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

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 Parks of North Hollywood:

www.gotonoho.comGreetings Canine Angelenos!

Today's blog is all about the parks of my home territory...North Hollywood. I've discovered 10 places in NoHo's 10.2 square miles where a dog can roll in the grass and chase a squirrel or two; not too bad for a major city neighborhood I must say.

Now if your looking for peace and quiet, you probably won't find that here. The Hollywood Freeway (170) makes up the majority of North Hollywood's Western border and most of the neighborhood's parkland runs alongside it. But hey, if we were really worried about that we would live out in the country instead of the greatest city in the world wouldn't we?

There's a lot to love about my NoHo, so let's jump right in and cover ourselves with some dirt and grass:
  

(Click here to see what goes into my parks rating system.)

 

North Hollywood Park & Recreation Center

Rating: 3.5 Paws

11430 Chandler Bl.
North Hollywood, CA 91601

My park (I live a 5 minute walk away) is sandwiched between Tujunga Ave. and the 170 Freeway and runs from just North of the intersection of Riverside Dr. and Camarillo St. to Chandler Bl. near the Orange Line bus terminal.

This park has more squirrels than just about any place in L.A. - I get exhausted chasing them all.

Born in 1927 as Lankershim Park, it was the largest public green space in the San Fernando Valley for many years. Today it's divided into two sections by Magnolia Bl. 

The Southern section is a nice park with hundreds of shady trees, grass to roll in, and 1.6 miles of dirt trails to walk on. There are public restrooms, exercise stations, water fountains and trash cans, but no poop bag dispensers - a glaring omission in a park that is so popular with dogs. There are also quite a few picnic benches and a small memorial to the Californians that were killed on 9/11.

Cross Magnolia Bl. and you'll enter the Recreation center where there are baseball fields, tennis courts, a skate park, a roller hockey rink, a playground and a swimming pool alongside a public library and other city facilities. There is also a nice statue honoring Amelia Earhart, a long time resident of nearby Toluca Lake.

Oooooooooh that's nice....freshly mowed too.

The tennis courts and baseball fields recently underwent a major refurbishing and the newly planted grass is plush and extremely rollinable (I just made up a word!).

This park has become the center of outdoor activities in the increasingly popular NoHo Arts District and I visit it almost every day. Come on by for a visit and check out the rest of my great neighborhood while you're here. Many of the local restaurants have dog-friendly patios and they often give cookies and a bowl of cool water to us canines. Now that's what I call service.

Alexandria Park

Rating: 2 Paws

Laurel Canyon Bl. & Erwin St.
North Hollywood, CA 91601

A couple of miles North along the 170 brings you to the infamous Valley Plaza Mall. Once among the busiest and most cutting edge shopping spots in the country, it's now a "ghost mall" with an interesting story to tell. Pack Leader says you should watch these great videos about the mall's unique history.

Since dogs don't go shopping, the only thing that interests us around here is the neglected little park that sits between the parking lot and the freeway.

You're likely to have this park all to yourself because no one shops in a ghost mall do they?

It's only about 100 yards wide and 1/4 mile long, but it does have decent grass, a water fountain, some trash cans and a couple of picnic benches. It's also infested with gophers. Humans generally dislike gophers in their parks, but I enjoy digging up their little dirt mounds in hopes of catching one. Pack Leader tells me its never going to happen but that won't stop me from trying.

If you like digging for gophers, you need to visit this park.

Valley Plaza Park & Recreation Center 

Rating: 3 Paws

12240 Archwood St.
North Hollywood, CA 91606


At the Northern edge of the Valley Plaza Mall property, behind the Sears store, you'll find St. Clair Ave. and the South entrance to the Valley Plaza Recreation Center.

Tennis courts, baseball fields (including a Dodger's Dream Field for Little Leaguers), basketball courts, a volleyball court, a playground and a swimming pool can all be found surrounding your typical city-run recreation facility buildings. On the freeway side of the park, a short dirt pathway runs between the tennis courts and the swimming pool just South of Vanowen St. 

There's something for everyone, human and canine, to do here.

Cross Vanowen St. and you'll be in Valley Plaza Park, which stretches North to Gault Street. The park has a library, restrooms, exercise stations, lots of trees and a poorly maintained "lawn" that's far more dirt than grass. There are picnic benches and trash cans throughout the park but no poop bag dispensers.

The grass needs some TLC but its still a nice park with plenty to see and do.

In the Northwest corner of the park is a footbridge that goes over the 170 Freeway and takes you to the "Whitsett Fields" aka. the Valley Plaza Sports Complex.

You people should really spend less time in your cars and more time at the park...

Valley Plaza Sports Complex

Rating: 2 Paws

Whitsett Ave. & Vanowen St.
North Hollywood, CA 91605

If you play soccer or baseball in the Valley, then you know about this place. The North end of the park has some baseball fields and the South end is full of soccer fields. Usually it's packed with local athletes, but come early on a weekday and you'll have the fields all to yourself.

Pack Leader says I'm too short to play keeper.

Next to the fields are restrooms, water fountains, trash cans, picnic benches and even a concession stand on busy weekends. However, like all the parks in NoHo, there are no poop bag dispensers. I think I have to have a word with Councilman Krekorian about that...

Somebody left behind a soccer ball! The "finders keepers" law is in full effect here.

After kicking the ball around for a while, travel another mile or so North along Whitsett as it parallels the 170 to the intersection of Strathern St. and Whitsett Ave. near North Hollywood's border with Sun Valley. There are two more small parks there to investigate.

Strathern Park West

Rating: 2.5 Paws

12728 Strathern St.
North Hollywood, CA 91605

The official address of this park is on Saticoy St., but I don't recommend entering from there because of limited parking, the park is actually a couple of hundred yards down a broken glass covered alleyway, and there is no sign telling you the park is there. You should enter the park from the North end on Strathern St. or from the South near the end of Lull St.

This is definitely the least visited park in NoHo.

The park is a narrow half-mile long strip of grass between the 170 Freeway and Beeman Ave. There are no amenities except for a couple of benches and trash cans but I love this place because it's an unofficial off-leash park and very lightly used. If you want to get away from the crowds and run free, this place is just what the vet ordered.  

 

 Jamie Beth Slavin Park

Rating: 1.5 Paws

7965 Whitsett Ave.
North Hollywood, CA 91605

This is a tiny pocket park that is separated from Strathern Park West by the 170. It has a playground, basketball court, a few picnic benches, a water fountain, and a short paved pathway. While there isn't much to do, I must admit the grass is nicely kept and there is an abundance of gopher holes...if you're into that sort of thing.

It's tiny but its got the basics.

That's it for the parks that run alongside the 170. Now let's check out the rest of the neighborhood:

Tiara Street Park

Rating: 1.5 Paws

11480 W. Tiara St.
North Hollywood, CA 91601

North Hollywood's newest park is really just a playground for the kids but there is some nice grass to roll in as well as exercise stations, water fountains, trash cans, and restrooms for the humans. There's even a short pathway that goes around the entire park.

As a bonus, it's right next to an In-N-Out Burger which adds a delightful beefy aroma to the air. I highly suggest you talk your humans into sharing a Double-Double with you while you're there.

Whitnall Highway Dog Park

Rating: 2.5 Paws

5801 Whitnall Highway
North Hollywood, CA 91601

It's ragged looking and the grass is always in poor shape, but it's NoHo's only off-leash dog park so it's hard not to love. There are benches for the humans to sit on while they watch their doggies play and there is usually a kiddie pool to jump into. As with most dog parks, there are poop bag dispensers, water fountains and plenty of trash cans.

The park is split into big dog/little dog sections that are separated by a dirt parking lot.

This apartment building across the street has spectacular decor if you ask me...

Victory-Vineland Park & Recreation Center

Rating: 2 Paws

11117 Victory Bl.
North Hollywood, CA 91606

This small recreation center is right next to the Target store at the intersection of Victory Bl. and Vineland Ave. It's a tiny spot with just a single city building, a tennis court, a basketball court and a playground. Behind the building is a park large enough for two soccer fields and a few picnic benches.

It's not the biggest or prettiest park around...but its a park and I'm thankful it's here.

Chandler Bikeway

Chandler Bl. & Vineland Ave.
North Hollywood, CA 91601

At the Southeast corner of Vineland and Chandler is the Western entrance to the Chandler Bikeway. Its not really a park but it's a great place to take the dog on a stroll. It's also where you'll find one of my favorite things to roll in - the free mulch pile the city has set up for anyone who wants to take some mulch home for their lawn or garden. Pack Leader doesn't exactly approve of me rolling in the smelly mulch, but I can usually get a quick tumble in before he pulls me away.

The pathway runs for miles; deep into Burbank.

In the North Hollywood section of the bikeway are the Chandler Murals - a collection of amazing paintings on the street facing walls of the local businesses. The people who made these have some serious talent and they've created the "artsiest" street in all of NoHo - maybe all of L.A.

Of all the murals, this is my personal favorite.

This one is Pack Leader's favorite.

When you reach N. Clybourn Ave., you've reached the Eastern border of North Hollywood and the end of our adventures for today. 


I hope you've enjoyed exploring North Hollywood as much as I have and that my blog inspires you to check out one of L.A.'s most unique and fastest growing neighborhoods. Maybe I'll.....


...see you at the park!


Chloe Canine-Angeleno







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

Universal City-North Hollywood: A Centennial Portrait
by Tom Link



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.