American River Parkway
Managed by Sacramento County Parks
1,362 acres31.2 mi of trail
Shady TrailFortune TrailPinecone TrailBurchill Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Fair Oaks Bridge, Old, · Photo: LPS.1 · CC BY-SA 3.0A+Outdoors
Outdoors in Fair Oaks
Fair Oaks has 40 miles of mapped trails, 3.7 for every square mile of land
22% of Fair Oaks’ land is conserved, about 1,555 acres. 1,585 acres are parks and preserves, 48 per 1,000 residents. The biggest trail networks: American River Parkway (31.2 mi), Phoenix Park (2.6 mi), Folsom Lake State Recreation Area (0.9 mi).
Ahead of 96% of U.S. towns · #102 of 847 in California. What drives it
Conserved land
22%
1,555 acres · of 10.9 sq mi of land
Trails
40 mi
3.7 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,585 ac
48 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
81%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
16 mi
12 mi lanes · 4.5 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
1
3 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Fair Oaks?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Fair Oaks have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Fair Oaks is ahead of 96% of U.S. towns, #102 of 847 in California. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, the share of residents near a park lowest.
A+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Fair Oaks’ overall grade.
Conserved land22% of the land · typical CA town 4% · U.S. 4%ATrails3.7 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (40 mi) · CA 0.9 · U.S. 0.4A+Park land48 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,585 acres) · CA 5 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home81% of residents within a half mile of a park · CA 91% · U.S. 72%B
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 96%
LessMore
California towns of 2,500+ (847)Ahead of 88%
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from A to A+. Trails and many small parks come from OpenStreetMap, mapped by volunteers, so coverage varies from town to town; the half mile is a straight line from each census block, so a river or highway in the way isn’t counted against it.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
The map
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Easements protect land from building but are usually private.© OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
Places to walk
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is American River Parkway, with 31.2 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Phoenix Park
Managed by Fair Oaks Recreation & Park District
64 acres2.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Folsom Lake State Recreation Area
Managed by California Department of Parks and Recreation
761 acres0.9 mi of trail
Vista Del Rio Trailhead
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Gum Ranch Park
Managed by Fair Oaks Recreation & Park District
5 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 12 parks & preserves
American River Parkway1,362 acres · 31.2 mi of trail · Sacramento County Parks
DirectionsPhoenix Park64 acres · 2.6 mi of trail · Fair Oaks Recreation & Park District
DirectionsFolsom Lake State Recreation Area761 acres · 0.9 mi of trail · California Department of Parks and Recreation
DirectionsGum Ranch Park5 acres · 0.4 mi of trail · Fair Oaks Recreation & Park District
Fair Oaks Park25 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · Fair Oaks Recreation & Park District
DirectionsMiller Park10 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · Fair Oaks Recreation & Park District
DirectionsVillage Park4 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · Fair Oaks Recreation & Park District
DirectionsLittle Phoenix Park1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Fair Oaks Recreation & Park District
Bannister Park9 acres · Fair Oaks Recreation & Park District
DirectionsMontview Park4 acres · Fair Oaks Recreation & Park District
DirectionsVFW Field1 acres
DirectionsMadison Place Park1 acres · Fair Oaks Recreation & Park District
Who protects it
1,555 conserved acres
22% of Fair Oaks’ land. Who manages Fair Oaks’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State parks823 ac
County680 ac
Bureau of Reclamation111 ac
Regional agency109 ac
State fish & wildlife15 ac
State Recreation Area · 941 acLocal Recreation Area · 682 acLocal Park · 107 acState Conservation Area · 8 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Folsom Lake State Recreation Area State Recreation Area | State parks | 810 | Open |
| American River Parkway Local Recreation Area | County | 676 | Open |
| Lake Natoma State Recreation Area | State parks | 124 | Open |
| Phoenix Park Local Park | Regional agency | 53 | Open |
| Fair Oaks Park Local Park | Regional agency | 28 | Open |
| Miller Park Local Park | Regional agency | 10 | Open |
| Phoenix Field Ecological Reserve State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 8 | Closed |
| Bannister Park Local Park | Regional agency | 7 | Open |
| American River Access State Recreation Area | State fish & wildlife | 6 | Open |
| Montview Park Local Park | Regional agency | 4 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
18 places to go in Fair Oaks
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Fair Oaks
12 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Fair Oaks
Phoenix Dog ParkIn Phoenix Park
DirectionsBoat launches in Fair Oaks
Dornman Shore Launch PointIn American River Parkway
DirectionsFalcon Head Launch PointIn American River Parkway
DirectionsPlus 1 boat launch without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Scenic views in Fair Oaks
Pinckney ViewpointIn American River Parkway
DirectionsPeaks in Fair Oaks
Col du Pennsylvania
DirectionsTrails & water
17 named trails and 1 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 2.3 miHorses · 2.3 miUnpaved · 1.6 mi
Shady Trail0.9 mi
Vista Del Rio Trailhead0.7 mi
Fortune Trail0.4 mi
Pinecone Trail0.4 mi
Burchill Trail0.3 mi
Pioneer Express Trail0.3 mi
Corky Trail0.2 mi
Barley Trail0.2 mi
Anders Footpath0.2 mi
Capworth Footpath0.2 mi
7 more trails
Tail's End Trail
0.2 miBates Footpath
0.1 miMillworth Footpath
0.1 miHook Trail
0.1 miAurora Footpath Loop
0.1 miSunset Path
0.1 miCrater Loop Path
0.1 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
16 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
12 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
4.5 mi
off-road bike paths
0.2 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
31Tennis
12Basketball
11Pickleball
7Baseball
5Soccer
2Softball
1Football
1Lacrosse
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →2 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
When to get out
The best walking months in Fair Oaks: April and May
NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for the town and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have long days, highs of 59 to 86 °F and little rain for the place.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 9.7 | 10.7 | 11.8 | 13.2 | 14.3 | 14.9 | 14.6 | 13.7 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 10.0 | 9.5 |
| High (°F) | 56 | 61 | 67 | 72 | 81 | 90 | 95 | 94 | 90 | 79 | 65 | 56 |
| Rain (in) | 4.4 | 4.3 | 3.3 | 2.0 | 1.1 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 1.1 | 2.2 | 3.7 |
July is the driest month (under 0.1 in) and the warmest (highs of 95 °F). 4.4 inches fall in January, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 95 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Fair Oaks →
Next door
Fair Oaks and its neighbors
Fair Oaks has the most mapped trails of the 7 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Fair Oaks40 miFolsom38 miRancho Cordova28 miCarmichael19 miOrangevale11 miCitrus Heights6.1 miGold River2.1 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair Oaks | 22% | 3.7 | 48 | 81% | A+ |
| Orangevale | 8% | 1.0 | 17 | 84% | A− |
| Rancho Cordova | 11% | 0.8 | 20 | 95% | A |
| Gold River | 11% | 0.8 | 24 | 98% | A |
| Carmichael | 9% | 1.2 | 10 | 96% | A− |
| Citrus Heights | 3% | 0.4 | 4 | 90% | B− |
| Folsom | 18% | 1.4 | 40 | 92% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Fair Oaks
Where can I hike in Fair Oaks?
The longest trail networks: American River Parkway, 31.2 miles; Phoenix Park, 2.6 miles; Folsom Lake State Recreation Area, 0.9 miles; Gum Ranch Park, 0.4 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Fair Oaks is conserved land?
22% of its land, against a typical 4% for a California town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Fair Oaks’ trails?
American River Parkway and Phoenix Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Fair Oaks?
16 miles of bike routes are on the map: 12 of painted or protected lanes, 4.5 of off-road paths and 0.2 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Fair Oaks?
31,586 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Fair Oaks or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,585 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Fair Oaks have?
Ahead of 96% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #102 of 847 in California. The grade combines the share of land that is conserved, miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, park acres per 1,000 residents and the share of residents within a half mile of a park. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Fair Oaks neighbors.
Share a tip
Sources
Where this page comes from
Conserved and public land: USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US), service updated July 2026. Parks, trails, playgrounds, beaches and other places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), map data as of 2026-10-28. Land and water area: Census 2025 Gazetteer. Residents near a park: 2020 Census blocks. National Register: National Park Service. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →