Bay Water Trail 
TRAILHEAD INFORMATION
Highlights
The Downtown Dock is located in Suisun City’s Waterfront District provides access to a large basin and the sloughs and channels of Suisun Marsh. The semi-enclosed basin can provide a more sheltered area for less experienced paddlers to learn. Suisun Channel and the sloughs surrounding the dock are popular for fishing, bird-watching, and pleasure boating.
The historic Waterfront District offers restaurants, bars, shops, theatre, and hotels. Additionally, an outfitter, Grizzly Waters Kayaking, offers rentals and lessons near the top of the dock.
Boat Facilities
Boat launch facilities consist of a 300-foot-long high-freeboard dock. The dock is accessed from an ADA gangway.
Directions
From I-80, take CA 12-East toward Suisun City/Rio Vista. Take exit 58B for Civiv Center Blvd toward Suisun City/Main Street. Turn right onto Lotz Way then turn left onto Main Street. The site is located at the end of Solano Street near the junction of Kellogg Street.
FAST’s Bus Route 5 stops downtown near the dock. Amtrak and Greyhound have stops in downtown Suisun City.
Parking
Parking is available in a large, free North Basin parking lot located along the waterfront on Main Street and on the neighboring streets.
A loading/unloading zone for the guest dock is located on Solano Street, near Main Street.
Amenities
The dock is located adjacent to a public park, that provides picnic tables, drinking fountains, benches and grassy lawns.
The historic Waterfront District offers restaurants, bars, shops, and hotels. Additionally, an outfitter, Grizzly Waters Kayaking, offers rentals and lessons near the top of the dock.
Accessibility
The path of travel from the parking lot to the top of the gangway is flat and paved. The gangway is designed to meet ADA standards and is in good condition.
Safety Tips
Always check tides and weather before launching! Mudflats become exposed during low tides which can cause boaters to get stranded. Afternoon winds are frequent here, which can make returning to the launch more difficult.
Hunting is allowed within the Suisun Marsh seasonally. Check the CDFW website for current hunting information.
Wildlife Tips
With 88,000 acres of land, bays and sloughs, the Suisun Marsh is significant: it is the largest contiguous estuarine marsh in the entire United States. The complex combines natural tidal wetlands and artificially diked marshes. Each habitat attracts a special kind of wildlife. Some animals, like the Ridgway’s rail and Suisun shrew, live exclusively in these tidal wetlands. Rare, threatened and endangered species include the salt marsh harvest mouse, Ridgway’s rail, California black rail, bald eagle, Suisun aster, and soft-haired birds beak.
The Water Trail recommends boaters maintain a buffer distance of 50 feet from Ridgway’s rail habitat and not enter channels that are less than 100 feet wide, particularly during high tide events.
