Cosumnes River Preserve

A beautiful place to relax and see nature. We saw lots of birds, squirrels, and bunnies. Beautiful bird refuge, lots of paved paths and walking bridges at level ground, lookout point in water filled grasslands. Millions of birds are stopping there on their annual migration, fantastic scenes! Kayak launching area along the tributary, nice visitor center and volunteer opportunities! Free to all! Great family place to enjoy wildlife in its natural habitat!

Absolutely free with accessible parking. There are pit restrooms near the parking lots. Completely free but closes by 5 pm.

What a wonderful place to go relax and see nature. You might not think much is going on but if you sit and actually look, it's thriving with all kinds of life!

Free.. did I mention it's free? Plus the visitors center is a little in the small side but it's pretty full of information signing all the way to the ceiling. Our guide was Bob and what a delightful and very inspirational guide he is.

Beautiful bird refuge, lots of paved paths and walking bridges at level ground, lookout point in water filled grasslands. Millions of birds are stopping there on their annual migration, fantastic scenes! Kayak launching area along the tributary, nice visitor center and volunteer opportunities! Free to all! Great family place to enjoy wildlife in its natural habitat!

If you are a bird watcher, then this is the place for you. There are many types of birds this season. Some trails are closed due to flooding. It is a great place for meditation, picnics, hiking, and chilling. They have a lot of wooden chairs for you to take a rest and enjoy nature away from the noise of the city and distracted from your cell phone. They have a clean restroom and a lot of parking spots next to the trails.

Great place to view waterfowl! If you’re lucky you will also see Sandhill Cranes.

There are lots of accessible areas both ADA and trails.

The only downside are the porta-potties do not have a wash basin, so there is no where to wash you hands. They weren’t exactly the cleanest either. So make sure you bring hand sanitizer.

Also, the last time we were here, the River Trail was closed off on the South side that runs along the River and there were no signs to indicate so. Just a blockade preventing people from accessing it. So half the trail is basically closed off.

Outside of that, I absolutely love this place and generally everyone we come across here is friendly.

What a beautiful, peaceful preserve! The walkways are super nice too and there are plenty of benches scattered around the park if you want to sit and bask in nature. I found it to be relaxing and loved seeing all of the birds.

Beautiful natural scenery, especially on sunny days. Easy access to all.
Sandhills cranes migrate to this area to spend the winter. We visited this place in early January on a cold day around noon and didn’t see any cranes here. We then went to State Island and saw many there.

Such a serene and peaceful place. Birds galore. I'm not a birder so not sure types but I did see a few Cranes. Trails are great. Can get muddy in the winter. There are some boardwalks to keep you out of the wet. Great place for photography. There are restrooms and plenty of parking. The information station has great volunteers personing the desk, very knowledgeable. Will be going back.

Nice concrete/boardwalk trail. Pretty flat but enjoyable, great views of the wetlands. Good trail for those with strollers and kids.

Wetlands restored for a wildlife preserve very interesting, but we didn't get to see Sandhill cranes. Bring binoculars and a telefoto lens camera to see the cranes. Lots of geese, ducks, wrens and an egret! Easy walking trails and the wetlands trail is totally accessible.

Needing a break, I was able to take a quiet walk here. My child observes the birds that live there and we talk a lot about nature. It looked very well-maintained, and it was a peaceful place where birds and people kept a reasonable distance from each other and did not invade each other's space or make loud noises. However, it was said that dogs cannot be taken for a walk here, so I left it in the car for a while. The toilet seemed usable too. We had a very satisfying walk.

What a delight. I am not a birder but understand what fun it is to look at nature and enjoy the birds.

Awesome place to see all kinds of Wildlife. I've seen sandhill crane, red tailed Hawks, great blue herons and even a river otter once. Best to go early as possible and move quietly, you're being watched.

This is such a nice but hidden pearl in the Sacramento area. It has so many birds to observe, and if you are into paddle boarding, this is a great place to start!!!

1st time going here...to see the wooducks nesting...very lovley!

Beautiful trails to watch the sunrise. We walked 3 miles along the river trail. Saw a couple of deer and lots of birds. Not too crowded on weekdays, just bring comfortable shoes, water, and cover up because there’s lot of mosquitoes/bugs! Easy flat terrain to bring the whole family!

Wonderful preserve to walk and view wintering birds from October to February. You can also launch a kayak, canoe or small boat. It's a long walk to the boat dock on the slough, also make sure to check the tide. The visitor center is small but lots of cool things to see as well as guide books if you're looking to identify something! There is free parking and no entrance fee.

I was surprised at how many people were there checking out the water fowl. I was also amazed at the quantity of water fowl at the site which is huge

We are always appreciative of this Preserve, but most particularly at Sandhill crane season! Always so much to see and hear and learn about. Never visit without binoculars and a bird book!

My wife and our daughter, along with my parents, came here for the day to get out and enjoy the wonderful weather and see which birds of the season we could find. The trail was fantastic, the visitor center was incredible, and everyone was friendly. We will be coming back here for many years to come, and during every season to see how things change!