Effie Yeaw Nature Center — Attraction in Rancho Cordova

The trail is from what I could tell was beautiful, and there was a handful of wildlife on the preserve. A group of friends and I looked this place up and decided to visit this beautiful nature filled area! We brought our small group of people and our two beautiful, well behaved dogs. Upon arrival we followed the street signs and ended in a spacious parking lot that led right up to the facility/preserve. Admiring the brush and different structures around we were approached by a lady in her car. She made a point to talk loudly and moderately aggressive and told us that dogs are not okay here but they're only okay in some areas, but not on the trail and only on the trail around the park. That being said we have never been to the park before so that information was slightly vauge. She waved us off with a fake smile and watched us walk around the park from afar (we were extremely uncomfortable). We then go to the trail we thought she was talking about (given vauge directions and told dogs were ok but only in some parts? Anyway..) we were then approached by another woman. She was about 50 ft away and from our perspective, extremely rude. She actually yelled at us asking us "who we thought we were", acted as if we were vandalizing the park because of our dogs (They were on leashes with harnesses, we had doggie bags, they had hiking booties on for their paws And they are certified support dogs. I have no idea where she could even begin to assume we would vandalize anything.). We apologized for walking towards the trail, and she started advancing towards shaking her fists around at his point screaming at us to leave because we are disrespectful, although we apologized and were willing to go to wherever this so called "dog friendly trail" was. She then pointed at another friend or coworker, I'm not sure who she was affiliated with, to grab an employee to forcibly kick us out of the park. All in all we ended up leaving before things escalated way out of hand and probably won't be back. I'm still worked up a bit because of our treatment at this public place, the views are beautiful and the area is clean and spacious but treatment by staff/whoever these people were are enough to push us away. Will be spending quality...

The Effie Yeaw Nature Center in Carmichael is a fantastic place to discover local wildlife. Located inside Ancil Hoffman Park, the nature center and surrounding area has attractions for visitors of different interests and age groups.

Starting with the center itself: It provides engaging exhibits and hands-on displays where you can learn about the local plants, animals, and natural history. It’s incredibly kid-friendly with their discovery rooms and regular events and programs.

Outside, there Miles of scenic trails that wind through woodlands, creeks, and river areas just waiting to be explored.

Whether you want to go on a solo hike, attend a program, or enjoy an educational family outing, the Effie Yeaw Nature Center is an enjoyable and entertaining family friendly attraction. The staff excel at providing opportunities to explore, learn, and forge connections with nature just minutes from Sacramento. It's a great experience!

One note: There is no cost to enjoy the nature center, but there is a park fee to enter, which I think...

When you first arrive the pay station is just to the left of the ranger station, immediately past it. Parking is $5. If you happen to miss the station, you can pay at the Visitor Center (Cash Only). The area is pretty clean and the trails are mainly dirt. They loop around and have several trails leading to the river. There are a few areas along the trail when you can sit, but there’s a lot of families so if you’re looking for the sounds of nature, you’ll get that mixed with the sounds of kids. There was only one live animal that I saw in the visitor center, and only birds outdoors. There is a golf course next door, with a restaurant as well as a park area with river access. Overall a nice “mostly quiet” area for hiking easy to moderate trails and for families to bring friends...