of the year, you can float back down with the current of the river.

Another area to the paddle is to the right of the boat launch and across the lake. There are some backwater areas that are fun to explore. These are very calm water. We often see many ducks and geese, and during the summer, you can pick fresh blackberries from the many bushes right along the shore.

We also enjoy paddling the remainder of the lake toward the dam and Hazel Avenue. The lake gets wider across and there is more traffic, but not much. There are a few areas along the shore that we sometimes stop at for breaks or lunch. Toward the dam, there are some more small backwater areas to explore on the right.

We have even paddled this lake during a full moon...very exciting!

In summary, this is a great place to hang out with family and friends, or just relax and float on our kayak.

According to Pilipo : Our favorite haunt because it's close to home. My favorite part of this area is paddling up river to Folsom Prison. The river gets narrow and you can really feel the current. Sometimes, I feel like a long-distance paddle so I go the other way toward the dam at Hazel. If you go from Negro Bar to Hazel, it's about a 9 mile round trip. Great excercise!

Also, accross the river from Negro Bar are some backwaters you can explore with huge blackberry bushes! Yum.