Trails & Open Spaces

Parkways and greenways are becoming an essential component of the public landscape throughout the United States as part of a growing trend to make our communities more livable. As the South Sacramento area continues to be developed, open space preservation and pedestrian/bicycle friendly facilities will increase in importance. The District currently owns and manages approximately seven miles of trails including: the Laguna Creek Parkway, the Tillotson Parkway, Churchill Downs Community Park, and the Florin Creek Trail. The District also maintains approximately 205 acres of open space preserves including creekways, wetlands and vernal pool areas.

The Laguna Creek Parkway

The Laguna Creek Parkway is a linear open space corridor established along sections of the Upper Laguna Creek. This multi-use corridor preserves the open space along this creekway from future development and will ultimately facilitate drainage and flood control, water treatment, and a multi-purpose trail system. Approximately ten miles of the Laguna Creek corridor is within the Southgate Recreation & Park District. The Laguna Creek Parkway Trail will eventually serve as a regional connector as part of the Sacramento River and the American River Parkway trail systems which will ultimately form a fifty-mile loop connecting Southgate and South Sacramento communities (including Elk Grove) to Sacramento, Rancho Cordova, Folsom and El Dorado Hills. Southgate, along with Sacramento County and City, the City of Elk Grove, SRCSD (Sacramento Regional County Sanitation District) and numerous non-profit organizations, participate in the Upper Laguna Creek Collaborative, to plan and design this multi-purpose corridor.

The Tillotson Parkway

The Tillotson Parkway is a four-mile bicycle and pedestrian transportation and recreation trail through the District that consists of a landscaped corridor ranging from 30-100 feet in width, with a meandering eight-foot-wide concrete path and benches. Planning for the first phase of the project began in 1996.  The second phase was completed in 2004. There are several parks located along the Tillotson Parkway including: Countryside Park at the trailhead, Brittany Park, Boulder Glen Park, and Cochran Park. Improvements at these trailside parks include turf areas and picnic areas, as well as playgrounds. The Tillotson Parkway provides an extensive environment for walking, biking, and skating, as well as recreational opportunities for play.

Florin Creek Trail

The 1.3 mile long Florin Creek Trail extends from Florin Creek Park on the west (under Highway 99) to Rutter Park on the east along the Florin Creek open space corridor. It joins several neighborhoods and provides convenient off-road access to several parks and community facilities including the Florin Creek Recreation Center and the Jose Rizal Community Center, and the Southgate Library and Rutter Middle School.