Johnny Cash Trail

Folsom's history reaches back to Native Americans who lived for thousands of years from the region's rich plant and animal life, and later to the 49ers of California's great gold rush, the West's first railroad, and the world's first long-distance transmission of electricity. In modern times, Johnny Cash became especially central to Folsom's wider fame when, on January 13, 1968, he performed two concerts at Folsom State Prison for inmates and guards. Songs recorded live there were released on the album "At Folsom Prison," and its lead single, "Folsom Prison Blues," became a top 40 hit, bringing broad public attention to both the city and the prison. The album's success marked a turning point that revitalized Cash's career and helped elevate him from a popular and successful musician to a worldwide superstar. In recognition of that enduring connection, the city's recreational trail crossing Folsom State Prison property was named for him; the 2.5-mile route runs over rolling red-soil terrain with wild oaks and meadow grasses and links east to the Folsom Lake Trail and state park facilities by a bike and pedestrian overcrossing, as well as south to the American River Parkway bike trail.

Folsom, California · United States