At 5 PM tomorrow, Friday, October 23, runners line up at Beals Point for a race with no set distance and no finish time. Every hour they head out on a 4.16-mile loop. Anyone who isn't back in time to start the next lap is out. The race keeps going until one runner is left.
That race is the first of three planned on the trails at the edge of Folsom Lake Estates. Placer County describes the neighborhood as about 300 homes between Auburn-Folsom Road and Barton Road. Beals Point's address is 9704 Auburn Folsom Road. The California State Parks 2026 special events calendar lists all three races with "None" under closures. The trails stay open through each event. What changes is when runners are on them, and the three races keep very different hours.
The fall calendar, by the clock
| Dates | Event | Starts | Size on the State Parks calendar | What it covers near Granite Bay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 23–25 | NorCal Backyard Ultra | 5 PM Friday; Mini at 7 AM Saturday | 150 | Beals Point and surrounding trails |
| Nov 7–8 | Rio Del Lago 100 and 50K | 5 AM Saturday | 375 | Beals Point, Granite Bay, Pioneer Express Trail, Rattlesnake Bar |
| Nov 26 | Wild Turkey Trot | 10K at 9 AM, 5K at 9:15 AM | 200 | Beals Point to Granite Bay |
Something else changes in the middle of this stretch. On November 1, State Parks moves Beals Point and Granite Bay to winter hours. Opening time shifts from 6 AM to 7 AM, and closing stays at 30 minutes after sunset. Rio Del Lago starts at 5 AM on November 7, two hours before the posted winter opening, and keeps runners on the course into Sunday.
October 23: a race that starts at dinnertime
The NorCal Backyard Ultra is run by Bad Luck Run Club. Bib pickup at Beals Point runs from 3:00 to 4:45 PM Friday, and the main race starts at 5:00 PM. The format sets the pace. Every runner starts every lap together, on the hour, so a fresh group heads out of Beals Point every 60 minutes for as long as the race lasts. Between laps, runners rest at camps they set up themselves on the grass by the start line.
Since a Last Person Standing race has no scheduled finish, a Friday 5 PM start can carry hourly laps through the night. On Saturday a second race joins it. The "Mini" version uses the same hourly 4.16-mile loop from 7 AM to 7 PM. For most of Saturday, two races share one loop.
The organizer describes the loop as about half road and half smooth trail. Because of construction, the final route and elevation won't be confirmed until close to race day. The rules keep everything at one spot. The only aid station is a warm tent at the start and finish, with water, hydration mix, snacks and hot food. Crews can't help runners anywhere on the course. A dog walker out on the trail will see runners pass each hour, but the crowd, the camps and the cheering stay at Beals Point.
November 7–8: the race that passes Granite Beach twice
Two weeks later, Rio Del Lago brings a much longer race and many more runners. The State Parks calendar expects 375 participants, and both the 100-mile and 50K races start together at Beals Point at 5 AM Saturday. Here's the order the course takes near Folsom Lake Estates, as the organizer describes it:
- From Beals Point, runners first head south on a loop past Hazel Bluff, Black Miners Bar, the Folsom Powerhouse and Lake Natoma, then return to Beals Point.
- From there they head north on single track along the Pioneer Express Trail, near the Granite Bay entrance, to Granite Beach on the north side of the lake.
- 50K runners turn around at Twin Rocks, just past Granite Beach, and run back to Beals Point.
- 100-mile runners keep going to Horseshoe Bar, Rattlesnake Bar, the Auburn Dam Overlook, No Hands Bridge and Cool, then come back the same way through Rattlesnake Bar, Horseshoe Bar and Twin Rocks to the finish at Beals Point.
The 2026 pace chart puts the Granite Beach aid station at mile 25.40 on the way out and mile 96.30 on the way back. Granite Beach is near the start and near the very end of a race with about 13,458 feet of climbing and a finish cutoff of 11 AM Sunday. By that cutoff, the race has been running for 30 hours. The organizer's own aid plan shows what time of day those final miles fall. Hot food is served at Granite Beach only on the return, and night aid stations stock hot veggie broth and quesadillas.
The 50K runs on a much shorter clock. It covers 31 miles with about 2,542 feet of gain, and its cutoff is 1:30 PM Saturday. On Saturday morning, runners from both races share the shoreline trail. From Saturday afternoon on, only 100-mile runners are out there, coming back toward Beals Point through the night and into Sunday morning.
Where watching is allowed, and where it isn't
Rio has a firm list of places spectators can't go, and Granite Beach is on it for the return leg. The race names Beals Point, Granite Beach, Rattlesnake Bar and the Auburn Dam Overlook as viewing areas. It bars crews and spectators at Willow Creek, Black Miners Bar, Horseshoe Bar, Cardiac, No Hands Bridge, Auburn Lake Trails, Highway 49 and Granite Beach on the return to the finish. The rule is enforced against runners. A crew member at a no-access spot gets their runner disqualified, and the organizer says this applies to locals who know the course too.
For a neighbor who wants to watch close to home, the nearest allowed spots are Beals Point at the start and finish and Granite Beach on the way out. Rattlesnake Bar and the Auburn Dam Overlook sit farther north on the course. Rio's crew directions list a $12 vehicle fee for State Park viewing unless you have a Golden Poppy Pass. You pay once and show the receipt at each park entrance. State Parks lists the same $12 day-use rate for both Beals Point and Granite Bay. Rio is also cupless, so runners carry their own cups to every aid station.
The one race this fall that does close trails, and where it runs
Only one nearby event on the State Parks calendar lists a closure. Run the Parkway on November 8, with 1,300 participants, closes the American River Bike Trail and the South Lake Natoma Bike Path. It runs the same Sunday that Rio's last 100-mile runners are finishing, but it's south on the Folsom side of the water. The trails between Beals Point and Granite Bay stay open all weekend.
Thanksgiving follows the same split. The Folsom Turkey Trot, with 4,000 runners, uses the American River Bike Trail from Rainbow Bridge to Folsom Lake Crossing. The holiday race at Beals Point is about a twentieth of that size.
November 26: the morning race
The Wild Turkey Trot by Singletrack Running is the only one of the three that fits into a single morning. The State Parks calendar expects 200 participants on the trails from Beals Point to Granite Bay. The 10K starts at 9:00 AM and the 5K at 9:15 AM. A free children's 1K follows. The organizer's page lists it at 10:15 AM, but another race listing gives a different time, so families should check with Singletrack Running before Thanksgiving.
The course is an out-and-back over the levee. The 5K works for strollers, and the 10K moves onto single track with more climbing. The 2026 route map labels its segments by local landmarks: "Gravel Rd to Granite Bay gate," "Granite Bay Gate over water tower to end of gravel Rd," and "Granite Bay Gate to Beal's Point." Leashed dogs are allowed and there's a post-race gathering. Like Rio, the race is cupless, with one aid location that 5K runners pass once and 10K runners pass twice. Parking is $12, or free with a Poppy Pass.
Working a race instead of watching one
Each of the three races asks for volunteers, and each offers something different in return:
- NorCal Backyard Ultra: start and finish setup, runner check-in and aid station shifts. Volunteers who work at least five hours get a $120 race credit, according to Bad Luck Run Club's volunteer page.
- Rio Del Lago: volunteers sign up through the event's Race Roster link on rio100mile.com. The organizer strongly suggests that each 2026 runner give six hours of volunteer time.
- Wild Turkey Trot: race-day setup, bib pickup, hot chocolate, aid station, sweeper, or marking the course the day before, through the race's volunteer page. Pre-race volunteers may get half their registration fee back.
For most of these jobs, you can't tell the shifts from the race clocks above. The Backyard Ultra's aid tent stays open as long as anyone is still running, and Rio's Beals Point finish line is open until 11 AM Sunday.
At Jackson Lundy Group, we follow what's happening on the trails near Folsom Lake Estates as closely as what's happening on its streets. If you're planning a fall move and want to know how these weekends fit around showings, inspections or moving day, we're glad to help you plan your calendar around them.
