Roaming

Tom Kelly

#37 of 261

Tom Kelly

Nevada City, CA

$13.00

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Title

Roaming

Artist

Tom Kelly

Medium

Photograph - Digital Photography

Description

A few days back, My wife and I went to Folsom Lake to hike the trails, and photograph the Flowers. In spite of many people, and limited parking, We had a wonderful time. I happened to catch these two roaming thru the Flowers. If you get a chance, Go! It was wonderful!California buckeye, blue oak, valley oak, digger pines, black oaks and occasionally oracle oaks populate the area surrounding the lake. A variety of wildflowers thrive in the Spring, Indian paintbrush, California poppy, larkspur, lupine, bordicaea, fiddleneck, Dutchman's pipe and monkey flower can be seen throughout the SRA.

A number of mammals inhabit the lake area including, coyotes, gray foxes, rabbits, skunks, raccoon, ground squirrels, black-tailed deer, opossums, and on occasion mountain lions, bobcats, and black bears have been sighted.

A number of birds call Folsom Lake home year round, bushtits, quails, wrens, scrub jays, black birds and towhees. Near the water visitors often see kingfishers, red-tailed hawks, eagles, kestlers, gulls and other raptors looking for a meal.The Folsom Lake State Recreation Area (SRA) surrounds the reservoir, and is managed by the California Department of Parks and Recreation.[5] The lake supports a large number of recreational activities. Aquatic activities account for 85% of all recreation visits to the SRA. Areas are designated for hiking, camping, and biking. The lake is also commonly used for fishing, boating, water-skiing, and horseback riding.[6]

The majority of the SRA is owned by the US Department of the Interior Bureau of Reclamation, and the area is managed by the state parks.

Two major freeways feed access to the SRA, Highway 80 and Highway 50. A number of local roadways, trails, and public transportation routes access the SRA. Six key roadways that access the SRA are Douglas Boulevard, Auburn/Folsom Road, Folsom Boulevard, East Natoma Street, Green Valley Road, and Salmon Falls Road. The most recognized regional trails are Jedidiah Smith Memorial Trail and Pioneer Express Trail. The public transport that accesses the SRA include Placer County Transit, Folsom Stageline, Roseville Transit and Sacramento Regional Transit.

The recreation area is located at the union of the north and south forks of the American River. There are 20,000 acres of water and land within the boundaries of the SRA. The State Recreation Area spans El Dorado, Placer, and Sacramento counties, as well as the City of Folsom.

The fishing is tough due to the always rising and falling water levels of the lake. Fish species include largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, spotted bass, rainbow trout, Kokanee salmon, catfish, sunfish, squawfish, and carp.

There are five major day use areas on the lake, Granite Bay, Beales Point, Folsom Point, Negro Bar, and Nimbus Flats.

Granite Bay and Beals Point are the primary visitor areas on the western shoreline of Folsom Lake, with large day-use areas that include swim beaches, boat launch facilities, restrooms, landscaped picnic areas, snack food and beach equipment concessions, trailheads and associated parking. The Granite Bay facility includes a multi-use activity center which is available to rent and the Beals Point includes a 69-site campground. The smaller and more remote rattlesnake Bar visitor area provides boat launch facilities and informal access to the shoreline for fishing, swimming and picnicking.

The eastern shoreline is home to Brown’s Ravine and Folsom Point. Brown’s Ravine includes the Folsom Lake Marina which provides 675 wet slips, 175 dry storage spaces, boat launch areas, marine provisions and fueling stations, small picnic area, and restrooms. Folsom Point includes a picnic area, boat launch, and restrooms.

Facilities at these locations include swim beaches, picnic areas, food and beach equipment concessions, equestrian staging areas, restrooms and drinking water fountains, and trail heads with over 94 miles of trails (utilized by hikers, runners, mountain bikers, and horseback riders).