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    Ancil Hoffman Park

    4.3 (46 reviews)

    Ancil Hoffman Park Photos

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    Allergy central - take those allergy pills.
    Charlene G.

    Char: "Daniel, why haven't you taken me here, sooner? I don't even feel like I'm in Sacramento. Everything is so lush and green!" This was my first impression as soon as we drove into Ancil Hoffman Park. I didn't realize that the golf course and park combination was so big and separate at the same time. It's truly a hidden gem, hidden behind such beautiful, large, custom homes and huge, gorgeous trees - after all its nestled in The City of Trees, Sacramento! I really enjoyed my first time visit. To be clear, the half dirt/half cement trail is a little over 3 miles (per Apple Watch) that outlines and circles the golf course. It's nice because most, if not all of the trail is shaded! You can hear so much birds and sounds of nature, but you're not somewhere in the center of the woods, you're literally just in the suburbs of FairOaks and Carmichael- it's crazy! Adjacent to a huge part of the trail is the American River. There are parts of the trail that lead you to the river where you can lay out by the water and just listen to the water, so Relaxing. The pro is clean, safe and has so much space. Great place to run, walk, ride your bike and or walk the fur babe! I highly recommend this park, for it has so much to offer!!!

    Bathroom
    Matt C.

    Tried to get a bench repaired, no luck. I used to come to this park as a child but it seams to have gone downhill.

    Great place to spend time with family! Enjoy nature and see animals! The river is cold, but children played there anyway.

    Lisa B.

    There is a 6$ fee at the entrance. This park is beautiful & it has an entrance of the American river and man was it flowing fast. Many People were swimming & enjoying the water & it was beautiful! But it was very packed so go early. if you decide to bring your dog with you just be with you just mindful that people in big groups throw party's and such & it can get crowded. They also have grills if you wanted to grill food & they have a nature conservatory but the owl isn't there on Sundays. The bathrooms were whack tho y'all. I was disappointed in the bathrooms there was no soap, paper towels or tissue paper. You may $$ for a park entree so you would expect that all necessities would be in the park. That was pretty disappointing.

    One of the many deer in the park.
    Caroline R.

    I love this park! There are so many different things to look at. You can walk alongside the river. You can visit the Effie Yeaw Nature Center. There is a huge golf course if you're into that. The park is like a small Nature preserve. There are paved surfaces to walk on and dirt trails as well. I believe parking is $5. Go take your kids and check out some beautiful nature.

    Alex L.

    Ancil Hoffman, the massive park adjacent to the river and Effie Yeaw Nature Center, is a gem that even some locals don't know about. Once you come here you'll see why. There is so much space to run, play, picnic, nap, explore and barbecue. It makes all other little parks look miniscule in comparison. We came here recently for a family picnic before heading into the Effie Yeaw Nature Center. Even on a more crowded weekend day there was plenty of space for us to find a perfect grassy knoll in the shade of a big tree to lay down our blanket. We ran, we played, we laughed, we ate. Because the place is so big there isn't a lot of audible noise from the city in the distance, so you really feel like you're in another place. I've seen complaints about parking fees, especially for large groups, but the signage is pretty clear and the fees are reasonable. There's people who come here in groups as large as 50 to picnic sometimes.

    Amazing walking trail and great view to take children for outdoors nature. Breathtaking!!!

    Alison L.

    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 (1st 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.

    Big field:)

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    1 year ago

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    2 years ago

    Definitely one of my favorite parts it's beautiful, well-kept and safe and... My dog loves it too

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    3 years ago

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    3 years ago

    Very friendly. Everyone. Food and service in cafe is excellent. Encourage everyone to use cafe.

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    5 years ago

    This place is great for kids and the staff at the interpretative center are just the best people.

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    8 years ago

    Definitely worth a visit! Lots of open space and river access. A beautiful spot in Sacramento.

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    14 years ago

    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.

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    Ask the Community - Ancil Hoffman Park

    Review Highlights - Ancil Hoffman Park

    Also hidden within this park is the Effie Yeaw Nature Center, which is popular among schools for school tours.

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    Gum Ranch Park - Hard to see but there is a big gap between the older kids climbing structure and the rope bridge you have to crawl over to get to slide.

    Gum Ranch Park

    4.5(12 reviews)
    5.3 mi

    Our visit was in July 2025 to this cute Fair Oaks park within a small neighborhood. The park has a…read moresmall splash pad, and two playgrounds one for younger and older children. My granddaughter who is 8, loved the splash pad & the younger kids playground. The park is not gated and is adjacent to a walking path. Be careful if you have a little runner. The splash pad has a high water bucket dumping water in different directions. There was only one working water spout for the little kids when we came and the frog sprays water but you have to click the yellow button on the blue pole to make it work once it turns off. The older kids playground she loved the round rope swings but did get rope scrapes on back of both legs from swinging on them so be careful. Next time will use a towel under her legs. The big net play structure is fun if you want to just climb around but to get to the slides there is a big gap between the net structures that you have to go past in order to work your way across the rope bridge then to the slide. She was disappointed she couldn't get over to slides as a big gap she couldn't reach other side safely. Really wish there were rope stairs going straight up to slide area so kids can play on slide that can't do rope structure. The younger kids playground was nice. Multiple climbing structures that included a slide, rope hammock, a turning swing type activity. Parking is along the street only. Park has Drinking fountains and clean bathrooms. There are two picnic table areas. One down by the playgrounds and another by the splash pad.

    Solid kid's park in the Fair Oaks area with a splash pad perfect for kiddos. Would be nice if there…read morewere more splash pad-adjacent toys or interactive components, as well as more shaded structures or overhanging trees, as the summers get crazy hot with exposed grassy areas. There are 2 picnic bench areas where you can settle in with food/supplies, as well as an adjacent bathroom and pickleball court. Large grassy area to run around and a small walking trail as well. There's plenty of room to expand, so hopefully they can add additional amenities moving forward. Plenty of adjacent street parking in the community. Recommended.

    Photos
    Gum Ranch Park - 5-12 yr old structure

    5-12 yr old structure

    Gum Ranch Park - Two Round rope swings

    Two Round rope swings

    Gum Ranch Park - Little kid playground side, slide just past this but I didn't take a picture of it

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    Little kid playground side, slide just past this but I didn't take a picture of it

    Hagan Community Park, Dog Park, Center & Barn

    Hagan Community Park, Dog Park, Center & Barn

    4.0(82 reviews)
    0.6 mi

    We went yesterday for the train ride! Was donation $2pp. Train ride was soo cute. 15min ride…read morethrough Hagan park in Rancho. About 8min from KP international market. They have a tiny farm there, we saw 2 pigs. More animals available to interact w on Saturdays. Suggested donation $2pp. They take cash there. I thought u needed advanced tickets so bought online but it's really just whoever wants to ride can line up. https://www.svlsrm.org/ Duck pond: tons of duck and geese Water area: part of american river?? Not sure. Can fish there! Playground: With climate change, unpredictable weather, and summers with many days over 100F, would be nice if all parks in the sac area provided shade. This one has shade only over a small set of swings by a picnic area/ by the trains & barn. The main playground had shade near it but no shade over the play structures. Kids going down the slides could get burned- recommend putting up shade to avoid future liability issues. Overall a beautiful park w a good amt of shade, multiple parking lots and multiple picnic areas. Too far for us to come regularly but likely coming back for the train ride during holidays when I think they usually have a Santa there. (You need advance tix for this)

    September 24, 2025 - Rancho Cordova, CA…read more The fenced dog park is great! There's plenty of room for pups to run, with separate areas for big dogs and for small ones (under 15" in height). A few chairs are available for owners, plus a little swimming pool filled with water for the dogs. The grass and shade trees make it extra inviting. It's clear this park is very well cared for.

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    Hagan Community Park, Dog Park, Center & Barn
    Hagan Community Park, Dog Park, Center & Barn
    Hagan Community Park, Dog Park, Center & Barn

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    Jensen Botanical Gardens - 3/15/26 Stopped by today to see whether he Tulips are in bloom. They are!

    Jensen Botanical Gardens

    4.2(62 reviews)
    1.7 mi

    Very beautiful out door area with walking trails near by. Very small parking lot and a quick turn…read moreoff of the busy highway. My husband happened to notice the sign driving by one day. He kept saying he wanted to stop by. We visited in October cooler weather and in the morning. A few people were also enjoying the area. I posted a few pictures on Facebook another person said go back in March when more flowers are in bloom. We hope we can go back then or at least in the spring time.

    A little disappointing as I had read reviews about tulips in bloom around this time of year and…read morearrived to find none. Very easy to miss the entrance due to the fast-moving traffic on the main road. The gravel parking lot is a bit small, so it fills up fast. If full, the next best thing would be probably to circle around to the back where the Carmichael Community Garden is. It has a gravel lot, with a paved walkway connecting to the botanical garden. If you can, go on a weekday! I went on Sunday afternoon, and there were 3-4 small families and a large group doing photoshoots. Plenty of benches throughout and a huge grassy area perfect for picnics. Though I didn't see much, it would be best to keep an eye out for dog poop. It's a nice place to check out if you're already in the area. Depending on what you're hoping to see, it may not be worth the trek. Of all the flowers, roses make up the majority. Unless it's through your camera, you won't be able to see a small portion of flowers and bushes up close due to how the garden is arranged.

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    Jensen Botanical Gardens
    Jensen Botanical Gardens
    Jensen Botanical Gardens

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    Ancil Hoffman Park - parks - Updated May 2026

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