Guy West Bridge to Goethe Park

The American River Parkway has a great trail system. (I'm not sure what the Guy West Bridge part is) but you can park almost anywhere along the trail and create your own out-and-back. The trail runs about 26 miles along the American River in Sacramento. You can start in Discovery Park and go all the way to Folsom Lake if you want. I tried going to Discovery Park once but didn't like the idea of parking there. However, in hindsite, I"m sure it would have been a great location. The park has bathrooms and a boat launch. Right now I park at REI, then ride down the street to find an access point at the end of the street that leads up the levee and into the trail. After the ride I have my choice of shopping REI or hitting up Starbucks or a few other places if I need to. I have down this trail on a mountainbike and a road bike. The are a few choices of trail. The is a nice mostly flat paced trail that runs the length of the parkway and is perfect for road biking or just cruising. There are a few other smaller dirt trails that you can explore as well and there is a a mix of paved and gravel trail that runs along the levee. This offers some variety. On a summer Sunday afternoon, there was a good bit of traffic but nothing to worry about. I think this is the best area that I have found so far where I can ride on a flat surface without worrying about cars, or streets to cross and I can just pick up speed. I found a lot of hikers and casual bike riders too. However, this also seems to be a friendly place to those less fortunate so there was a mix of people that looked like they might be living in the park. Overall, an easy to access flat, well kept, and decently scenic trail system.