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!

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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 #9: South Gate to North Long Beach

Greetings fellow Canine Angelenos!

Welcome to Part 9 of my dog-centric look at the Los Angeles River. 

In Part 8, I reached the end of the South County L.A. River Bike Path in South Gate. To continue my journey, I must now cross the Imperial Hwy. bridge and use the LARIO Bike Path the rest of the way.

The LARIO begins at Whittier Narrows and travels for 12 miles along the Rio Hondo to its confluence with the L.A. River - just upstream of the Imperial Hwy. bridge. From there it follows the east bank of the river to the ocean.

What awaits us on the other side? The first thing you'll notice is how big the river channel is. It looks like a walled airport runway. This is the widest part of the river and it's used for a variety of things other than flood control...such as training taxi drivers!

What's more "L.A." than driving cars in the river?

While there's nothing natural about the river around here, only Glendale Narrows has more easy access to park land than this section of the trail. Surprised? I was.

About 1/2 mile downstream from Imperial Hwy. is the north end of Hollydale Park. An equestrian center occupies most of the area and a horse trail stretches between the park and bike path.

There are many horse facilities along the river from here into Long Beach.

A short walk down the bike path finds stairs that lead into the heart of this 56 acre park. The grassy field that makes up the majority of the park is split down the middle by a row of electrical towers, but there is still plenty of room to roll in the grass and play soccer.

This way to the parking lot too - a good place to start this adventure.

There are courts for basketball, tennis and handball as well as picnic benches, playgrounds, and Hollydale Dog Park, an off-leash area with a poop bag dispenser and water fountain.

What more does a dog need in a park? I give it 4 paws.

Back on the bike path, Century Bl. marks the end of Hollydale Park and the border between South Gate and Paramount. Another 1/3 mile of walking and you'll be standing beneath the 105 Freeway. Past the 105 you'll see an industrial park and some great, post-apocalyptic looking views of the river channel.

I'm not the only Canine Angeleno enjoying the river today.

About 2/3 mile south of the freeway is the Rosecrans Ave. bridge. Once you pass the bridge, you'll see the north end of Ralph C. Dills Park.

Another park so soon? Nice.

The two ends of this 9 acre park are open fields with plush grass, shady trees, playgrounds, and water fountains. The south end has restrooms (but no poop bags) and a nice picnic area too.

Ralph Dills was California's longest serving state legislator - 43 years!

Connecting the two ends is a nature trail that doesn't allow dogs on it. How can you connect two parks with a nature trail and not allow dogs?

The nature trail. I hear it's nice.

Dills Park ends when you reach the Somerset Bl. bridge. South of Somerset, a small section of Compton lies east of the river. For the next 1/4 mile or so, you'll be in the city of Compton - just long enough to walk along the fenced boundary of the Compton Par 3 Golf Course.

Who doesn't love chasing a ball around in plush grass?

Once you pass the golf course you're back in Paramount and it's 1/4 mile more to the Alondra Bl. bridge. 

The Home Depot nearby is another great place to park while you explore.

About 1/4 mile south of Alondra you'll see a long metal staircase that provides access to L.A. County's 72nd Street Arena. It's a facility for equestrian exhibitions and a nice rest stop for travelers on the bike path. There are restrooms, a water fountain, and a small picnic area next to the arena.

An obnoxious rooster will greet you at 72nd St. Arena. Trust me, you'll hear him.

1/5 mile beyond the staircase is the Atlantic Ave. bridge. If that sounds familiar it's because the river has gone beneath Atlantic before - in Vernon where the South County L.A. River Bike Path begins.

We meet again Atlantic.

Somewhere between Atlantic and the 91 Freeway, which is just over 1/2 mile away, you'll enter the city of Long Beach.

I made it to LBC! I can almost smell the ocean from here!

The Artesia Bl. bridge is only a few hundred yards past the freeway. From there walls on both sides keep you on the bike path for the next 1/3 mile, until you reach the first of two entry points into DeForest Park.

South L.A. County sure has a lot of parks along the river!

Here you'll find plenty of grass to roll in, trees to sit under and squirrels to chase. A community center, playground, and courts for basketball, handball and tennis are in the middle of the park. There are also two bathrooms and a water fountain, but no poop bags.
 
Most of the park's almost 50 acres are part of the Deforest Nature Trail, a floodwater detention basin. It was closed when I visited, so we got back on the bike path via a staircase next to the nature trail's entrance.

Maybe next time.

1/3 mile south of those stairs is the Long Beach Bl. bridge, where there is access to the street and the DeForest Wetlands.

More parkland on the way? Nice work Long Beach.

The wetlands are a 34 acre former debris basin that will someday become a park. It's a work in progress, but will be a great addition to the growing chain of green spaces along the river.

It ain't pretty...yet.

You can walk through the wetlands or on a dirt path that runs parallel to them if you don't want to return to the bike path. All roads soon cross Del Amo Bl., which marks the end of the wetlands, and of today's adventure.

People often get excited about a big announcement that’s revealed at NAB or IBC, but by the time it comes out it’s already dated, or the people that were waiting for it have moved on. - See more at: http://www.provideocoalition.com/the-other-side-of-content-creation#sthash.4v1USEG2.dp
?Dominguez Gap Wetlands? Del Amo to 405? 30 acre East basin
?Compton Creek? 14 acre West basin
405/710 junction bridge
Wardlow Rd. bridge
East of 710 is LBC; West is Compton

Looking north from Del Amo Bl.

Alright! I made it all the way to Long Beach, the last city on our journey!

Subscribe to my blog, follow me on Twitter and Facebook, or visit my website to come along as I make my way to the Pacific!



See you on the river!

Chloe Canine-Angeleno 




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

Los Angeles County Dept. of Public Works

KCET 

City of South Gate

City of Compton

City of Paramount

City of Long Beach

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 Imperial Highway, 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

The Los Angeles River #7: Downtown Los Angeles & Vernon

Greetings fellow Canine Angelenos!

Welcome to Part 7 of my dog-centric look at our unique river.

Today we'll visit the industrial heart of Los Angeles County and explore an 8-mile gap in the LA River Bike Path that stretches from Frogtown to Vernon. 

This part of the river is difficult to get to. Miles of train track and massive industrial facilities run along both banks - leaving us with almost no safe or legal access. 

It's no wonder most Angelenos have only experienced this portion of the river through their car windows as they cross one of the seventeen bridges and freeway overpasses connecting Chinatown to Lincoln Heights, the Arts District to Boyle Heights, and crisscrossing Vernon.

Soaking my paws beneath the Atlantic Bl. bridge

But big changes are coming.

The revitalization of the river is moving forward and there are a variety projects planned, underway, or recently completed that will someday reconnect the citizens of Los Angeles to their river. Over the next several years, the city plans to turn our under-appreciated waterway into an asset that will make any dog proud to be called a Canine Angeleno.

For now, this is still largely an auto-tour adventure, but there are a few places to stretch our legs along the way.
 

Let's go for a r-i-d-e!
 

In Part 6, I finished my visit to the Glendale Narrows by "marking a spot" between the old and new Riverside-Figueroa bridges.

Feb. 2015: Lots of work still being done on the bridges. Follow the detour signs.

Looking west, we can see the eastern edge of Elysian Park. There certainly is a lot of fun to be had in one of the city's largest parks, but it deserves it own blog post and I'll share those discoveries with you in the near future.

For now we're going to follow the river downstream, which quickly passes under the Pasadena (110) Freeway.

From Elysian Park you can see the river flow toward the heart of the city.

Our first stop is in Lincoln Heights. The Ed P. Reyes River Greenway is a one acre 'parklet' that sits next to the Gold Line tracks. You can access it from the north end of Avenue 18 or the intersection of Avenue 19 and Humboldt St.

It was named after former City Councilman Ed Reyes, a friend of the LA River.

Its primary function is to clean storm water before it enters the river, but it also provides the neighborhood with a nice space to relax in and get their paws dirty. A path takes us along a tiny stream with a footbridge, benches, and info signs. There's a water fountain and trash cans too, but no poop bags.

It's L.A.'s first greenway built and managed solely by the Bureau of Sanitation.

When you're done at the greenway, drive south on Avenue 18 or Avenue 19 to Pasadena Ave. and take a right. To your right is the North Broadway bridge, once the longest concrete arch bridge in California. Drive over it and enjoy the views. 

The Gold Line overpass and the Broadway bridge.

Once over the river, you'll pass the south entrance to Elysian Park then enter Chinatown. When you get to College St. take a left. Take the next left onto N. Spring St. and in about 1/4 of a mile you'll come to the fenced off home of Los Angeles State Historic Park aka. "The Cornfield".

Partially opened in 2006, it closed in April 2014 for a major renovation. When it reopens this November, there will be 32 acres of new park and a great view of the river.

Downtown as seen from the 'Cornfield' when I visited in 2013.

Continue driving past the state-park-to-be. In a moment you'll pass some warehouses, then cross the North Spring St. bridge. As of Feb. 2015, it's being repaired and looks more like a construction site than a bridge. However, you get an excellent view of the Broadway bridge to your left before returning to Lincoln Heights.

Take a right onto Avenue 18, the next right onto Albion St., and the next right again onto Avenue 17, where you'll find the Downey Recreation Center. 

It's your standard city recreation center - community building, baseball field, basketball court, a couple of picnic benches and a playground. Some nice grass and a water fountain too...but no poop bags. What's different about this recreation center is the high fence that runs all along it's western border.

The fence and construction on the Spring St. bridge are signs of good things too come.

On the other side of that fence is the future home of Albion Riverside Park. Scheduled for completion in 2016, the park will be a 6-acre addition (with riverfront access) to the existing recreation center.

 Stuck my nose through the fence to get a sniff. See you in 2016!

When you're ready to continue, go south on Avenue 17 until it intersects with N. Main St. You could take a right and cross the North Main St. bridge, but today we're going to take a left and travel east for a minute.

As of Feb. 2015, the Main St. bridge is also being repaired.

Just past the San Diego (5) Freeway, take a right onto Daly St., then your next right onto N. Mission Rd. As you drive along N. Mission Rd., look to your right at the largest piece of privately owned property in Los Angeles: The Los Angeles Transfer Container Facility, better known as the Piggyback Yard.

Downtown looms over the Piggyback Yard.

You're looking at Union Pacific's Mission Rail Yard. It's the last of LA's great rail yards and the crown jewel of the city's revitalization plans for the river. The goal is to take this 125 acres of shipping containers and create a large riverfront park alongside commercial and residential projects. 

The Piggyback Yard, San Diego Freeway, and Lincoln Heights

N. Mission Rd. ends at E. Cesar Chavez Ave. Take a right to cross the Cesar E. Chavez bridge and get another quick view of the Piggyback Yard.

Take a left onto N. Vignes St., then the next left onto Ramirez St.. Continue straight onto Center St. as you go beneath the Hollywood (101) Freeway overpass.  

Stay on Center St. until, just past E. Temple St., you'll veer right onto Santa Fe Ave. Now it's time to get out the car and do some exploring.

As you travel south on Santa Fe Ave., you'll have access to the deck of the 1st St. and 4th St. bridges. Park near one of them and climb the easy to find stairs for a close-up view of Merrill Butler's bridge building handiwork and some great views of the city.

The Gold Line tracks into Downtown along the 1st St. bridge.

The 4th St. bridge with the 1st St. bridge in the distance.

While the 6th St. bridge doesn't have stairs to its deck from Santa Fe Ave., it does have Downtown's only easy access to the river itself. Walk under the bridge on a graffiti covered, concrete ramp that ends in the river channel. Even if you've never been here before, you've seen this place many times on TV and in movies.

Standing beneath the 6th St. bridge looking upstream.

Visit the 6th St. bridge soon because its been tagged as unlikely to survive a major earthquake and is scheduled for demolition in 2015. This great looking replacement bridge should be ready by the end of 2018.

6th St. is the longest of Downtown's bridges and the only one with a steel arch.

There is also easy access to the 7th St. bridge from Santa Fe Ave. Originally built in 1910, it's known as the "stacked bridge" because a second deck was built on top of the first one in 1927.

The stacking is easy to see from beneath the 6th St. bridge.

The neighborhood around Santa Fe Ave. is a popular film and TV location. Don't be surprised if traffic stops temporarily while the crew gets their shot.

The 7th St. bridge - shut down for filming.

After you've seen the 7th St. bridge, continue south on Santa Fe Ave. You'll go under the Santa Monica (10) Freeway overpass before taking a left onto E. Olympic Bl.

Cross the Olympic Bl. bridge (the 9th St. bridge until the 1932 Olympics) and you'll pass the historic 1927 Sears building. Take the next right onto S. Soto St.

Shortly you'll approach E. Washington Bl. Take a right. The E. Washington Bl. bridge is the last car bridge crossing the river in the city of Los Angeles.

Railroad bridges run beside the Washington St. bridge just before the river leaves LA.

Once you're back on the west side of the river, take a left onto S. Santa Fe Ave. You're about to enter the heavily industrialized city of Vernon, where you'll cross the river 3 times in about a mile by turning left onto E. 26th St., right onto S. Soto St., then left onto Bandini Bl. 

These bridges aren't as fancy as the ones in Downtown LA, but are vital as the river makes a sharp turn to the east, right through the center of the city.

Downtown and the Soto St. bridge near the border of Vernon and Boyle Heights

A great "piggy" mural can be found near Farmer John's on the Bandini Bl. bridge.

Another 1/2 mile or so east on Bandini takes you over the Downey Rd. bridge. Soon the river and Bandini Bl. turn slightly southeast, surrounded by warehouses and a tangled web of train tracks.

Stay on Bandini until you go under the Long Beach (710) Freeway overpass then take a right onto S. Atlantic Bl. Ahead of you is the Atlantic Bl. bridge. On the southwest corner of the bridge is a gateway that marks the start of the bike path to Long Beach - the last stop on today's journey.

At last! The path to Long Beach. I think such an important spot deserves a nicer gateway.

I hope you've enjoyed my river trek through the center of Los Angeles and that you'll join me again for my next blog. I'll be heading into South LA County and checking out some great parks along the way!



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

The Los Angeles Conservancy

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. 



For info about places to visit upstream from Downtown L.A., 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