Sounds like a real nice addition for boat access in the Parkway.
Boat ramp near Sunrise gets safer, roomier
By M.S. Enkoji - menkoji@sacbee.com
Published 12:00 am PST Friday, January 11, 2008
Long before there was an American River Parkway, long before cyclists zoomed along the water's edge on a paved trail, there was a boat ramp leading right to some of the river's best steelhead fishing.
The grandeur of the 23-mile parkway created in the 1960s, followed by the premier bike trail, came to overshadow the boat ramp just east of Sunrise Boulevard as it eroded into the river, becoming a safety hazard and eyesore.
Now, a $1.12 million make-over for the ramp, a realigned bike trail and new restrooms are set to be unveiled this weekend, delighting anglers and cyclists.
"This is going to make life easier for us," said Jim Jones, a Fair Oaks resident who fishes for steelhead and salmon and cycles in the area.
Maneuvering a boat trailer down the old ramp was treacherous for both boaters and cyclists, he said. Trailers had to back over the bike trail, leading to near collisions.
Sacramento County Regional Parks, Recreation and Open Space began construction on the ramp in September, closing off about 300 yards of the bike trail and creating a street detour of about a tenth of a mile, said Dave Lydick, deputy director of the department.
One of six county-owned ramps on the American River, the Sunrise ramp will be one for the ages, built to withstand erosion, the seasonal rise and fall of the river and a variety of trailers and watercraft.
