Pioneer Express Trail 2 - March '25 

return to index

We again walked on the Pioneer Express Trail, starting at Rattlesnake Bar boat launch, heading  north,  on the west side of the Folsom Lake. Here, what looks like Folsom Lake is actually the North Fork of the American River; maps show an official boundary a little ways downstream.

note - on a pc or laptop you can zoom in & and out, but not on a smartphone.    

	at the boat launch area		NF of the AR		Avery's pond
		alongside the pond		Jean, Heide & Kathy
	views from Avery's pond area		further north
				big Oak at the turn-around point >

On the way back we had lunch at Avery's Pond.    

	heading south
		curvy-leaf soap plant

All of us enjoyed the fine spring weather & variable terrain. Like last month, we were mostly in the woods, well above the high water mark. 

Once back at the cars, Marcia's gps watch indicated we had walked 5+ miles. 

return to index

Postscript - The Rattlesnake Bar boat launch is in the Folsom Lake State Recreational Area (FLSRA). The Pioneer Express Trail is almost 15 miles long with 1,500 ft of gain that includes the Horseshoe Bar & Rattlesnake Bar segments. A llittle further north the trail culminates in a 900 ft. gain on the Cardiac trail, ending near downtown Auburn.

This was my first time on the Pioneer Express trail, while many of the hikers said they had been here before, probably on one of Rich B's walks, some years ago.

Just like last month, I was so impressed by the landscape and kept wondering - how did I not know about this trail before ?

return to index