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HURT. A MASSIVE EFFORT TODAY ALONG THE AMERICAN RIVER PARKWAY IN SACRAMENTO, GIVING NEW LIFE TO THE 23 MILE STRETCH OF WILDLAND KCRA 3’S ERIN HEFT SHOWS US THE SIGHTS AND SOUNDS REFLECTING THE SUNLIGHT OF SATURDAY MORNING. THE TRANQUIL WATER OF THE AMERICAN RIVER FLOWING DOWNSTREAM, A PICTURESQUE 23 MILE STRETCH COMPLETELY FILLED WITH ACTIVITY, MADE EVEN BETTER EACH YEAR BY HARD WORKING HANDS ACROSS GENERATIONS. THERE ARE ABOUT 8 MILLION INDIVIDUAL VISITS EACH YEAR TO THE PARKWAY. WHEN YOU COMPARE THAT, FOR EXAMPLE, TO YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, THAT’S OVER TWICE AS MANY PEOPLE AS VISIT YOSEMITE EVERY YEAR. DAN HALL, EXPLAINING 1200 VOLUNTEERS ACROSS 20 LOCATIONS ARE MAKING A DIFFERENCE. COLLECTING ALL THE TRASH THAT DOESN’T HAVE A PLACE AMONG NATURE. THAT’S WHAT LIFE IS ALL ABOUT. IT’S ABOUT SERVICE. IT’S ABOUT GIVING BACK. IF WE DON’T GIVE BACK, WE’RE NOT GOING TO HAVE ANYTHING. FINALLY, IT ALL. IT ALL COME TO A SCREECHING HALT. TODAY WE ARE GOING TO CLEAN UP ALL THE SIDE OF THE RIVER. LEAH MORSI AND HER FRIEND EUGENE TAYLOR PUTTING IN THE WORK. WE’RE GOING TO BE CLEANING UP ALL THE TRASH BY THE GRASS. TRASH ANYWHERE. WE’RE GOING TO CLEAN IT UP, BECAUSE THAT’S ONE OF THE MAIN THINGS THAT GIRL SCOUTS DO BECAUSE LIKE, YOU KNOW, LIKE WHEN YOU’RE USUALLY LIKE BY, LIKE DRIVING BY THE FREEWAY, LIKE, YOU SEE ALL THAT TRASH, LIKE ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. IT’S JUST IT’S SO HURTFUL. IT’S JUST IT IT’S JUST IT’S REALLY DISAPPOINTING AND REALLY DEPRESSING. ALONG WITH FATHER AND DAUGHTER DUO KATE AND WESLEY, WE FISHED DOWN HERE. WE RIDE BIKES DOWN HERE, WALK OUR DOGS DOWN HERE. SO IT NEEDS TO BE CLEANED UP. SO WE’RE HAPPY TO DO IT. I LIKE TO GO HERE WITH MY SISTER AND MY DOG AND MY MOM. THE COLLECTIVE EFFORT, A TRADITION FOR DECADES, COLLECTING NO SMALL FEAT. TYPICALLY, IT’S ANYWHERE BETWEEN LIKE, 30 TO 40,000 POUNDS OF TRASH A DAY SPENT REFRESHING A PLACE THAT REFRESHES THE LIVES OF SO MANY SACRAMENTANS ONE STEP STRIDE AND PEDAL AT A TIME. ON THE AMERICAN RIVER PARKWAY. ERIN HEFT KCRA THREE NEWS. TO CONTRIBUTE OR VOLUNTEER, YOU CAN FI
1,200 volunteers fan out to beautify the 23-mile American River Parkway in a single day
The collective effort is a decades-long tradition and no small feat. Organizers said typical trash hauls range from 30,000 to 40,000 pounds of collected in a single day.
Updated: 7:23 PM PDT Sep 20, 2025
Saturday morning, the American River set as the backdrop for a massive community cleanup as 1,200 volunteers spread across 20 locations along the 23-mile American River Parkway, giving new life to one of Sacramento’s most beloved wildland corridors.“There are about 8 million individual visits each year on the parkway, and when you compare that for example to Yosemite National Park that’s over twice as many people as visit Yosemite every year,” said Dan Hall, noting the parkway’s outsized role in daily life across the region. He said the day’s effort is designed to match that scale of use, neighbors, families and civic groups collecting the trash that doesn’t belong in nature.“That’s what life is all about, it’s about service. It’s about giving back. If we don’t give back we’re not going to have anything. It would all come to a screeching halt,” said Hall. For many, the cleanup is personal. A father-daughter duo, Kate and Wesley, said they came because they use the parkway year-round. “We fish down here, we ride a bike down here, we walk our dogs down here, so it needs to be cleaned up and we’re happy to do it,” said Wesley. “I like to go here with my sister and my dog and my mom,” Kate added.The collective effort is a decades-long tradition and no small feat. Organizers said typical trash hauls range from 30,000 to 40,000 pounds of waste collected in a single day. Beyond the sheer volume, the cleanup restores habitat, improves waterway health and clears trails for the millions of annual walkers, runners, cyclists, paddlers, anglers and families who rely on the parkway.
Saturday morning, the American River set as the backdrop for a massive community cleanup as 1,200 volunteers spread across 20 locations along the 23-mile American River Parkway, giving new life to one of Sacramento’s most beloved wildland corridors.
“There are about 8 million individual visits each year on the parkway, and when you compare that for example to Yosemite National Park that’s over twice as many people as visit Yosemite every year,” said Dan Hall, noting the parkway’s outsized role in daily life across the region. He said the day’s effort is designed to match that scale of use, neighbors, families and civic groups collecting the trash that doesn’t belong in nature.
“That’s what life is all about, it’s about service. It’s about giving back. If we don’t give back we’re not going to have anything. It would all come to a screeching halt,” said Hall.
For many, the cleanup is personal. A father-daughter duo, Kate and Wesley, said they came because they use the parkway year-round. “We fish down here, we ride a bike down here, we walk our dogs down here, so it needs to be cleaned up and we’re happy to do it,” said Wesley. “I like to go here with my sister and my dog and my mom,” Kate added.
The collective effort is a decades-long tradition and no small feat. Organizers said typical trash hauls range from 30,000 to 40,000 pounds of waste collected in a single day. Beyond the sheer volume, the cleanup restores habitat, improves waterway health and clears trails for the millions of annual walkers, runners, cyclists, paddlers, anglers and families who rely on the parkway.
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