Folsom’s Johnny Cash Trail and Overpass Honors Country Legend

Johnny Cash is being honored by the city of Folsom, Calif., with the Johnny Cash Trail and Overpass, a pedestrian and bike trail.

Cash can be credited with making Folsom famous with his 1968 album 'At Folsom Prison' and his song 'Folsom Prison Blues,' which was inspired by the movie 'Inside the Walls of Folsom Prison' and recorded 13 years before the live prison performance.

“People around the world know Folsom because of that very famous song,” Folsom Mayor Kerri Howell tells the Sacramento Bee.

The 2.5-mile trail will traverse prison property, linking together two trails that are already in existence near Folsom Lake and the town's city hall. The $3.8 million overpass was specially designed to mimic the east gate guard towers of the prison.

The city has used federal and state funds to build the trail and bridge, but officials are planning a $3 million fundraising drive to pay for a planned 2-acre park near the bridge as well as a series of art installations along the trail, including a 40-foot tall steel statue of Cash.

“He was good for the city, and the city was good for him,” says Robert Goss, Folsom's parks and recreation director.