Ancil Hoffman Park

What a hidden gem! I knew the American River Parkway in general had nice trails and such, but who knew Carmichael had so much park acreage (almost 400!) devoted to them? The park is dotted with ancient oak trees, and the American River borders it on two sides. The Effie Yeaw Nature Center is located inside the park (separate review to follow), as well as the golf course/​clubhouse/​restaurant. $ 5 parking fees per vehicle at the entrance. Many trails and picnic opportunities, dogs must be on leashes, open year-​round sunrise to sunset. Parks Annual Pass is good at Sacramento County Regional Parks if you anticipate visiting often. Hiking trails are easy, with gorgeous river views, and even spotted deer (several bucks), wild turkeys, squirrels, vultures, egrets and ducks. There are also warnings for mountain lions, rattlesnakes, and poison oak. The trees are beautiful fall colors right now, reds and yellows, and it’s great for wildlife photography, quiet moments listening to the water flowing by, de-​stressing and removing yourself from the hustle and bustle.

Great place and there is so much to do. You can go bike riding on the beautiful bike path or you can go play golf. They have a driving range, a golf store, a gold coarse, and a place where you can practice putting. I ride bikes down there and go to the driving range a lot with my family. It is so much fun

When I pulled into the park, I was a little lost. There were three people working the booth. All of which were very rude and felt making jokes at my expense was a good decision. I found my way on my own and then needed to use the restroom. I walked into the Nature Center (I’m not sure what the technical title of the building is for sure) with about ten minutes to closing time. The employee saw me walk in looked at the clock, sighed and asked if he could help me. So basically, don’t talk to anyone that actually works there. It’s $ 8 to get in and $ 5 to park from what I understand. Other then that it was great.
My trail guide was fantastic and took us all around the park and near the water. I had never been to Ancil Hoffman Park, so everything was new. We hiked around the golf course, down by the water, and into the «woodsy» areas. It really is a beautiful park. The drought has hurt it a little, but still pretty. We ran into a snake, but had no problems with it attacking us. It just went along it’s way. The trails are cement, rock and loose dirt terrain. I was in tennis shoes and was able to maneuver just fine.
The trails aren’t too challenging. It’s very easy to create a hike to meet any length and level of hiker. I did four miles, but some of our group did 3 and others did 5. The trails along the water are beautiful! Highly recommend checking that out.
I’ll probably go back again and explore some areas I didn’t get to hike around. A great little gem in Sacramento.

Love this park, been coming here since I was a small child (30 years) Clean and nice. Lots of tables, river access, a nature center, golf course and more. Great place for gatherings and birthday parties outside.

I absolutely love this park. Lots of great things for children, adults, and pets. Lots of trails, great walks and lots of sitting areas. Picnic areas as well. You can even walk along the lake and it’s beautiful.
Also the Nature Center that’s there is small but quaint and so beautiful as well. It’s just a great place to be overall, great ambience and great people there.
I’ve already been to this park a handful of times since I first went about a week ago. This is my new go to park.
I challenge you Unilocalers, go here and not have a good time: P

wow this place is beautiful. i would have never knew about this place if i wasn’t doing a field trip here. its very peaceful and quiet with lots of deers and turkey roaming around everywhere and they say there are lots of humming birds and owls as well.
there are many trails to take and are not hard or steep at all. its very good exercise, and easy to walk on the trails and observe the place and see if you can spot animals on the trails. i suggest you bring a camera to capture special moments here. each trail has a sign and informs you what they have ahead and what you might see and a brief description as well.
also the trails are not hard to find your way back, just always try to find the sign nature center to head back the entrance. the trails are just a big circle so it shouldn’t be a problem but it is a big big circle though. one of the trails do lead you to american river and its just so beautiful you don’t want to leave. also there is a trail which leads you to a pond which is filled with green algae and looks like its abandoned and nothing inside but the view of it is very nice. along all the trails there are many nice trees and logs which look very old and are protected as well. one of the trail there are many deers which as harmless and are afraid of people. they were so adorable and are eating grass and just minding there own business. there are some with antlers and those are the older and more experience and are very alert.
while walking the whole trail around i did observe many photographers and people just doing their morning walks along the trails. this is a great place to capture pictures with a nice unique background. although the parking here isn’t free and cost about 5 bucks but i think its worth it. great experience and it was fun and i loved the quietness nature area.

Been coming here since I was a kid in the 1980s. Effie Yeau nature center has owls animals kid stuff things like claws to touch and discover. Easy parking. Nature trails are easy and very woodsy. U dont have to walk too far to feel immersed in tranquil nature center. Walk a little further and skip rocks Into the american river. Ive spotted deer squirrels and fox coyote once. They have guided tours as well. Give this place a try you wont be disappointed!!! Only costs u to park /​get u in the gate

Ancel hoffman has so man great places to go! the nature center where they have all kinds of animals so the kids can see them plus things for te kids to touch and play with so its kid friendly! all the staff are so helpful and can help tou figure out what trails u would like the best. they have a restroom in the nature center to a plus if u have small kids or elderly. its also close enough to parking that if u forgot something u can go right back out and grab it before a walk. when walking on the trails you run into lots of wild life! such as deers, rabbits, birds, squirrels and more! its also not a far walk to the river if you love skipping rocks or taking a picnic for the family! I bring my husband and our three girls all under 4 to walk an we have such a great time looking around! they also have a golf course and biking trails to! dogs and bikes are not allowed on some trails and not in the nature center but i can see why since they like the wild life protected! thank u for having this place open we have a blast and parking isnt very much i think about 5 or 6 dollars or u can buy a year parking pass thats what we do!

***** Get a yearly park pass at REI. It’s around 50 $ and gets you into all Sacramento county parks******
I love parks. I love this park. My family loves this park. … I am here twice a week during the school year and I am sooooo grateful that it exits. There are simple trails that are beautiful and happy to explore. Fields to play frisbee in and often horses. My 2 year old and I have picnics in the grass and he runs himself tired.
Effie Yeaw is within and has a nature center with awesome disabled animals to look at. We often go turkey chasing as we explore the trails. Yeehaw yippee ki o ki a!!! Great place to be.
There’s also a golf course but we don’t play (my son’s 2).

This a cool get away think spot to walk and enjoy a bit of nature. It’s not as municipal as nearby Carmichael park, which I like a lot too. But this one is big and spacious where you feel like you went way out of town somewhere, Very quiet with an animal sanctuary and everything.

An amazing way to enjoy the outdoors at no cost. From golf to simply walking and site seeing this place is the place to be.

There is lots of shade, which I LOVE. I recently went here for a bday party and had tons of fun. It very spacious and located next to a nice little river. The river looks like a fun place for rafting, but I just settled for wading in the water. There are some little fish swimming about. The kids had lots of fun trying to catch them, although none were caught.

I have been here many many many times throughout the years and cannot get enough! I used to love how out of nowhere this place seemed to be within Carmichael. Made me feel very much a local. Many a time I had read a good book lounging on the large field. Walking during the falls and winters and seeing groups of are very memorable experiences.

I absolutely love this park. I love to take my dogs for a good walk/​run there. My daughter loves bringing her ball and kicking it in their large open park area when you first drive in to your left (1^st parking lot).
They have a large golf course where you might see some Canadian geese, wild turkey and deer wandering around.
Also within this park are 77 acres of trails some of which lead you directly to the American River, less than a 10 minute walk. They are wheelchair and stroller friendly. No dogs or bikes allowed on trails. If you go later in the afternoon near sundown you will see a lot of deer and wild turkey. Grab a map from the Nature Center to learn more about what you see and find on the trails.
Also hidden within this park is the Effie Yeaw Nature Center, which is popular among schools for school tours. They have injured wildlife that can not survive in the wild so they use them for educational purposes. They have a discovery room for kids to go explore and learn things about plants and animals that are native to California. Outside the nature center is the Maidu Indian Village that has been created to educate the public of how the Maidu Indians lived. Effie Yeaw also provides volunteer opportunities for children as young as 12 – 14. I volunteered there from age 12 through 18. I treasure those memories and met some incredible people during those years, some of who I’m still friends with today.
Great place for a BBQ with friends and family, picnic tables in shaded areas and close to the river too. Bring a camera & enjoy your visit.

This park will always be near and dear to me since I’ve grown up going to it for various occasions and outings. It is a beautiful, sprawling landscape and I love driving in and seeing turkeys and deer walking around.
There are 2 things I don’t like about it,
#1: every so often they raise the price to get in and then make no announcement about it. Send out a flyer or put it in Carmichael Times for gosh sakes!
#2: This park used to be pretty secluded, it’s off a street not many drive and you usually only knew about it if you were a resident of Carmichael or if you were the friend of a resident of Carmichael. The past few times I’ve been there it has been pretty crowded and more often than not, crowded with people who aren’t there for the beauty of nature or a relaxing picnic but for the accommodating space for their parties. Having a party there is all well and good but please remember this is also a nature reserve! Treat it as such, and then add a little extra respect in case there is someone like me there who cares very much for this park. DON“T race your lil rice rocket car in and out blasting the stereo, it’s so rude and I wouldn’t be surprised if one of the golfers aimed their next shot at your rear windshield. TEACH your children (or any adults who may need a reminder) to respect nature, observe, but leave things as they are, and leave things as they were when you leave (i.e. PICK UP YOUR TRASH). And I promise that if I see any more kids throwing rocks at any critters I will throw rocks at them and most likely knock their little asses out cold.

I agree, this is a BIG ASS park. This park kicks the butt of all the parks I grew up going to along San Francisco/​Peninsula area. I like taking my dog to the open field of trees and grass at the very front of the park. It’s a great place to have an intimate picnic and watch people riding horses. I walked along the Effie Yeaw nature trails and did not see any mountain lions. I was able to see woodpeckers loudly peck holes into tree trunks, get up close and personal with extremely loud eating squirrels, and see two bucks fight antler to antler (it was like being in the middle of a nature channel show). The river was a nice place to relax once you avoid falling off all the rocks and pebbles. Can’t wait to go here again!

This place is great, and few people outside of Sacramento know about it. I come here when I’m craving a hike but can’t leave town for one reason or another. There are a network of nature trails through oak forest, with herds of deer and wild turkeys roaming everywhere. And the east side of the park borders the American river. It’s the closest thing to a nature preserve within the city limits. A beautiful place.

Lots of good memories here! My uncles and aunts used to have family B.B.Q.‘s here all the time. As we got older, my cousins would have B.B.Q.‘s here for birthdays, etc. Always great fun. I enjoyed going down to the river with my cousins and just walking around. I love the walks. The park is so huge there! Or so I remember it anyway. There is also the nature center by there also. Good times.