"It was a beautiful site with a huge parking lot overlooking Folsom Lake." Dennis Nunes wrote that in December 2024. He was describing the place where the Golden State Stunt Championships had just landed after losing its longtime airport venue. This month the control-line aerobatics contest reaches its 46th annual edition, and for the third straight October it is setting up at the Granite Bay entrance.
Most of us in Granite Bay Hills think of summer as the lake's busy season. For organized events, the busy season starts once the summer crowds leave. California State Parks generally doesn't approve special events at Folsom Lake State Recreation Area from May 1 through Labor Day. It cites heavy public visitation, regular park closures, staff limits and wear on park resources. That restriction is why the park's 2026 event calendar fills up in September and October. The Granite Bay entrance, the access point closest to our side of town, carries much of that load.
The fall calendar the summer rule creates
The park describes itself as a "high-demand venue for hosting events" that draws more than 6 million visitors a year. Once the summer restriction lifts, that demand has to land somewhere, and at the Granite Bay entrance it lands at Main Beach on weekend mornings.
The pattern was already visible in September. The Gravel X Triathlon on September 12 and the Gold Rush Growler run and mountain bike race on September 19 were both listed with closures on North Granite Road. So was the Granite Bay Triathlon in late August, one of the few exceptions approved during the restricted window. If your Saturday walk or ride starts at Main Beach, a closed North Granite Road has been a regular part of the fall calendar for weeks.
October brings the biggest single run on the Granite Bay side and a far more unusual guest. Both arrive on the same weekend.
A contest that kept losing its runway
The Golden State Stunt Championships didn't plan on Folsom Lake. For years the contest flew at Madera Municipal Airport, until "future building construction and continued growth of the airport would eventually squeeze us out of the flying area that we enjoyed," as Nunes put it. In 2023 the 43rd edition flew near Mather Airport, at a site Nunes said was "found at the 11th hour, though not ideal." In 2024 the contest got permission to fly at the Folsom Lake State Recreation Area in Granite Bay. The 2025 edition, the 45th, returned there. This year's 46th Annual is on the Academy of Model Aeronautics calendar as a Class AA control-line precision aerobatics event in Granite Bay. Woodland/Davis Aeromodelers is the sponsor, Nunes is the contact, and James Dean is co-contest director.
The same rule that keeps big summer events off the lake leaves an open lot here in October, and a flying contest needs exactly that. On the State Parks calendar it is a small event, with 30 participants. It closes the Stage 3 Boat Ramp from October 8 through October 11.
What you will see at the ramp
Control-line flying has nothing to do with drones or radio-controlled planes. The pilot stands in the center of a circle, and the model airplane flies around them on one or more lines. The pilot steers by moving a handle, and the lines mainly control pitch and altitude. In a stunt contest, judges score each pilot on a set pattern of maneuvers flown around that circle.
The 2026 flyer and the PAMPA event calendar lay out the weekend:
- Thursday, October 8: setup at the site
- Friday, October 9: practice circles open from sunrise to sunset
- Saturday, October 10: registration at 7 a.m., pilots meeting at 8 a.m., official flights from 8:30 a.m. in Old Time, Classic and Profile
- Sunday, October 11: same morning schedule, with the PAMPA precision aerobatics classes
The PAMPA calendar puts Sunday's program in Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced and Expert classes. The flyer also promises at least one flying circle open from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. It advertises "A Food Boat (not a truck, but a boat!)" all three days, with gourmet burgers on the menu.
For spectators, the flyer notes the $12 daily park entry fee. It doesn't list a separate spectator ticket. The sponsoring club's Academy of Model Aeronautics profile says the general public is welcome at club activities. That is a general club policy, not a rule written for this contest.
Finding the exact ramp takes a little care, because the published sources don't agree. State Parks lists Stage 3. The Academy of Model Aeronautics listing says Stage 4. The flyer gives a "5% Boat Launch" label with GPS coordinates of 38.745851, -121.147492. The dates differ too. State Parks lists October 8 through 11, while the flyer and the Academy listing say October 9 through 11, with setup on the 8th. The coordinates and the signs at the entrance will be more reliable than any of the stage numbers.
Saturday, October 10, by the clock
The stunt contest has company that Saturday. Granite Head Trails & Ales, presented by Altra and put on by Fleet Feet Sacramento, starts from Granite Bay Main Beach. Runners choose a 6.6-mile or 11.45-mile course, and the post-race spread includes fajitas off the grill. It is the October finale of the Fleet Feet Sacramento Trail Challenge, a three-race series that starts in May with The Dirty Secret Trail Run and continues in July with Blood, Sweat and Beers. State Parks expects 600 participants from 7:30 to 11 a.m., with North Granite Road closed. That is twenty times the stunt contest's head count, at the same entrance on the same morning.
Here's how Saturday morning lays out, using the published schedules:
- 7:00 a.m. Stunt contest registration opens at the ramp.
- 7:30 a.m. Granite Head's event window opens at Main Beach, and North Granite Road is listed as closed.
- 8:30 a.m. Official stunt flights begin. Off the lake, Eskaton Granite Bay starts a free Coffee & Cars open house at the same hour. It features classic British sports cars from United British Sports Car Club members, plus coffee, donuts and tours.
- 11:00 a.m. The race window closes on the State Parks calendar.
- Afternoon until 7 p.m. At least one flying circle stays open.
For anyone planning a quiet launch or a solo trail loop from Granite Bay that day, the morning is the hard part. Sunday is calmer, with no Main Beach race on the calendar and only the stunt contest's final day running at the ramp.
The rest of the season, and where it moves
After that weekend, the State Parks calendar shifts away from the Granite Bay side.
| Date | Event | Location | Closures listed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 17 | Electricity Fair | Folsom Powerhouse | None |
| Oct 17 | Witches on the Lake | Black Miners Bar; Lake Natoma | None |
| Oct 23–24 | Head of the American | Nimbus Flat; Lake Natoma | Nimbus Flat; Lake Natoma from Nimbus Flat to Folsom Crossing |
| Oct 23–25 | NorCal Backyard Ultra | Beals Point | None |
| Nov 7–8 | Rio Del Lago | Lake Natoma units; Beals Point, Granite Bay, Rattlesnake Bar | None |
| Nov 8 | Run the Parkway | Lake Natoma units; American River Bike Trail; South Lake Natoma Bike Path | American River Bike Trail; South Lake Natoma Bike Path |
Rio Del Lago is the only event on that list that comes back through Granite Bay. It brings 375 runners across several park units, and the calendar lists no closure. The bigger November change at our entrance is the gate schedule. On November 1, Granite Bay moves from summer to winter hours, and opening time shifts from 6 a.m. to 7 a.m. Closing stays at 30 minutes after sunset. Early walks will start an hour later, and with shorter days the closing time will come well before dinner.
Two caveats matter for planning. The State Parks event calendar was last updated August 18, 2026, so race-day details can change. And a new food service and beach equipment rental operator could be coming to the other side of the lake. State Parks requested proposals for a 10-year concession at Beals Point, with a September 16 deadline, but no operator had been announced in what we reviewed.
If the October 10 morning is too crowded, Bayside Church's Granite Bay campus holds its Fall Festival the following Saturday, October 17, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is $5 and includes a pumpkin patch, hayrides, carnival rides and games. Food and pumpkins cost extra.
Knowing when North Granite Road closes, or which ramp is hosting model airplanes, is the kind of local detail Stephen Golden pays attention to every season in Granite Bay Hills. If you've wondered how the lake on your doorstep affects what your home is worth this fall, reach out for a free home valuation and we'll go through it with you.
