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

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.


[Subscribe to this blog, follow me on Twitter and Facebook, and visit my website to see everyplace I've visited on this trek and more!]
 


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

The Los Angeles River #6: Glendale Narrows West

Greetings Canine Angelenos!

Welcome to the 6th installment of my dog-centric look at the Los Angeles River.

In Part 1, I covered the Western San Fernando Valley - from the Headwaters to the Sepulveda Basin Dog Park.

In Part 2, I took a thorough sniff of the entire Sepulveda Basin Recreation Area.

In Part 3, I explored the Eastern San Fernando Valley - from Sepulveda Bl. in Sherman Oaks to Universal City.

In Part 4, I made my way through Burbank and parts of Glendale, completing my exploration of the river's West to East section.

In Part 5,  I journeyed along the Glendale Narrows by exploring the East side of the river; from the "Great Bend" to the Riverside-Figueroa bridge.

And now, in Part 6, we'll check out the West side of the Glendale Narrows.

Let's get going!



* Ferraro Fields to Los Feliz Bl. Bridge

In Part 4, we ended our West side journey across the street from the Ferraro Soccer Fields, which are in a small slice of Griffith Park that is separated from the main park by the 5 Freeway. This is a good place to park your car while we continue our journey South because there is easy access to the bike path.

Dog Park! Its not the greatest dog park in town, but I'll save that for another blog post.

Walk through the gate opening and we'll have access to the water right away - a good spot for a quick dip before we get started. After getting our paws wet, head South along the bike path and soon the riverside fence will block us from the water as we walk under the 134 Freeway.

After just over 1/2 mile of walking, the fence opens up again and we can get to the water. The vegetation that is so common in the Glendale Narrows makes its first appearance here and the birds are glad to see it. If you can put the noise of the 5 Freeway out of your mind, it looks and feels like the natural river it was so long ago.

Hello Mr. Heron!

Shortly (just over 1 mile from our start) we'll pass under the Colorado St. Bridge and another 1/3 of a mile takes us past Tunnel #1, which goes under the 5 Freeway and provides access to Griffith Park. This tunnel is mostly used by horses and their people who have crossed the river from Atwater Village on their way to have fun in the park.

Griffith Park's Tunnel 1 leads us into the park near the Crystal Springs Picnic Area

Continue South for another 1/2 mile and the fence once again prevents access to the river as we approach Los Feliz Bl.

Time to get back on the bike path...or get our paws wet walking under the bridge.

* Los Feliz Bl. Bridge to Glendale-Hyperion Bridge

Instead of going under the bridge, we decided to go over it via the Alex Baum Bicycle Bridge, which was built in 2002 to provide safe passage over Los Feliz Bl. and is dedicated to Alex Baum, a major player in the effort to turn L.A. into a bike-friendly city.

The 'arch' is supposed to represent the spokes on a bicycle wheel...

Soon after Los Feliz Bl., the vegetation grows almost to the river bank, limiting our access to the main part of the river. However, there is still water to splash in most days.

Looking North toward the Los Feliz Bridge....there's no place quite like L.A. is there?

Just over 1/3 mile South of Los Feliz Bl., there are two footbridges that provide access to the river. The Sunnynook footbridge goes over the river to the East side and beyond to Atwater Village. The Griffith Park Recreation Center footbridge takes us over the 5 Freeway and into the recreation center, where there is grass to roll in, picnic benches, water fountains, trash cans, and tennis courts.

Over the river...

...or over the freeway.

Immediately after the footbridges is the Sunnynook River Park. Opened in 2013, its almost 3-1/2 acres of native plants, benches, info signs, and the Luis McAdams Riverwalk, which ends just before the Glendale-Hyperion bridge.

The trail is named in honor of Luis McAdams, the co-founder of FoLAR.

Approximately 0.6 miles South of Los Feliz Bl. brings us to the Glendale-Hyperion bridge.





* Glendale-Hyperion Bridge to Glendale Fwy. Overpass

Walk under the bridge (or stay on the bike path) and you'll pass the Red Car pylons that still stand many years after the Red Cars made their last run. This is perhaps the prettiest section of the river and the speed of the water picks up considerably.

Check out my post about the East side of the Glendale Narrows for more about the Red Cars.

The next 3/4 of a mile is a beautiful walk leading us to the Fletcher Dr. bridge. Pass under the bridge and almost immediately to our right is a small park and a pathway leading up to Fletcher Drive. Take the pathway and check out one of the nicest of the many gates along the river.

The Great Heron Gate is the entrance to Rattlesnake Park, a pocket park with benches and trash cans that was built by Northeast Trees in 1997. The park is named after the nest of rattlesnakes they found during construction. The snakes were relocated and now this park is one of the official points for kayakers to enter the river.

Nice gate......so you're sure the rattlesnakes are gone?

Return to the bike path and walk another 1/4 mile to reach the Glendale Freeway (Rte. 2) overpass.

Under the freeway is one of the most popular spots for fishing on the river...that's right, I said fishing.

* Glendale Fwy. Overpass to Riverside-Figueroa Bridge

The next 2.3 miles is by far the most developed section of the river for recreation. There is a lot to see here and it seems like every couple of months brings us something new to explore.

Just beyond the overpass is the newest addition to the river's fun spots. Phase II of Marsh Park just opened in August 2014 and its sure to be a hit for years to come.

Near the riverside entrance to the new Marsh Park Phase II

There is a big parking lot here with EV charging stations, a building to host events, restrooms, an exercise course, lots of grass, benches, poop bag dispensers and a dog-friendly water fountain.

Any park that has one of these is OK in my book...

Back on the bike path, another 1/4 mile brings us to the original Marsh Park with it's funky playground, benches, grass, a water fountain and poop bag dispenser.

Well this isn't something you see everyday at the playground...

Just past Marsh Park, the vegetation in the river grows right up to the bank, blocking access to the water for almost a mile. However, there are plenty of things to keep us busy along the way.

About 0.6 miles South of the Glendale Freeway is tiny Elysian Valley Gateway Park. This was the first park built along the river back in 1996. It has picnic benches, a poop bag dispenser, trash cans, and a water fountain. There's some grass to roll in too. Not bad for a little park.

Its been 18 years since this park opened...a lot has happened since then.

A two minute walk past Elysian Valley Gateway Park and we're at perhaps the coolest and certainly most unique new feature of the Glendale Narrows...The Frog Spot.

"The Frog Spot serves as both a community gathering space and as a launching pad for excursions into the river..." say the good people at FoLAR, the creators of this wonderful idea.

An "oasis" along the banks of the LA River

Underneath their shady canopy you'll find a concession stand where you can buy snacks, a cool drink, or a hot cup of coffee. The first thing they asked Pack Leader when we got there was "Can I offer you some water for your dog?" Are these people great or what?

On the weekends there are often bands playing, barbecues, and a variety of educational programs for kids and their Pack Leaders......I mean parents.

The next mile or so along the bike path takes you past the occasional bench to take a break at and offers views of the Taylor Train Yard across the river. Soon the vegetation recedes from the bank and the river can be seen again in all its glory.

My sentiments exactly.

At just over two miles South of the Glendale Freeway overpass you'll find Steelhead Park. Here there's a small amphitheater used for educating kids about the river, info signs, a water fountain and a little bit of grass. There are no poop bag dispensers.

The Steelhead trout was once very common in the river.

Go South for another 1/4 mile to arrive at Egret Park and the end of the bike path. The small park has benches, water, trash cans, a porta-potty, poopbag dispenser, and a bunch of info signs.

If you like fancy gates, it really is hard to beat the parks of the Glendale Narrows.

You can see this awesome mural while relaxing on the benches of Egret Park.

The bike path may end here for now, but you can walk South of Egret Park along a dirt path that takes you to the construction site of Riverside-Figueroa bridge. The path ends at the train tracks near the junction of the 5 and 110 Freeways near Avenue 19. When we took these pictures in August 2014 you could see both the new bridge and the old one. Since the old bridge is going to be demolished, you'll have to get there soon to see it.

An effort to turn the old bridge into a park recently failed....

We found some strange things underneath the old bridge...

The end of the trail....and the Glendale Narrows.

We did it! We've covered the LA River from it's Headwaters to the end of the Glendale Narrows. Next stop is Downtown LA. Be sure to subscribe to my blog or visit my website to join me as I make my way toward Long Beach and the Pacific Ocean.


See you on the river!

Chloe Canine-Angeleno





Much of the information I've shared in this blog came from the following sources:

Los Angeles River Revitalization Corporation

LA Mountains

Los Angeles Times 

North East Trees

KCET 

Down By The Los Angeles River

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.