Detour Begins For Section Of Popular Folsom Dam Trail

The crest, or top section of the public trail at Folsom Reservoir’s Mormon Island Auxiliary Dam will be closed starting Monday, June 15. 

The Bureau of Reclamation says only a portion of the trail along the top, or crest, of the dam, will be closed through February 2016.

People who use the trail between Folsom Point and Brown’s Ravine will have to detour between the east and west ends of the dam.  

“I walk across that crest myself all the time,” said Kyle Keer, Bureau of Reclamation project manager with the Dam Safety Program. “It's not the best detour, but it is a way around should people want it. The only other option was to close it off and just tell people they can't get through."

Keer said pedestrian and bicycle access are available on Green Valley Road, and parking for walking, biking and horseback riding is available at Folsom Point.

He said the trail closure is to assure public safety during the last phase of a project to increase the dam's ability to withstand a major earthquake. 

“We just worked with California State Parks and the City of Folsom to find an alternative,” said Keer. “We're going to have heavy equipment up there and we don't want the public walking around this heavy equipment, it gets too hard to manage."