The Los Angeles River #10: Long Beach from Del Amo Bl. to The PCH

Greetings fellow Canine Angelenos!

Welcome to Part 10 of my dog-centric look at the Los Angeles River.


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In Part 9, I made it to Long Beach, the 11th and final city I'll visit on this journey. Today I'll continue walking south toward the sea on the LARIO Trail, beginning at the Del Amo Bl. bridge.
 

Starting to see more seabirds - I must be getting close.

As soon as you pass Del Amo, the Dominguez Gap Wetlands come into view. You can access a loop trail from the bike path or from a spur trail just east of the bridge. There is parking near the spur trail or you can park near the south end and take a short equestrian trail into the wetlands.

So peaceful...you almost forget the 710 is just across the river.

Opened in 2008, the 37-acre wetlands are a flood protection and water treatment facility managed by the Los Angeles County Flood Control District. An additional wetland area is on the west side of the 710, but safe access wasn't available as of July 2015, so we'll have to check that out another time.

Flood control & habitat restoration working together.

The mile-long "park" is full of native plants and has two wildlife observation decks, info signs, and benches along the trail. Water fountains, trash cans and poop bag dispensers can be found near the entrances too.

Of course the birds love this place, but they aren't the only wildlife around. Watch out for the coyotes. They may be our canine cousins but they're not here to make friends - make sure your pack has you on a leash.

I see you hiding over there Mr. Coyote

After you've done the loop around the wetlands, return to the bike path and look across the river to see its confluence with Compton Creek.

 The creek flows here from South LA, over 8 miles away.

Continue south on the bike path. Soon you'll walk beneath the Blue Line rail bridge that runs between the Del Amo and Wardlow Metro stations.

Why aren't Blue Line trains blue?

The equestrian trail that runs intermittently alongside the bike path in south Los Angeles County reappears once you pass the Blue Line. When I'm doing an out-and-back adventure like today's, I like to take the bike path one direction and the equestrian trails on the other. You just never know what you might find on the horse path..

Those horses look a lot like rabbits to me :-p

About 1/2 mile south of Dominguez Gap is the 405 Freeway. A short asphalt path branches off the bike path and provides an up-close view of the freeway before rejoining the bike path.

Just beyond the 405, a staircase leads toward the east end of Baker St.. At the bottom of the stairs, a fence blocks access to the street. I can see a small park a few hundred yards up Baker St. but you can't get there from here. I hope this situation is temporary.

A few more minutes of walking alongside an open field which could (should) be parkland takes me beneath the Wardlow Rd. bridge.

Nature is slowly returning to its rightful place by the river.

There's no access to the bike path at Wardlow, but a pathway to the west end of 34th St. appears shortly. Walk down to the street and check out the Earth Day Gate. The gate, dedicated on Earth Day 2007, was made by Michael Amescua, whose iron work is seen all over Los Angeles.

I'd like one of Mr. Amescua's gates on my doggie door.

From 34th St. to Willow St., just under a mile to the south, the Wrigley Greenbelt separates the bike path from DeForest Ave. What was once unused LA County Flood Control District land has been converted to green space. A fence prevents access to the greenbelt from the bike path but you can see it up close from DeForest Ave.

I know what the sign says...it's part of the Wrigley Greenbelt

Just north of the Willow St. bridge, near the access ramp to 26th St. and DeForest Ave. (another good place to park), turn around and look at the concrete channel that stretches north into Los Angeles...say "goodbye".

The last stretch of the concrete riverbed.

Now turn around and walk under the bridge. Before you is the Willow Street Estuary which marks the end of the river's concrete cage and where it returns to its natural, soft-bottomed state. The change is sudden and dramatic.

The estuary is the end of the line for any 'snacks' swimming upstream.

The mile long walk between Willow St. and the Pacific Coast Highway is a beautiful vision of what the river could be someday - alive with plants and birds and fish. I could feel the cool ocean breezes while I watched pelicans diving for breakfast; some crazy little black and white birds following them around hoping for scraps. It was awesome.

Mother Nature is much better at this than people are...just sayin'

Continuing south, you'll see a path that takes you to the corner of 25th St. and DeForest Ave. and, about 1/2 mile south of Willow, some stairs that provide access via another path at Hill St. 

Almost 1/2 mile beyond Hill St., the bike path dips and bends as it goes beneath the Pacific Coast Highway.
 

The PCH: one of the best roads to hang your head out the window on.

Just yards past the PCH is a popular access point. Go through the gate onto the street and turn immediately to your left. Straight ahead will be the entrance to Cressa Park. 

This tiny park goes north from here to 19th St. and was an abandoned, trash filled lot until 2010, when volunteers turned it into a refuge for birds, bugs, and native plants.

Every little piece of green space helps.

This seems like a great place to end today's trek and to take a cookie break. I'll pick it up from the PCH next time in the next chapter of my journey to the sea. Until then...


See You On The LA River!


Chloe Canine-Angeleno 





Some of the information I've shared in this blog was found at:


City of Long Beach

Los Angeles County Public Works

KCET

LA Creek Freek


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.

For pictures and information about the places I've visited upstream of Del Amo Bl., click the links below:

Part 1 - Western San Fernando Valley

Part 2 - Sepulveda Basin Recreation Area

Part 3 - Eastern San Fernando Valley

Part 4 - Burbank and Glendale

Part 5 - Glendale Narrows East

Part 6 - Glendale Narrows West

Part 7 - Downtown Los Angeles and Vernon

Part 8 - Vernon to South Gate
   
Part 9 - South Gate to North Long Beach