Johnny Cash Folsom Bike Trail Opens

A burning ring o’ fire for bikers? Cindy Cash, daughter of singing legend Johnny Cash, attended the ground-breaking ceremony in February 2014 for the $3 million Johnny Cash Folsom Bike Trail. The ceremony took place at the corner of Folsom Lake Crossing and East Natoma Street. Cash fans will love taking a ride across a Folsom Prison-like bridge that is featured along the trail.

The new off-street bike trail is on an easement on the western edge of Folsom State Prison, California’s second oldest prison. The trail’s name comes from the legendary singer’s 1955 song “Folsom Prison Blues,” a January 1968 concert at the prison and the subsequent hit 1968 hit album “At Folsom Prison.” The album was famously recorded at Folsom State Prison and helped put the city on the map.

The new bike bridge over Folsom Lake Crossing is the most expensive part of the project. It safely carries riders over the busy traffic of Folsom Lake Crossing and East Natoma Street, which connects Granite Bay with Folsom and El Dorado Hills. The concrete bridge is designed to reflect the look of the Gothic guard towers of Folsom State Prison’s west gate.
Cash was not known as a big bike rider, but he most certainly helped make the prison famous. Interestingly, the city of Folsom has 35 miles of Class 1 bike trails, which are trails for bikes only and not on city streets. This new segment of trail adds about 2.5 miles of Class 1 bike trail parallel with East Natoma Street and makes a connection with the city’s civic center and also with the American River Bike Trail.
A second phase of the Johnny Cash Folsom Trail will parallel Prison Road to the prison’s front gate. Prison Road is a narrow, two-lane road, and in order to make the project happen, prison officials were willing to give up the easement for the trail if the city would build an off-street trail to the prison so guards who wanted to commute to work by bicycle could do so. Can we hashtag that #onlyincalifornia?
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