We're visiting Lincoln, CA for family reasons (so the "tourist sites" in and around Sacramento are reasonably off limits for this trip). however, can anyone recommend shady parks/trails that are runner-friendly? Perhaps this seems like a silly Q but what precautions, if any, need to be taken to guard against mountain lion attacks? thanks.

The most obvious choice is the American River Parkway, a bike and walk/run trail. But there are a lot of other places to run. The Parkway is glorious - meandering 30 miles from Folsom to Downtow Sacramento along the river. Most of it are very safe. But very close to the Sacramento end there are some places that you might not want to run alone - there are some unathorized homeless camps near the trail.

Mountain lions are not much of a threat - not totally unheard of but pretty rare down this low. You will see lots of deer, birds etc.

There are also some good parks in Roseville which is closer to Lincoln.

HunyBadger,

My only comment: I don't know where you are coming from, but do you have any idea how hot it is in Sacramento/Lincoln this time of year?

Curious

I will be in Sac next month for a family thing and I can tell you that I will be spending as much time indoors with the AC, under a patio umbrella or in the pool as possible. I think a person would have to be pretty darned dedicated to go out in typical Sac summer heat and run.

The idea is to run in the morning - any time between 6AM and 10 or 11ish is normally fine for any type of exercise. It isn't a good idea to run in the afternoons or early evening.