Valley Lady Walkers

As we're getting a little break in the rain storms and need to get some exercise after Thanksgiving feasting, let's go walking in Lodi.
Walk begins at Katzakian Park, 2735 W. Turner Rd., Lodi (has bathrooms), then into the neighborhood housing area south of Turner Rd., walking through Peterson Park and then back to Katzakian Park in a loop route. Total miles about 3 to 3 1/2 miles. Wear comfortable walking shoes and bring a water bottle along.

The walk begins at the main parking lot between the Visitors Center (13501 Franklin Blvd., Galt, CA 95632) and Franklin Blvd on the east side of Franklin Blvd. The Cosumnes River Preserve is a nature preserve of 46,000 acres that protects a Central Valley remnant that once contained one of the largest expanses of oak tree savanna, riparian oak forest and wetland habitat in North America.

Please visit the website for more information:

www.cosumnes.org

We are going to walk 5 miles through the nature preserve on a variety of dirt, paved and wooden plank trails. We will walk the entire preserve, including the west side of Franklin Blvd. There are toilets at the visitor center. Bring a water bottle and wear comfortable walking shoes.

Note: The bridge on Franklin Blvd is being repaired. Franklin Blvd is closed from Twin Cities Road to Desmond Road. If you are coming from the north please take highway 5 to Walnut Grove Road exit, head east and turn left on Thornton Road.

The walk will begin at Del Meyer Park (9265 Elk Grove Florin Road, Elk Grove, CA 95624). We will meet in the parking lot. The entrance to the park is a bit tricky because the sign is difficult to see while driving northbound on Elk Grove Florin Road. Please be careful.

We will start by heading west along Laguna Creek. The first leg is a 3.2 mile out and back walk. We will walk west 1.6 miles out and turn around and walk 1.6 miles back. We will be walking on a paved mostly flat path along Laguna Creek and Camden Lake. There are wonderful views of the surrounding nature including birds like egrets, ducks, songbirds, geese, hawks and turtles.
Then for those who want a longer walk (total 6.3 miles), for the second leg, we will then walk east along Laguna Creek Trail to Jack E. Hill Park (which has toilets) and on to Waterman Road. This is a 3.1 out and back trail from Del Meyer Park to Waterman Road and back to Del Meyer Park.
Please Note: Del Meyer Park does not have toilets, the only toilets along the entire route are at Jack E Hill Park.
Bring a water bottle and wear comfortable walking shoes.