The Los Angeles River #12: The River's Mouth In Long Beach

Greetings Canine Angelenos! 

Welcome to Part 12 of my dog-centric journey along the Los Angeles River. Today we'll explore the river's mouth which, for some reason, is at the opposite end of its head. We'll have to figure that one out later because we've got a lot to sniff today. Let's get started!

We ended Part 11 at Catalina Landing, a man-made lagoon that protects the Catalina Express terminal. To continue, we have to walk around the lagoon, about .4 miles on pavement.

Did you know that Catalina Express is dog friendly?

Once around, we'll walk beneath the Queensway Bridge, the river's last bridge before the ocean. It connects the downtown waterfront with the Port of Long Beach and has bike/pedestrian access.

I didn't count, but I've walked beneath about 100 bridges along the way.

Past the bridge, Golden Shore Rd. approaches the path until a rotary alters its course. Beyond the rotary is a parking lot; the perfect place to leave the car for this adventure. At the end of the lot is the entrance to Shoreline Aquatic Park.

Picturesque is the right way to describe this park.

Continuing straight on the shoreline path takes us past a half-acre of shady trees, plush grass, picnic tables, and benches where you can enjoy the cool ocean breeze. There's plenty of trash cans...but no poop bags. On the ocean side, a couple of short piers provide a good spot for fishing and watching the birds fly by.

A nice way to spend the morning.

The path u-turns just as Shoreline Village and Rainbow Harbor come into view, but the star attraction here is the Lions' Lighthouse For Sight. Built in 2000 with funds raised by the Long Beach Lions Club, the 65' tower is a symbol of the club's work helping the visually impaired - not an official navigational aid.

Coolest...doghouse...ever. ;-p

The path now winds along the south end of Rainbow Harbor, past a small beach, then ends at Pierpoint Landing - about a mile from where we started.

Tiny, but it's not the size of the beach in the park...or something like that.

Here you'll find restrooms, a snack bar, and a dog-friendly water fountain. Not far from the restrooms is the Long Beach Navy Memorial; dedicated in 2004 to commemorate the city's long relationship with the Navy.

Armillary Sphere? Looks like a ball to me.

After a cool drink, walk along the wooden boardwalk that circumnavigates Rainbow Harbor. This is the place to be if you're looking to rent or ride a boat. Along the way we'll pass the Aquarium of the Pacific, the Pine Avenue Pier, and a variety of shops and restaurants.

Can you imagine a boat going up the LA River?

The boardwalk ends near the base of an observation deck that connects with Convention Center Walkway, a pedestrian bridge over E. Shoreline Dr.. Climb the stairs and enjoy the view.

Bell or spaceship? I can't decide.

Now walk across the bridge and get a great view of Long Beach's waterfront shopping and entertainment district.

Outdoor events around here are often dog-friendly.

About halfway across the bridge, a spiral staircase takes us down to Rainbow Lagoon Park, a 12 acre sea-water filled pond with two small islands. A concrete path goes around the pond - connected to the islands by footbridges. Small trees line the path and plush grass is everywhere. It's kind of a "decorative" park, so no water or poop bags here.

My album cover?

When ready, exit the park near the footbridge closest to E. Shoreline Dr. (at the crosswalk). Cross to access Shoreline Village Dr.. To our left is Marina Green Park, a wide strip of grass that runs toward the beach for just under 1/2 mile.

What's not to like about 9 acres of plush grass?

Shoreline Village Dr. soon ends at the city owned Long Beach Shoreline Marina, where there are over 1,700 slips for recreational boats.

I think I want a boat, but Pack Leader says no I don't.

Follow the smell of food along the shoreline and you'll soon be in Shoreline Village, a replica old-school fishing village full of shops and restaurants.

New England meets Southern California.

Grab a snack for yourself and the dog then stroll down the bike/pedestrian path that stretches along the marina. This .6 mile path takes us to, perhaps, the best view of the Queen Mary there is.

The views around Long Beach's harbor are unique to say the least.

Along the way there are benches to sit on, piers to fish from, and nice grass to roll in. There are plenty of restrooms and trash cans too, but no water fountains and...you guessed it...no poop bags. The trail ends by the Harbor Master's office, across from Grissom Island.
 

From here the ships, and the river's water, head out to sea.

That's as far as we go on this side of the river's mouth, but we have one more place to visit before we're done - the South Waterfront. It's time to head back to the car and drive over the Queensway Bridge.

Welcome to the Port of Long Beach

You can access the bridge from Shoreline Dr. or Ocean Bl.. Once on the bridge, stay to the right and take the first exit. Stay to the right again because you'll soon exit onto Queensway Dr.. After a u-turn, a Residence Inn will be ahead on the left. Just prior to the hotel is the entrance to the South Shore Boat Launch. Enter the boat launch and park at the north end of the lot, away from the hotel.

Here we'll find a tiny park with picnic tables spread out along the shoreline. The grass is nice, small trees provide some shade, and a short path winds throughout. There are trash cans but no poop bags.

Tiny and hard to get to, but the location is nice.

Exit the park and walk a few hundred yards on the sidewalk; toward the hotel. Another tiny park with benches sits on the shoreline, but this one has restrooms, a water fountain, and the boat launch.

This public boat launch is open 24 hours.

Past the boat launch, near the entrance to the hotel, a concrete path leads you to the shoreline. In a moment, we'll pass beneath the Queensway Bridge again.

A good spot to take five and enjoy the cool ocean air.

Continuing on, the path winds between the river's mouth and the Maya hotel, offering amazing views of the Long Beach waterfront and the mountains beyond.

The marina and the condos along Ocean Bl.

The path ends at Queensway Dr., in front of the yacht club, .4 miles after it began.

If you don't belong to the yacht club, you can take the Aqua Bus!

About 200 feet up the sidewalk from here is the entrance to Harry Bridges Memorial Park (aka. Queen Mary Events Park). It's used for concerts, parties, and large events. It has restrooms, a large grassy field with a 1/4 mile loop path, and some incredible views. There are trash cans but no working water fountains or poop bags.

I've got the whole place to myself today.

The park is adjacent to a large parking lot and the home of one of Southern California's best known attractions, the Queen Mary. Dogs aren't allowed on board, but no visit to Long Beach is complete without a QM1 selfie...

Sometimes, even a Queen has to wear a leash.

Wow. It's done. I've traveled the entire river from the Valley to the LBC! It was so much more than I expected - all those parks and fun places to roll in the grass, the incredible scenery and intoxicating smells, the return of wildlife in many places...and it's changing all the time. A lot people are working hard to make the river something all Angelenos can be proud of. Part 1 of this adventure was written over a year ago and so much has happened since. I'll have to do this again soon.




See you on the river!

Chloe Canine-Angeleno







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


City of Long Beach

Long Beach Press-Telegram




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, click on 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

Part 10 - North Long Beach to the PCH

Part 11 - Pacific Coast Highway to Pacific Ocean
 

The Los Angeles River #11: From the Pacific Coast Highway to the Pacific Ocean

Greetings Canine Angelenos! 

Welcome to Part 11 of my dog-centric look at the Los Angeles River. In Part 10, I made it as far south as the Pacific Coast Highway, where I'll resume the journey today.

Try to get an early start. The bike path gets HOT by late morning!

*** Subscribe to this blog, follow me on Twitter and Facebook, or visit my website to see everyplace I've visited on this adventure and much more! ***



The first mile of today's trek on the LARIO Trail takes us past industrial, warehouse sized buildings to the east, and great views of the cranes in the Port of Long Beach, beyond the river to the west. Along the way we'll go under the Anaheim St. bridge.

There's trail access and parking at the end of W. Anaheim St.

As you approach the next bridge, where the 710 freeway crosses the river, there's an access point near the corner of DeForest Ave. and Chester Place. Get off the bike path and walk a 1/4 mile up Chester Place. 

Why did we get off the trail? Because there's a park to visit...and why in the world wouldn't we do that?

Drake Park is the outdoor heart of Wilmore City, one of Long Beach's oldest neighborhoods. There are basketball courts, tennis courts, handball courts, a skate park, and a lighted baseball field to play on.

Left field is excellent for rolling today.

There's also a community center, a playground, restrooms, water fountains and a group of gazebos with picnic tables...but no poop bag dispensers.

Col. Charles Drake donated land for the park in 1904.

When you're done enjoying the park, head back to the LARIO. Soon you'll walk beneath the W. 7th St. on-ramp to the 710 North.

South of 7th St. is what many people consider to be Downtown Long Beach.

About 1/4 mile past the ramp, a road appears on the left. Get off the LARIO again and head down that road, which is open to bikes and pedestrians only. Walk through the 7th St. tunnel then turn right onto Golden Ave.
 

Why did we get off the trail last time?

Stay on Golden as it bends right, then walk beneath the 6th St. off ramp. Ahead of you will be Cesar Chavez Park.

You knew the answer, didn't you?

Opened in 1999, Chavez Park's almost 12 acres are filled with beautiful trees, public gardens, and unique art exhibits alongside a variety of facilities for the locals.

I found a community center, an amphitheater, basketball courts, three playgrounds, a restroom, water fountains and picnic benches...but no poop bags (sigh).

There's a lot of stuff for the humans to do here.

When you're ready, return to the LARIO by retracing your steps. This can be a little confusing. Look for the great murals on 6th St. and walk past them on Golden or 6th until you reach 7th St.

Once you've resumed walking south on the LARIO, you'll see Shoreline Dr. to your left. The grassy median in the middle of the road is also part of Chavez Park but there's no public access to it. There are plans to provide access from the Shoemaker bridge...some day. Shoreline Dr. breaks away to the left just as we approach the Ocean Bl. bridge.

A nice spot to watch pelicans dive into the river in search of breakfast.

Not long after you pass the bridge, the bike path takes a sharp turn to the left along the fenced border of the Golden Shore Marine Reserve. 

The protected reserve is off-limits so I'll have to sniff through the fence.

The reserve is over 6 acres of bird-filled tidal wetland, created in 1997 to mitigate for habitat lost during construction of the Aquarium of The Pacific.

An RV park sits next to the bike path before it bends right, hugging the reserve's border fence. Once we pass a small, metered (must have quarters!) parking lot on the left, a very special sign appears beneath our paws...

Do I get a cookie for finishing he whole trail? I should.

Mile marker 51! The end of the Los Angeles River Bikeway! The last stop on this yet to be completed strip of asphalt and concrete that began in Canoga Park. It finally ends here...just sniffing distance from the ocean in Long Beach. That was a looooong walk.


To the right of the marker, a dirt trail takes you into Palm Beach Park. The park is, for the most part, a parking lot for employees at CSU's Office of the Chancellor. However, a concrete path with info signs runs close to the parked cars for a few hundred yards, providing for some great views of the marine preserve.

What sea bird wouldn't like to spend some time here?

After that, the path stays close to the river as the largest open area in the park spreads between you and the cars. This marks the border of the park, at the edge of Catalina Express' boat launch. It's a good place to lie in the grass and enjoy some cool ocean breezes.

BTW - the boat to Catalina Island is dog friendly.

A staircase at the end of the path leads to a walkway that goes around the boat launch. To your right is the end of that walkway and the perfect place to watch the river flow beneath the Queensway Bridge and disappear into the ocean.

Bye bye LA River! It's been fun walking to the sea with you.

This is the end of the line for the Los Angeles River but it's not the end of our journey. Coming soon, I'll check out all the fun things there are to do around the mouth of the river, including a stroll through Rainbow Harbor and a visit with the Queen! Until then...

Does anyone know why a river's mouth at the opposite end of its head? No seriously - because I have no idea.




 

See you on the river!

Chloe Canine-Angeleno 











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


City of Long Beach

Long Beach Press-Telegram




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 the PCH, click on 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

Part 10 - North Long Beach to the PCH

*Orange County Beach Roadtrip - Part 2

Greetings Canine-Angelenos!

Welcome to Part 2 of my roadtrip to some of the dog-friendly beaches of Orange County. In Part 1, we visited Laguna Beach and Corona del Mar before checking into our hotel in Newport Beach. It was an amazing day full of sight seeing, wave dodging and rolling in the sand. I slept like a puppy.

The next morning we drove to the Balboa Peninsula, a 3-mile long strip of land that protects Newport Beach Harbor from the Pacific. Heading west along mostly residential Balboa Bl. for a couple of miles brought us to our first destination: the parking lot at Balboa Beach.

The beach is wide, clean, and stretches for miles. On a typical summer weekend it will be packed with swimmers, surfers, and sun bathers; but go early on a nice spring morning and you just might have the place all to yourself.

Balboa Beach & Balboa Pier

The highlight of this beach for many humans is the Balboa Pier. I hear its nice, but dogs aren't allowed so I can't say for sure. :/ 

(The humans will have to visit in shifts. If they do, the dog is well within its rights to guilt them into bringing back a snack.)

If I can't walk on it, I'll hang out under it.

At the beach end of the pier are fire pits, restrooms, water fountains, and Peninsula Park. The park has nice grass, picnic benches, BBQ pits, a playground, a gazebo, and a giant American flag surrounded by plaques engraved with the Bill of Rights. I think the country needs a 'poop bags at the park' amendment because there aren't any here.

Peninsula Park

After a quick roll in the grass, the pack took a 5 minute walk down Main St. to Balboa Village, a waterfront recreation area with shops, restaurants, and the historic Balboa Pavilion. The pavilion, once the southern terminus of the legendary Red Car, is the launching point for the Catalina Island ferry and commercial fishing ships.

Next to the pavilion is the Balboa Fun Zone, a tiny amusement park with a rides, arcades, and carnival food.

Balboa Fun Zone

All that stuff is great for the humans, but the most fun thing for a dog to do around here is take the dog-friendly harbor boat tour. I'd never been on a real boat before!

My previous boating experience was aboard an inflatable raft.

Our tour took us slowly past the expensive homes Newport Beach Harbor is so well known for and we heard stories about some of the people who live in them. 

Boating is alright! The pack should do more of this.

And, of course, we saw boats; lots and lots of boats. Over 9,000 of them call this harbor home and they come in all shapes and sizes. 

That O.C. canine is chillin' while the human does all the work. Nicely done.

After exploring the inner harbor, we rode to the end of the jetty and saw a buoy full of sea lions. Our guide said that sea lions are called the "dogs of the sea". I don't know about that. They may bark louder than I do and nap like champions, but they're named after a cat. No self-respecting dog would ever be named after a cat.

Did you know that sea lions evolved from canines?

When our tour was over we grabbed a cool drink and returned to the car. It was time to visit the "crown biscuit" of Orange County's beaches!

Huntington Dog Beach is over a mile of canine nirvana just off the PCH in the city Huntington Beach. There is metered parking on the bluff overlooking the beach alongside a narrow park. The park has water fountains, restrooms, poop bag dispensers, trash cans, a paved walkway, and plenty of benches to enjoy the view from.

Another park right next to the beach. Kudos again for the O.C.

From there it's a short walk down to a beautiful, wide beach with perfect sand. This beach has a special place in many canine hearts because it's OK to be off leash! After spending the whole roadtrip tethered to the pack, it sure was nice to roam free and make some canine friends.

If you want to see happy dogs, this is the place to be.

After a couple of hours of splashing and an intense game of chase with some of my new pals, it was time to head back to the car for a cookie and a quick nap; the perfect ending to my roadtrip.

Dirty, wet and smelly is the only way to go through life.

Laguna Beach, Newport Beach and Huntington Beach share a special space along the Southern California coast. I'm so grateful that the residents of those cities think it's important to share some of the world's finest beaches with their canine friends. I wish more cities would do the same (I'm barking at you L.A.).


Every place I visited on this trip is less than two hours away from anywhere in L.A. County, so tell your pack it's time to hit the road! 

Until next blog...I'll see you at the beach!

 
Chloe Canine-Angeleno







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

Visit Newport Beach

City of Newport Beach

WhoZoo

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.