Prairie City SVRA / Hangtown

Prairie City State Vehicular Recreation Area is the home of the Hangtown Motocross Classic, the longest continuously running national motocross event in the United States, dating back to 1969 and now serving as Round 2 of every AMA Pro Motocross Championship season. The property sits 30 minutes east of downtown Sacramento off Highway 50 in Rancho Cordova, on land owned and operated by California State Parks under the Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation Division.

The 836-acre SVRA was purchased and converted to recreational use after the original Sacramento Raceway era ended; today it's the primary motorcycle-and-ATV facility for all of Northern California, drawing riders from the Bay Area, the Central Valley, the Sierra foothills, and Reno. Six distinct tracks split riders by skill level and bike size. The Pro-Am Motocross Track is the layout used for the Hangtown National every June, wide, fast, with elevation gains and the famous downhill straight that's been the backdrop for decades of championship battles.

Adjacent to it, the Practice Track gets full grooming Wednesdays and lighter prep Saturdays, making midweek the best time to ride if you want hero dirt without the weekend crowd. The ATV-only Track keeps quads off the bike loops; the 70cc, 110cc, and 230cc skill-graded tracks let kids and intermediates progress through bike sizes safely. Practice schedule runs year-round, with seasonal hour adjustments, the park is generally open 8am to 8pm in summer and 8am to 5pm in winter.

Day-use fee is $10 per vehicle; an annual SVRA pass is $50. Every rider needs a current California OHV Green Sticker registration, which applies to all CA state parks. Camping is dry only, no RV hookups, but there are restroom blocks with running water, a concession stand on race weekends, and a washing station for bikes. Hangtown weekend in early June pulls 30,000-plus spectators and the entire factory roster; book lodging in Folsom, Rancho Cordova, or downtown Sacramento months ahead.

Outside the National, the track hosts REM Racing Saturday events, vintage races, and amateur series throughout the year. Local clubs run hare scrambles and enduros on the surrounding 800-plus acres of trail terrain that wraps the motocross facility, meaning you can ride moto on Saturday and dual-sport singletrack on Sunday without leaving the property. Soil is hardpack with decomposed granite, typical Sierra foothill dirt that sets up firm in the morning, breaks in mid-day, and gets technical in the afternoon.

Watering trucks run during heavy-use periods. The gate sits right off Highway 50 and Prairie City Road, making access from I-80 corridor riders dead simple. Whether you're flying in for the Hangtown National or you live in Sacramento and need a regular practice spot, Prairie City SVRA is the centerpiece of NorCal motocross and an essential stop on the U.S. moto map.