Greetings Canine Angelenos!
As I've been making my way along the Los Angeles River, I've come across many sections where there is still no access. The dream of the Los Angeles River Master Plan, once implemented, is for us to enjoy the entire river....but for now its a work in progress.
But progress is indeed being made.
Over the past few weeks, two new places have opened up in the San Fernando Valley, providing us with almost 3.5 more miles of trails to bike and walk on - including just under 1.5 miles of the 51 mile long river that weren't accessible until now.
*** THE HEADWATERS GREENWAY ***
In Part 1 of my river exploration, I covered it from its start at the Headwaters in Canoga Park to the Sepulveda Basin Dog Park. In my original post, there was no access along the river from the Headwaters to Reseda Park.
But in early July, the grand opening of the Headwaters Project added nearly 1.5 miles of access on both sides of the river - between the Owensmouth Ave. bridge and the Mason Ave. bridge.
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| The starting point at Owensmouth Ave. & Bassett St. in Canoga Park - only 51 miles to Long Beach! |
I started my adventure on the North side and headed East on a smooth dirt pathway that is suitable for bikes as well as pedestrians. Almost immediately, the fencing separating us from the river disappears and you can go down the steep embankment to the water. You also pass the first of many nice benches that are next to brand new poop bag dispensers and trash cans.
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| They should have planted some shade trees over the benches, but nice work otherwise. |
You'll encounter 4 bridges on your journey, all of which provide access to the trail from the street:
* at 1/5th of a mile into your walk you'll pass under the Canoga Ave. bridge and a Metro Orange line bridge which runs alongside it.
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| Looking back to the West as the bus passes overhead. |
* at the 1/2 mile mark you'll pass a footbridge at Variel Ave.
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| Only pedestrians and bikes can cross the river here. |
* at 3/4 of a mile you'll pass under the DeSoto Ave. bridge, which only provides clearance up to 6 feet. Be careful all you bikers and tall people (its not a problem for those of us under 2 feet tall).
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| Share the path (and duck) if you need to. |
* at 1.2 miles you'll veer off the river path for a moment to cross a footbridge where Browns Canyon Wash, a tributary which flows South for just over 10 miles from it's origins in the Santa Susana Mountains, joins the river.
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| The confluence of the LA River and Browns Canyon Wash |
*Finally, at almost 1.4 miles, you'll come to the Mason Ave. bridge where the trail ends. At this point you can return the way you came or walk South on the bridge to a gated entrance that provides access to the South side of the river.
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| South side entrance from the Mason Ave. bridge. |
The South side trail follows the river just as the North side does with a few notable differences:
* Right away you'll see where the path will eventually continue East, but there is a locked gate blocking the way. This section will continue on to Winnetka Ave. and is scheduled to open in August.
Follow me on Twitter and I'll let you know exactly when its open.
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| Construction delays prevent us from going further East...for now. |
* Another thing you'll notice right away is a paved pedestrian path that runs intermittently alongside the dirt bike path from here to the Variel Ave. footbridge.
* When you get to the DeSoto Ave. bridge you must leave the path and cross DeSoto Ave. (unlike the North side where you go under it). Be careful crossing the busy street then re-connect with the path via a gated entrance.
*The trail stops at the Canoga Ave. bridge, leaving you with two options:
1. Go North on the bridge and reconnect with the North side trail;
or
2. Walk under the bridge along a steep embankment which has signage telling you not to do this (I can't read so I did it anyway). From here a path continues to the Owensmouth Ave. bridge, making for a round trip of just under 3 miles.
I must say that this new greenway is very nice and I'm happy to have more of the river to dip my paws into.
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| A wet dog is a happy dog. |
*** VALLEYHEART RIVERWALK GREENWAY ***
In Part 3 of my exploration, I covered the river from the Sepulveda Basin Recreation Area on Sepulveda Bl. to where it enters the Universal Studios lot near the intersection of Lankershim Bl. and Cahuenga Bl. in Studio City.
In my original post, the North side of the Valleyheart Riverwalk Greenway was not yet completed. Well, thanks to the wonderful people who make up The Village Gardeners, the end of June saw the grand opening of the completed greenway. Now we have access on both sides of the river between Fulton Ave. and Coldwater Canyon Ave. in Sherman Oaks.
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| The new entrance at Valleyheart Dr. and Fulton Ave. |
The trail is perfectly groomed dirt that is easy on the paws with poop bag dispensers, trash cans, benches, and beautiful landscaping along the entire 1/2 mile of new riverside access.
The trail is fenced off from the river so you can't jump in. There aren't any fountains either, so make sure to bring water.
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| It sure is pretty |
There is also this very neat looking fish mural made of stones.
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| I'm used to seeing Keep Off The Grass signs, but Keep Off The Fish?! That's a new one. |
Depending on the direction you're going, you can cross either the Coldwater Canyon bridge or the Fulton Ave. bridge to make a nice 1 mile loop along both sides of the river... a great way to spend a little time on a hot summer's day.
This was the first of what's sure to be many L.A. River/San Fernando Valley updates. Of course, I'll happily backtrack along any section that I've already covered to bring you the latest info.
My next river post will cover the Glendale Narrows from the "Great Bend" in Glendale to the river's confluence with the Arroyo Seco just North of Downtown Los Angeles. Until then, visit my website at www.CanineAngeleno.com for pictures and info about lots of other fun things a dog can do in our wonderful City of Canines... ok, Angels (same thing?)
See you on the river!
Chloe Canine-Angeleno
Much of the information I've shared in this blog came from the following sources:
The Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Daily News
The Village Gardeners
KCET
All photographs were taken by my pack leader, Jim Gross
Everything else was discovered by getting my paws dirty and the extensive use of my nose.
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