Cronan Ranch Regional Trai l s ParkKeep in Mind...

A variety of users such as mountainbikers and equestrians, utilize this trailsystem. Please be considerate of theseother users.

Traffic flows in both directons on roadsand trails. Watch for other users!Always keep to the right, be cautiousand travel at a prudent speed.

Portions of this trail system borderprivate property. Please respect therights of private property owners bystaying on designated routes at alltimes.

This Trail Guide Sponsored by:

U.S. Department of the InteriorBUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT

FOLSOM FIELD OFFICEwww.ca.blm.gov/folsom

AMERICAN RIVER CONSERVANCY

WWW.ARCONSERVANCY.ORG

and a generous gift fromRay & Jana Pingle

TRAIL COURTESY

YIELD TO

Bureau of Land Management

Cronan RanchRegional TrailsPark

Welcome to the Cronan RanchRegional Trails Park, located in Pilot Hill,California. The Park contains 12 miles oftrails for hiking, biking, horseback riding,fishing, bird watching and other passiverecreation. The borders of the Park followthe South Fork American River, Highway49, Pedro Hill Road and private lands. ThePark is open daily from sunrise to sunset yearround. There is a wide variety of terrain tochoose from, including gently sloped tochallenging hills, oak woodland and gentleriverfront trails. Each season offers a diverseexperience. Spring wildflowers on the ranchare not to be missed. Summer offers goldenhills and hot temperatures. In fall, the ranchis full of changing colors and winter rainsbring hills of green.

Natural History

The vegetation of the Cronan RanchRegional Trails Park is very representative ofthe landscape of the Sierra Foothills. Theprimary vegetation type consists of introducedannual grasses, however, there are alsoisolated populations of California’s StateGrass, purple needlegrass (Nasella pulchra)and other native perennial grasses such asdeergrass and California melic that can befound. In spring, the hills of the ranch turn

various colors of white, blue, lavender andorange with a spectacular display of lupines,fiddleneck, California poppies and otherwildflowers common to the Sierra Foothills.Blue Oak savannah is also present, which givesway to Foothill Woodland, with blue oak,foothill pine and interior live oak in the canopy,and manzanita, coffeeberry and poison oak inthe shrub layer. Poison oak is prevalent on thePark, so please stay on the trails. Along the SouthFork of the American River, you may findwillow trees, ponderosa pine, foothill gray pine,California buckeye and bush lupine.

The diverse habitat types found on thePark support a wide array of wildlife species.Deer, bobcat, fox, coyote, mountain lion andseveral species of rodent inhabit the ranch.Among the many bird species that have beenobserved at the Ranch are red-tailed andCooper’s hawks, California quail, turkey,western meadowlarks, tree swallows,

kingfishers and bald eagle. thePark also supports a nestingpair of white-tailed kites.Pacific tree frog, western toad,western fence lizards andalligator lizards can all befound on the Park. Several

species of fish, including rainbow trout,Sacramento pikeminnow, and brown trout canbe found in the river, along with playful riverotters and ringtail cats.

Cultural History

People have lived on this land forcenturies. Early on, Native Californiansmigrated up from the hot Central Valley in thespring and summer to fish, hunt and gather plantsto eat. These first families camped near the riveruntil it became too hot and then moved east on

up to the cool conifer forests for the late summerseason.

During the Gold Rush beginning in1849, parts of the South Fork American Riverwere mined for gold. One of the early minerswas William Bacchi wholeft his home town ofCanto Ticino in 1851 tocome to America. Formost, the gold rush feverdid not last long and by1856, Bacchi hadacquired land and cattle in El Dorado Countymarking the beginnings of the Bacchi Ranch.

What is today called the Cronan Ranchwas first acquired by the Central Pacific Railroadthrough a Federal land patent in 1887. MichaelCronan acquired the property from the CentralPacific Railroad in 1891. The ranch was grazedby the Cronan family until 1918 when it wassold to George and James Murphy. The Murphyfamily used the ranch for a time and then soldthe property to Byron and Francis Bacchi in 1945for inclusion in the Bacchi Ranch. Although thisportion of the Bacchi Ranch was sold in 2004to create the Park, the Bacchi Ranch remainsactive today on nearby lands.

The land for this park and river trailcorridor was purchased by the American RiverConservancy, BLM and other partners over aperiod of 16 years and placed into public trust tobe used for recreation and wildlife conservation.The purchase was made possible through generousdonations by individuals, private foundations andgovernment agencies, including the WildlifeConservation Board and the California StateResources Agency. Ultimately, the Cronan RanchRegional Trails Park will connect with the SouthFork American River corridor trail that will runfrom Greenwood Creek to Salmon Falls.

To better enjoy your visit, pleaseremember the following:

n Only non-motorized recreational activitiessuch as hiking, mountain biking, horsebackriding and other similar passive activitiesare allowed.

n Please be aware that there are mountainlions and rattlesnakes in the Park.

n The discharge of firearms is prohibitedexcept in the course of licensed, in-seasonhunting activities.

n Fireworks are prohibited. Fuelwood cuttingand collection is prohibited.

n A Special Recreation Use Permit is requiredfor all commercial or competitive activities.

n Pack it in - pack it out and... pack a littleextra if you can. Help us keep this area clean.

For additional information regarding theCronan Ranch Regional Trails Park, contactus at:

Bureau of Land ManagementFolsom Field Office

63 Natoma StreetFolsom, CA 95630

(916) 985-4474

Please see our BLM websiteat:www.ca.blm.gov/folsom