Trailheads and Maps
Trailheads
Begin your exploration of the UC Davis Putah Creek Riparian Reserve at one of these trailheads:
- Old Davis Road Trailhead
- View on campus map
The Old Davis Road Parking Area is located on the north side of the creek, downstream from the Old Davis Road Bridge. Take the paved levee road to the gravel parking area. There are no restroom facilities. - Brooks Road Trailhead
- View on campus map
The Brooks Road Parking is located south of the intersection of Levee Road and Brooks Road, west of Highway 113. To get there, take Hutchison Drive to Hopkins Road. Head south on Hopkins Road until it turns left at Putah Creek and becomes Levee Road. Continue east on Levee Road until it begins to turn left. The Brooks Road parking will be on the right. Look for a gravel parking area with two picnic tables. There are no restroom facilities. - Fire Ring Picnic Grounds Trailhead
- View on campus map
Parking for the Fire Ring Picnic Grounds is on the north side of Levee Road next to the picnic area. To get there, take Hutchison Drive to Hopkins Road. Head south on Hopkins until it turns left at Putah Creek and becomes Levee Road. Turn left at Levee Road and continue for about 200-feet. Park on the north side of the road, then cross the road to the steps leading down to the picnic area. There are picnic tables, a drinking fountain, and a fire pit. There are no restroom facilities. If you wish to use the fire pit, you will need a reservation from Conference and Event Services, and a permit from the UC Davis Fire Department. This link will take you to the fire permit from the UC Davis Fire Department. Check 'Alpha Phi Omega Picnic Grounds' as the location for the fire. At present, reservations and fire permits are only given to Campus-affiliated organizations. - County Road 98 / Pedrick Road Trailhead
- View on campus map
The Road 98/Pedrick Road Parking Area is located west of County Road 98, just north of Putah Creek at the County Road 98/Pedrick Road bridge. This is a gravel and dirt lot and there are no restroom facilities. This is located at the western-most end of the Putah Creek Reserve. There is one portable restroom available at this location.
Maps
Maps of the Putah Creek Riparian Reserve are available for download.
- Putah Creek Riparian Reserve - Main Campus Overview Map
- Download the map: Adobe PDF - 680 kB
Most of the Reserve located on the main UC Davis Campus is open to the public. Those areas of the Reserve not open to the public are noted on the map. Note that the south side of the creek is privately owned and not open to the public. This map serves as an overview of the Reserve. - Putah Creek Riparian Reserve - Main Campus Trail Map
- Download the map: Adobe PDF - 640 kB
This map shows the public trail system on the Putah Creek Reserve, as well as the allowable uses on each segment of trail. Note that the south side of the creek is privately owned and not open to the public. The public trail is on the north side on UC Davis land.
*Please note that Russell Ranch is a mitigation and research area, and is not open to the public. Researchers and classes wishing to use Russell Ranch must contact the Reserve Manager for a copy of the Russell Ranch map.
