Cosumnes River Preserve

Every season at the Preserve has its beauty. This Spring, our Preserve staff hit the trails to document some beautiful moments at the Preserve.  Make sure to turn the sound on! Click below to watch a bigger version of the video on Youtube.

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Poison Oak is an important plant for the natural environment, but if touched it can cause a painful rash on humans. Identifying this plant can seem difficult, especially when there are many plants along a trail. Watch this video to learn some of the best ways to identify and avoid poison oak!

The Preserve is centered along the Cosumnes River, with opportunities for paddling, hiking, and nature viewing. The Preserve Visitor Center has an interpretive room so you can learn more about the history, flora, and fauna. Located just south of the Visitor Center is a boat launch so you can paddle the Cosumnes River and its sloughs. North of the Visitor Center is a trailhead with access to the Wetlands Walk and River Walk Trails. Learn more below about all of our recreation opportunities!

Cosumnes River Preserve consists of over 10 miles of trails located around the main Visitor Center and at Rancho Seco Recreational Area. We encourage you to enjoy our trails from Sunrise to Sunset every day of the week! Pets, bicycles, and hunting are not allowed at the Preserve.

Cosumnes River is a beautiful, natural waterway and the central focus for the Preserve. Paddlers can enjoy a scenic glide through the river’s sloughs and main channel, cruising along riparian forest, oak woodland and through wetlands teeming with wildlife. Click below to learn about hours, access maps, and guided paddles.

In general, there is no hunting allowed in the core area of the Preserve because it is not compatible with our public use and wildlife protection objectives. Hunting and fishing are allowed on the river and in the sloughs, but hunters and fishermen must stay in their boats (no bank fishing/hunting).

The Cosumnes River Preserve consists of over  50,000 acres of wildlife habitat and agricultural lands owned by seven land-owning Partners. The Partners include The Nature Conservancy, Bureau of Land Management, California Department of Fish & Wildlife, Sacramento County Regional Parks, Department of Water Resources, Ducks Unlimited, and the California State Lands Commission. The Preserve is centered along the Cosumnes River, its floodplains and riparian habitat. This habitat is buffered by a variety of agricultural operations. The Preserve provides numerous social, economic, and recreational benefits to local communities and to people residing in the larger Sacramento and San Joaquin areas. The habitat supports wildlife, including birds that migrate throughout the Pacific Flyway.

The Cosumnes River Preserve Partnership envisions the permanent protection of floodplains, wetlands, valley oak riparian forests, vernal pool grasslands, and compatible agricultural lands within the lower Cosumnes River watershed and the upper Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.  The Partnership will continue to utilize inter-disciplinary programs that integrate environmental protection, restoration, and long-term land management with education, stewardship, science, and public policy strategies to sustain a dynamic mosaic of habitats that support native plant and animal species.  The Partnership will reduce potential barriers and provide opportunities so that all people may appreciate the flora and fauna of the Cosumnes River Preserve.

Email: info@cosumnes.org

Phone: (916) 684-2816

Trails and boat launch are open Sunrise to Sunset.

Parking lot is opened daily
9am – 5pm on weekdays, weekend hours vary.

Visitor Center is closed.