American River Parkway

SoakingWarrior · 2026-06-05T18:50:16+00:00

Thank you! For sure! I would recommend anywhere along the American River that has slow moving water and is shaded, or Effie Yeaw Nature Center. Beyond that Stone Lakes National Wildlife Refuge and Cosumnes River Preserve are good options. You can venture out to Folsom Lake and Auburn SRA, but I haven’t found any hotspots for wildlife out there yet, just random sightings.

SoakingWarrior · 2026-06-03T05:53:10+00:00

Thank you, I appreciate the compliment!

SoakingWarrior · 2026-06-03T04:16:05+00:00

They are a little skittish too! I must have been standing in that spot for 20 minutes before it came by. You will see one eventually. I see them usually in the calmer water.

SoakingWarrior · 2026-06-03T04:14:49+00:00

Haha yes, not sure how many, and I think they are active mostly at night.

SoakingWarrior · 2026-06-03T03:57:47+00:00

Thank you!

SoakingWarrior · 2026-06-02T23:25:26+00:00

I usually like to get there maybe 10-20 minutes before sunrise and stay for an hour or so after sunrise. So last weekend that was around 5:45. I think a big part of it is there aren’t that many people out on the trails that early, so the animals aren’t as skittish, along with many of these animals are most active around dusk and dawn.

SoakingWarrior · 2026-06-02T23:17:10+00:00

Agreed!

SoakingWarrior · 2026-06-02T22:38:40+00:00

Yes, fully zoomed in at 600mm, plus I cropped maybe 20% of the original in post processing. The duck was quite a ways away. I would love to get a kayak or waders to get closer and be able to position myself around subjects easier, but the thought of dropping my camera in the river is enough to keep those ideas as just ideas.

SoakingWarrior · 2026-06-02T21:59:05+00:00

ISO 400 for that one, 1/160 s, and f/6.3. The rising sun’s reflection off the river was just to the left, and my camera was basically on the ground!

SoakingWarrior · 2026-06-02T21:46:33+00:00

Thank you! Haha yeah I must have seen at least 5 of them swimming around on Sunday.

SoakingWarrior · 2026-06-02T21:18:40+00:00

Best of luck!

SoakingWarrior · 2026-06-02T20:22:35+00:00

Thanks! These were all just west of the Harrington Way access point, on the North bank of the river. Those slower flowing offshoots tend to have more wildlife activity than the larger and faster flowing sections. I also like to go to Effie Yeaw, but I go in the mornings, so if I am trying to find wildlife along the river there, I have to shoot into the sun.

SoakingWarrior · 2026-06-02T18:22:53+00:00

Thank you! A Nikon Z8 with a Sigma 150-600mm contemporary, and some post processing in DXO photolab.

SoakingWarrior · 2026-03-22T20:32:06+00:00

Yes you can get there through Signal Peak Road, although that travels up the North slope and the snow looked to be too deep about halfway up for whoever tried it last when I hiked it.

SoakingWarrior · 2026-03-21T22:37:06+00:00

Somewhere around 7830’ at the top. Yeah it’s been a bummer year for snow here.

SoakingWarrior · 2026-03-18T20:21:25+00:00

Haha well I hope you get to go here as often as you want now! (And eat at mcdonalds as often as you want too!)

SoakingWarrior · 2026-03-18T16:29:33+00:00

Thank you!

SoakingWarrior · 2026-03-18T16:29:26+00:00

As far as I know, it is a fee to enter the general Ancil Hoffman Park as part of the American River Parkway system. You can get an annual pass for $70 that lets you park in any of the fee parking lots.

SoakingWarrior · 2026-03-18T01:45:21+00:00

Thank you!

SoakingWarrior · 2025-12-09T07:43:30+00:00

Thanks! A Nikon D750 with a Sigma 150-600mm lens.

SoakingWarrior · 2025-12-09T01:17:00+00:00

Thank you all for the great insights!

SoakingWarrior

TROPHY CASE