Sacramento Running News

Ranger Ollie sez: “Be careful!”

It’s the weekend and I’m sure most of us are planning to spend part of it on the American River Parkway. There are a couple of things to keep in mind.

On Saturday, May 17th, the American River Parkway Trail will be closed from Discovery Park to Del Paso Boulevard, from 6:00 a.m. to noon, for the Eppie’s Kid’s Duathlon and Fitness Festival.

The event starts and finishes at Discovery Park. More details about the closure and the race can be found here (PDF).

Then, on Thursday, May 22, Parks staff will be removing a large dead oak tree just east of the Ambassador parking lot near the 18.5 mile marker on the American River Bike Trail (near lower Sunrise).

Work will begin at 8:30 a.m. and should be completed by 11:00 a.m. There may be delays on the trail due to the size of the tree and its proximity to the trail.

Plan accordingly!

This morning, I took a run through Discovery Park to see if the trail was clear of water at last.

There was still the carcass of a large salmon, somewhat worked over by scavengers, lying on the grass near the archery range. It seemed an ominous sign.

Between the 0.5 and 1.o mile marks, there was a large, smelly pond lying across the trail–but there was a narrow strip of asphalt showing along one edge of the trail.

Bicyclists could pass easily, but would be happiest with fenders. Runners could jump across with maybe one shoe getting soaked with dank water.

By tomorrow, I expect there will be a ribbon of dry pavement to run across.

That being said, the county is stating that Discovery Park will remain closed until April 30th so the parks folks can clean things up. (The park itself is still a disgusting mess.)

Other than that, the parkway is now clear, for runners and cyclists, all the way from downtown to Folsom Lake. Start running!

This morning, I was able to run through Discovery Park and scope out the mud and flood situation.

The river has subsided and most of the paved surfaces in Discovery Park are dry, even if still covered in drying mud and debris. However, much of the grassy area of the park is still under a fair amount of water and mud.

The trail is still flooded starting around the 0.5 mile mark. Be patient! I should be clear, soon.

The trail is clear from the 3.o mile mark (behind Cal Expo) to Beals Point

The rivers (American and Sacramento) are both steadily dropping, but we are sad to report that Discovery Park is still under water.

The USGS is predicting the Sacramento River will drop below 19-feet at the I Street bridge by Sunday afternoon. This is the point that Discovery Park begins to drain out, but it can often take a few more days to clear out enough to be usable.

The County is generally pretty quick about cleaning the trail of debris when the water recedes, but it all still takes time. With luck, by next weekend (April 16th) it may be ready to go.

As of a day ago, it was reported that there was still water on the trail for about a mile from Discovery Park, and again 2.75 miles from Discovery (under US 160). There was also water reported on the trail on the South side of the river near Howe Avenue.

All the gates open at Nimbus Dam. Photo by John Blue (click to see a high-res version)

Is the parkway still flooded?

Discovery Park is still quite flooded, and will likely be so at least through this weekend.

The parkway near Discovery Park is generally taking on water when the river at the I street bridge is at 19-feet or higher. The USGS is predicting the river to be at over 21-feet through this weekend.

The tough part is that even after the river is below 19-feet, it takes another couple of days for the water to drain out of the park.

The good news is that the parkway is now clear and dry at the 20.5 mile mark and the detour signs are gone.

This morning, I had the opportunity to run on the upper Parkway (upstream of Hazel Ave to Beals Point) and found it to be in quite good shape. State Parks folks were out keeping an eye on things and there was only a small amount of debris on the roadway.

The only standing water worth noting is just on the west edge of Negro Bar.

I felt that the most dangerous section was along the bluffs just downstream from Negro Bar. The new, cement retaining wall has already been put to work this winter, but you should still be alert to rocks and debris falling down on the trail while the hills are saturated from the endless rain.

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All the gates are open at Nimbus Dam (on the American River at Hazel Ave)

In case you weren’t already aware, the rivers are running quite high. As a result, much of Discovery Park is underwater, making the American River Parkway impassable at that point.

There are reports of flooding at the 0.5 mile mark (near the archery range), just past the 1 mile mark, and along the creek where the trail passes under Northgate Blvd. (between the 2 and 2.5 mile marks).

I am also getting reports this morning of flooding on the upper end of the Parkway, near mile marks 20.5 and 21, or Sunrise Blvd. (An alert reader tells me there is a well marked detour at this point.)

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While the race website still has no mention of it, the race directors for Saturday’s Rucky Chucky Roundabout sent out an email on Wednesday canceling the event. The email included the following apology:

We are sorry for the inconvenience that this may cause. We had already received the race shirts and had already shopped at Costco for race food today before we received the call.

The question of refunds has come up, but so-far all that race management is offering is a free entry to another of their races.

We are willing to offer a free entry to another one of our 2011 races(except Rock’n River 50).

I have more than a little sympathy for the race directors in this situation, but this has happened once before. Perhaps it’s a little too early in the season for this race at this particular location. (more…)

American river at the Guy West Bridge, photo by John Blue

Earlier this month, I had passed on reports of increased river flows but was irritated about the lack of context available in those reports.

What did it mean to us Parkway users?

Once again, the Bee and the Bureau of Reclamation have alerted us to increased river flows. This time I can warn you that it is likely to flood Discovery Park.

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The American River at the Guy West Bridge

It looks like the local flood control guys are worried about this storm coming through and are increasing flows from Folsom Dam.

It remains to be seen whether this will impact the trail or the upcoming Shamrock’n Half Marathon.

The Sacramento Bee has some info.

Here’s the press release from the Bureau of Reclamation.

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