The Granite Bay Ramp Is Closed. The Trail Above It Is About to Have Its Busiest Night.

On Oct. 19, Folsom Lake dropped to 402 feet and California State Parks closed the Granite Bay Stage 1 launch ramp. Granite Bay's next ramp, the Low Water Ramp, can't be used until the lake reaches about 395 feet. Based on current releases, State Parks projects that for the week of Nov. 9, though releases and rain could move the date either way.

The first full weekend of November falls inside that gap. At 5 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 7, several hundred runners will leave Beals Point, take the Pioneer Express Trail to Granite Beach, and keep going north. Some of them will come back past the same beach after midnight. For the next few weeks, the Granite Bay shoreline gets more use from people on foot than from boats.

Between Ramps, on a Calendar

The dates below are the ones that change how the Granite Bay side of the lake works between now and Thanksgiving:

1. Sunday, Nov. 1: Winter hours begin. The Granite Bay and Beals Point entrances open at 7 a.m. instead of 6 a.m. and still close 30 minutes after sunset. Winter hours run through March 31.
2. Monday, Nov. 2: Late registration for Rio Del Lago closes on Race Roster.
3. Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 7–8: The Rio Del Lago 100-mile and 50K runs.
4. Sunday, Nov. 8: Run the Parkway closes the American River Bike Trail and the South Lake Natoma Bike Path for its 1,300 runners. That's the same morning slower Rio runners will still be finishing.
5. Week of Nov. 9: The projected opening of the Granite Bay Low Water Ramp.
6. Thursday, Nov. 26: The Wild Turkey Trot starts from Beals Point on Thanksgiving morning.

Boats still have options until the low-water ramp opens. State Parks allows launching from the Granite Bay shoreline but doesn't recommend it for larger, heavier boats. Personal watercraft and small boats can launch there at their own risk, and State Parks won't tow out vehicles that get stuck. Larger boats can still use the Hobie Cove ramp at Browns Ravine. Since Oct. 19, the Granite Bay vessel quarantine inspection station has been open daily from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. It closes on holidays and when it rains.

A 100-Mile Race That Passes Granite Beach Twice

This is the 25th Rio Del Lago 100 and the fifth Rio 50K. Both races start together at Beals Point at 5 a.m. on Saturday. The course starts with a loop south through Folsom and along Lake Natoma. Runners then return to Beals Point and head north on the Pioneer Express Trail, which the race describes as a path worn by gold miners and starts near the Granite Bay entrance. From there they go to Granite Beach, then past Twin Rocks, Horseshoe Bar and Rattlesnake Bar toward Auburn. The 100-mile runners eventually come back the same way. 50K runners turn around at Twin Rocks, just past Granite Beach, and head back to Beals Point, where they have to finish by 1:30 p.m.

So the trail between Beals Point and Twin Rocks gets runners in both directions, and the timing is spread out. The race's 2026 pace chart estimates when 100-mile runners reach the Granite Bay-side aid stations. The ranges below run from its 16-hour pace to its 30-hour pace:

Overnight, from Saturday evening into Sunday morning, runners are on the shoreline trail between Rattlesnake Bar and Beals Point, with the 100-mile finish cutoff at 11 a.m. Sunday. The Granite Beach aid station serves hot food on the return leg, along with Horseshoe Bar and Rattlesnake Bar. Night aid stations stock hot veggie broth and quesadillas.

Where You Can Stand, and Where You Can't

Rio's spectator rules are strict, and the penalty lands on the runner. The race allows crews and spectators at Beals Point, Granite Beach, Rattlesnake Bar and the Auburn Dam Overlook. Horseshoe Bar is off-limits to crews and spectators, and so is Granite Beach on the return leg. According to the race, crewing at a closed location gets that runner disqualified, and it says plainly that this applies to local runners and friends who know the course.

For a Granite Bay neighbor who wants to watch, that leaves two easy options. One is the Beals Point start before dawn on Saturday or the finish on Sunday morning. The other is Granite Beach late Saturday morning, when runners pass on the way north. Rattlesnake Bar is open to spectators in both directions, and the chart has the fastest returning runners there around 6:54 p.m. Saturday. The race also needs volunteers. It suggests that its 100-mile runners put in six volunteer hours, though that isn't required for 2026, and volunteers get a goodie item and post-race food. The race is also cupless, so runners carry their own cups to every aid station.

Twenty-Five Years Back to Norm and Helen Klein

The race's local roots explain why it starts at Beals Point. According to the race, Norm and Helen Klein started Rio Del Lago in 2000. Norm Klein had just finished 14 years as race director of the Western States Endurance Run, from 1986 through 1999, according to Western States' year-by-year history. In 2022, the Rancho Cordova Independent described Helen as a longtime Rancho Cordova resident. It credited her with 75 national and world running records and said she started running at 55.

Today the race is run by Julie Fingar, with Fit 2 Run, Inc. and NorCalUltras listed as organizers. Its beneficiary is Protect American River Canyons, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Late registration on Race Roster costs $494.14 for the 100-miler and $210.62 for the 50K, including mandatory charges, as of Oct. 22.

Thanksgiving Morning Starts at the Same Spot

Three weeks after Rio, the Wild Turkey Trot uses the same Beals Point lot at 9704 Auburn Folsom Road on a much smaller scale. The 10K starts at 9:00 a.m., the 5K at 9:15 a.m., and there's a free 1K for children under six. Event listings disagree on the kids' race start time, so check with SingleTrack Running before you plan around it.

Through Oct. 31, the 5K costs $45.52 and the 10K costs $48.70. Starting Nov. 1, the 5K goes up to $48.70 and the 10K to $59.30. A 10K entrant who signs up by Saturday, Oct. 31, saves $10.60. Donations go to Folsom's Hope. RunSignup's results archive goes back to 2016, so the trot is a long-running Thanksgiving fixture at Beals Point. Volunteers work the start area, bib pickup, the hot-chocolate table, the aid station and course sweeping. Volunteers who help before race day get back half of their registration fee after the event.

The two Thanksgiving races are very different sizes. The Wild Turkey Trot plans for 200 participants on the trails between Beals Point and Granite Bay. The Folsom Turkey Trot plans for 4,000 on the American River Bike Trail between Rainbow Bridge and Folsom Lake Crossing. The small one starts at Beals Point.

Open Trails, Shared Space

State Parks' 2026 special-events calendar lists no closures for either Rio Del Lago or the Wild Turkey Trot. The Pioneer Express Trail, Granite Beach and the trails toward Horseshoe Bar aren't officially closed during either race, so on Nov. 7–8 and Thanksgiving morning, other trail users will share them with runners. Rio's own crew and spectator limits at Horseshoe Bar, and at Granite Beach on the return leg, still apply to anyone there to support a runner. On the Saturday of Rio, the 7 a.m. winter opening comes two hours after the 5 a.m. start. By late morning, the runners heading north will be reaching Granite Beach.

Day use costs $12 per vehicle at both Beals Point and Granite Bay on State Parks' Folsom Lake fee table. The state's fee sheet says prices can change without notice. Before you go, check the Granite Bay ramp status page. The week-of-Nov. 9 date for the low-water ramp is a projection, and rain could change it.

Our team at Brian Perry Real Estate Group follows what's happening along Folsom Lake as closely as the market, from ramp levels to race weekends. If you're thinking about how a Granite Bay home fits the way you use the trails and shoreline, schedule your complimentary concierge consultation and we'll talk through it with you.