Discovery Park

Use 1600 Garden Highway for the main park. Entrance availability can change during boat-ramp repairs, floods, or festivals; the Garden Highway side generally serves picnic, archery, and trail areas when Jibboom Street access is restricted.

The park is open year-round from sunrise to sunset. High water can flood and close the park, and major events can restrict roads, trails, boat access, and parking.

Parking is $8 per vehicle, $15 for a vehicle with trailer or an RV, and $30 per bus. Fees are collected year-round, including weekends and event days; self-pay when no collector is present.

Yes. Discovery Park connects to the 32-mile Jedediah Smith Memorial Trail and additional walking, equestrian, and nature routes. Festival detours, flooding, or maintenance can temporarily reroute the paved multi-use trail.

Yes. Alder, Redbud, Sycamore, Oak, and other sites can be reserved, with weekday and weekend pricing based on capacity. Alcohol is prohibited unless specifically permitted with an eligible reservation or event.

Yes. Restrooms are shown near developed parking and recreation areas on the county map. Flooding, repairs, event footprints, and seasonal maintenance can make individual facilities unavailable.

Yes. The low confluence park can be partly or completely underwater during winter high water. Check Sacramento County park status before driving; never bypass flood gates or enter closed river areas.

The park has a trailer boat ramp and a car-top launch, but construction, flooding, special events, or repairs can close them independently. Confirm current launch status before arriving with a trailer.

Mature trees shade portions of the picnic areas, including the Oak picnic area, but riverbanks, lawns, boat launches, fields, and trail approaches can be exposed. Reservable picnic sites should not be treated as severe-weather shelters. Because this low confluence park floods, leave immediately when gates close or water rises and use a substantial building or vehicle during lightning or high wind.

Sacramento County does not list playground equipment at Discovery Park. Plan this 302-acre confluence park for river views, boating, trails, archery, open lawns, and reservable picnic areas rather than swings or slides. Families should use another County playground for equipment play and supervise children closely around both rivers, boat ramps, traffic, and changing water levels. The park is part of the flood-control system and can close or go underwater during high water.

Yes, on a leash no longer than 6 feet and under full physical control. Dogs may use the American River Parkway's horse and bicycle trails through Discovery Park while leashed, but they are prohibited in or within 15 feet of designated Nature Study Areas. Discovery Park is not an off-leash area; remove waste and keep pets away from wildlife, boat ramps, archery activity, and unsafe river conditions.

Discovery Park has no splash pad or lifeguarded pool. Visitors do enter the American and Sacramento rivers, but County guidance says swimming and wading are not encouraged because of swift currents, cold water, uneven footing, submerged debris, and no lifeguards. Everyone should wear a fitted life jacket, children under 13 are legally required to wear one near public waterways, and free loaners are available at two Discovery Park stations. Never enter during flooding, high flows, algae warnings, or posted closures.

The park's defining natural landmark is the confluence of the American and Sacramento rivers. Use the river trails and signed viewpoints to understand where the two waterways meet; boat launches, picnic areas, and paths are spread through the larger American River Parkway site. This is a river-recreation landscape rather than a public-art destination, and high water can close or obscure shoreline access.

Year-round parking is $8 per vehicle, $15 for vehicles with trailers or RVs, and $30 per bus. Self-payment is required when no attendant is present.

Accessibility varies by entrance, route, terrain, and destination. Review the exact mapped subsite and its official source before relying on a specific accessible route.