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| Cosumnes River, Central Valley, California |
The
Cosumnes River Walk in the
Cosumnes River Preserve includes trails along the
Middle Slough and loop trails with access to the
Cosumnes River. The trails will lead you through
grasslands and
riparian forest. You are invited to combine various trail loops into your overall path. If you are headed to what is called “
The Point”—a scenic place from where you can see the Cosumnes River and the entrance to
Tihuechemne Slough— your round trip will be at least three miles long. A
Nature Trail Guide with a
trail map is available at the visitor center
From the preserve's visitor center your walk will start like the
Wetlands Walk over the bridge with the beautiful, often overlooked plaque illustrations of animals and plants. Instead of turning left for the Wetlands Walk, turn right to stroll south alongside Middle Slough. The water in the slough may look stagnant, but, since it is connected with
San Francisco Bay via the
Delta waterways, it has a slow in-and-out flow: Middle Slough is a
tidal slough influenced by the
bay tides.
The
Guide features many points of interest including the
majestic valley oak, growing in the oak savannah to the left of the tracks of the Union Pacific Railroad. You'll find a variety of other plants such as
live oak (less common to the preserve),
willow,
native and
non-native blackberry,
wild California rose,
Santa Barbara sedge,
cattails—and, yes,
poison oak.
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| Long, flat, green blades of Santa Barbara sedge |
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| Leaves of three, let it be! |
Alongside the Cosumnes River you will find a few points with small openings in the riparian forest enabling riverside bird-watching. Seasonally, great blue herons and egrets roost and feed here. The visitor center handout with the title
Cosumnes River Preserve describes the origin of the eponymous river as follows:
Just over 80 miles long, the Cosumnes River begins in the great Sierra Nevada mountains, deep in El Dorado National Forest. Its head waters rest at an elevation of 7,600 feet and the river is fueled mostly by rain runoff and some snowmelt. The three forks of the Cosumnes flow through lush conifer forests and tumble over the huge rocks of granite canyons. As the river drops into the drier foothill environment, it coalesces into one channel. Oaks and gray pines dominate the landscape.
In the
Central Valley the river slows its flow and feeds the aquifer below. Less than a mile away from the preserve's slough and river trails, the water of the Cosumnes River joins that of the Mokelumne River on its way into San Francisco Bay.
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| Tihuechemne Slough/Cosumnes River junction |
The valley oak trees populate most of the area north of the slough between the railroad tracks and Franklin Boulevard. The trail loop intersects with Franklin Boulevard and continues southwest toward the boardwalk and back to the visitor center. At the end of the half-mile-long boardwalk you will find a viewing platform. Wildlife viewing here is most interesting when the ponds are flooded and the area turns into wetland, providing opportunities to see ducks, geese, swans and shorebirds. Wading birds such as ashy gray sandhill cranes with their bare red-topped heads roost in the ponds of the preserve. The significance of the preserve as a crane stop is highlighted by featuring them in the Cosumnes River Preserve logo and in the crane sculpture in front of the visitor center. 
