Read an Excerpt
Capitol Park Loop
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Length: 1.5 miles
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Configuration: Loop
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Difficulty: Cakewalk
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Water Required: 1 liter
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Scenery: Arboretum, statuary, monuments, memorials
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Exposure: Some sun, some shade
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Trail Traffic: Moderate
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Trail Surface: Paved walkways
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Hiking Time: 2 hours
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Season: Year-round
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Access: No fees or permits
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Maps: USGS Sacramento East; park-brochure map
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Wheelchair Access: Yes
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Facilities: On- and off-street parking; water fountains; benches
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Driving Distance: 1 mile
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Special Comments: This route can be walked in any direction, depending on your interests or the location of your parking space.
GPS Trailhead Coordinates
Latitude N38° 34.634'
Longitude W121° 29.599'
Directions
From I-5 north in downtown Sacramento, exit at J Street and drive 12 blocks to 15th Street, where you’ll turn right. Drive 2 blocks to L Street and take another right. On-street parking is available around Capitol Park along L Street from 9th Street to 15th Street, and on N Street as well. Pay stations take cash, coins, or credit. There are also several covered garages nearby.
In Brief
The California State Capitol Park is one of the most outstanding capitol grounds in any state. You can meander aimlessly through the dozen or so memorials, which are spread among hundreds of trees, bushes, and flowers from around the world in this 40-acre Victorian-style garden.
Description
Capitol Park can be accessed from any point along its 12-city-block length, so it seems natural to start closest to where you park. The starting point of this hike is on the north side steps at 11th Street. You can get a pamphlet at the State Capitol Museum, which offers a good map and an informative description of the park’s many features.
Several major plantings, or “beautifications,” were undertaken between the park’s inception in 1869 and the most recent beautification in 1951, when the capitol annex was built. Rather than plantings having been added to the park, only memorials have been erected since the 1950s. Some of the oldest trees, the “heritage” plantings, have succumbed to age or storms over the years and are to be replaced during the next beautification.
The sidewalks encircling the park are lined with palms, and the walkways throughout the park are lined with trees; both sets of paths have been designed for the easiest and most complete access to the park’s features. Paths are not always at right angles, so the park has a very natural appearance.
There is no one specific direction for visitors to travel through this park. If you turn right from the starting point, you will see a line of coast redwoods, which were original plantings from the 1872 beautification. A grove of coast redwood and giant sequoia is planted on the north side of the capitol, just to the east of the security entrance. One of the trees in this grove is called the “moon tree” by park staff because the seed was carried on an Apollo lunar mission and then planted on its return. The tree is not signed, however.
As you angle toward L Street, you will see the sole Italian stone pine remaining from the original planting in 1872. Turn right at 12th Street and head to the east entrance of the capitol, where you have some excellent photo opportunities. From here, walk east on the central promenade, where memorials and commemorative gardens lie on either side of you.
Next, walk to the 15th Street end of the park, where you will have more excellent photo opportunities of the capitol. The World Peace Rose Garden features a fragrant and colorful garden with benches dedicated by notable women who are themselves dedicated to peace.
The California Vietnam Veterans Memorial is adjacent to the rose garden. Its striking theme features stylized ammunition and starkly contrasting white limestone that holds black-granite panels bearing the names of missing or dead California veterans of that war. The inside of the circular monument features reliefs and sculptures representing various aspects of armed service in Southeast Asia. The centerpiece of the memorial is a life-size bronze statue of a 19-year-old soldier.
The Firefighters Memorial, also made of granite and bronze, dramatically depicts the dangers facing firefighters in action. These two sculptures were added in 2002. Out toward N Street is the California Veterans Memorial, which is dedicated to all Californians who have served in the armed forces. Its use of photography and stone is unique.
An Indian grinding rock is to the west before you reach another coast redwood–giant sequoia grove with a comfortable bench, encouraging rest and contemplation. Make your way north again, where the Spanish-American War Memorial, the Civil War Memorial, and the Liberty Bell Memorial are grouped among flowers and trees. An example of the dawn redwood, the only deciduous redwood species, is here. From the interior of China, it was long thought to be extinct.
The life-size monument featuring Father Junipero Serra is prominently featured in front of the colorful camellia grove. Standing beneath a lamppost shaped like a shepherd’s crook, Father Serra’s bronze statue looks down on a bronze relief map of California mounted on a black marble pedestal.
You can wander around the inside perimeter sidewalk on the west side of the capitol, where a row of deodar cedars flanks the walkway for two city blocks. The corner is yet another good spot from which to take some pictures.
Walking along these pathways on a weekend morning is a real pleasure at Capitol Park, where you can find both natural and man-made art. The architecture is classic and unimposing. The gardens and groves, with their thousands of flowers, bushes, and trees, are just waiting for you to view, smell, touch, photograph, and wander among them.
Nearby Activities
Old Sacramento features original buildings and excellent restorations, along with dining and entertainment. Hike 2 (see next profile) guides you through the streets of Old Sacramento State Historic Park.
