The Los Angeles River #3 - East San Fernando Valley

Greetings Canine Angelenos!



Its time to visit my favorite place in town again... the L.A. River!

In Part 1 of my dog-centric look at the river, I covered the Western San Fernando Valley, from where the river starts at Headwaters to the Sepulveda Basin Dog Park.

In Part 2, I followed the river all the way through the Sepulveda Basin Recreation Area.

Today, In Part 3, I'll travel through the Eastern San Fernando Valley - from Sepulveda Bl. in Sherman Oaks to Cahuenga Bl. in Studio City. 

This route will have us, for the most part, traveling along Valleyheart Dr. from West to East.

Valleyheart Dr. runs parallel to the river from Sepulveda Bl. to the edge of Griffith Park in Burbank. However, there are many places where the road disappears then reappears (an annoying trait of many roads in The Valley) and it often splits in two, thus creating North Valleyheart and South Valleyheart. 

This can be a little frustrating but as long as you drive close to the river, you'll find the road. 



* Sepulveda Bl. to Kester St.
    (Thomas Guide 561 H3 & J3)

The walking path on the South side of the river is currently (June 2014) under construction as part of the L.A. Riverfront Park Project - Phase II - its full of construction vehicles and piles of dirt. As with many city construction projects, the published planned completion dates are rarely accurate so I won't even mention them here. When its done I'll let everybody know via my Twitter feed so follow me to get the latest information.

The beautification of our river is an ongoing process.

On the North side there is "unofficial access" (aka. no fence) and you can walk along the river there - I saw people and dogs using it when I last visited.

Looking East from the Sepulveda bridge.

 

* Kester St. to Van Nuys Bl.
    (Thomas Guide 561 J3; 562 A3)

Running between Kester St. and Cedros Ave. along the North side of the river is Ernie's Walk, a 1/3 mile long path with some benches and nice shady landscaping. In the late 1980's, a local resident named Ernie La Mere took it upon himself to improve this stretch of the river by prodding city officials to clean up the area, planting flowers, and making a small cemetery for neighborhood pets. L.A. needs more people like Ernie. 

Ernie was obviously a pet lover. Thanks Ernie!

There is currently a locked gate when you reach Cedros, but extending the walkway East to Van Nuys Bl. has been proposed as part of the L.A. Riverfront Park Project.

There is no access to the path on the South side of the river.

I got an early start today at Ernie's Walk...maybe too early.

* Van Nuys Bl. to Fulton St.
    (Thomas Guide 562 A3, A4, B4, C4, D4 & D5)

There is no access to the river along this stretch through Sherman Oaks. However, between Hazeltine Ave. and Woodman Ave., on the South side of the river, there is unofficial access (as I noted earlier that just means there is no fence stopping you from walking along the path).

There is a footbridge that crosses the river on Sunnyslope Ave., between Woodman and Fulton, that connects Valleyheart and Rye St. The bridge lets you get a good look up or downstream of the river. Seems to me like an excellent access point for a future park project.



* Fulton St. to Coldwater Canyon Bl.
    (Thomas Guide 562 D5 & E5)

The Valleyheart Riverwalk Greenway is one of the nicest stretches of the river and its being improved upon as I write this blog. When completed it will make a loop trail of just over 1 mile.

This spot is beautiful. I can't wait until both sides are opened.

On the North side, The Village Gardeners, an organization made up of neighborhood LA River lovers, have created a beautifully landscaped trail with trees, benches, poop bag dispensers and trash cans. The site is under construction and there is currently no access. The re-opening and ribbon cutting ceremony will be held on June 21st at 9am - we'll be able to visit this great new addition to the river in just a few weeks.

 ***UPDATE***

THE NORTH SIDE IS NOW ACCESSIBLE AND IT IS GORGEOUS! CHECK OUT MY POST WITH THE LATEST DETAILS FROM MY VISIT IN JULY 2014

On the South side, the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy, the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority and the County of LA run the Richard Lillard Outdoor Classroom. Created in 2003, it was the first LA River park in The Valley.

Designed with students in mind, there are signs along the path that display information about the river, an amphitheater, and beautiful landscaping that restored native plants and trees.

I explored and did my research at the same time. I'm a multi-tasking hound!

The park is named after Richard Lillard, who was a prominent Los Angeles ecologist that helped lead the fight against making Mulholland Dr. into a freeway and was one of the first people to propose a park in the Santa Monica Mountains to permanently preserve open space. 



* Coldwater Canyon Bl. to Whitsett Ave.
    (Thomas Guide 562 E5 & F5)

There is no official access to this section of the river, but negotiations are under way with developers of the Whitsett Golf Course to possibly/hopefully create the L.A. River Natural Park as another part of L.A. Riverfront Park Project. The all volunteer organization Save L.A. River Open Space is working hard to preserve this area; The Valley's last 16 acres of unprotected open space along the river.

There is unofficial access on the North side from Alcove Ave. (south of Woodbridge St.) to the golf course on Bellaire Ave.

There is also unofficial access on the South side stretching from the parking lot Behind Jerry's Deli to Whitsett Ave.



* Whitsett Ave. to Laurel Canyon Bl.
    (Thomas Guide 562 F5 & G5)

On the South side, the L.A. River Greenway Park is accessible from the Whitsett Ave. bridge. 

A paved walkway runs behind some businesses and a parking lot that face Ventura Bl. About half way to Laurel Canyon, a footbridge crosses the river on Laurel Grove Ave. and provides additional access. This area has very little in the way of amenities but does provide some natural relief from the hustle and bustle of Ventura Bl. 

I need my sunglasses - this is L.A. after all.

There is unofficial access to the North side.


* Laurel Canyon Bl. to Colfax Ave.
    (Thomas Guide 562 G5)

At the intersection of Laurel Canyon and S. Valleyheart you will find The Great Toad Gate, which is the entrance to the Valleyheart Greenway Path. This short path only goes as far East as Radford Ave. but provides a nice extension to your walk in the L.A. River Greenway Park; just be very careful crossing Laurel Canyon.

We need a Great Dog Gate somewhere along the river too...

Although the path is short, the landscaping, which includes a hummingbird and butterfly garden, makes it a pleasant trek. You also can visit the Rattlesnake Wall, a giant rattlesnake sculpture that makes me very glad they really aren't that big.

His tail is around the corner!

The path ends at Radford Ave. as the river enters the CBS Television back lot.

There is only unofficial access to the North side of the river.



* Colfax Ave. to Tujunga Bl.
    (Thomas Guide 562 H5, H6 & J6)

There are two ways to access this section from the West. You can descend the stairs on the Southeast corner of the Colfax Bridge or you can enter from the end of Dilling St., which can be reached by going North on Colfax then turning right onto Chiquita St., right onto Troost Ave., then right again onto Dilling.

From the Colfax Bridge - The Tujunga Wash merges with the river on the CBS TV lot.

A footbridge crossing the river is at the trailhead which gives you the option of walking on either side of the river. From Whitsett to the Tujunga Ave. bridge (which you'll need to cross) makes for a pleasant 1.1 loop hike. 

The South side is easier on the paws but I love a loop hike.

Also at the trailhead is a poop bag dispenser and access to another trail that heads North along the Tujunga Wash.



* Tujunga Bl. to Vineland Ave.
    (Thomas Guide 562 J6, J5 & 563 A5)

There is no access to the river anywhere along this stretch.



* Vineland Ave. to Cahuenga Bl.
    (Thomas Guide 563 A5 & B5)

There is no real access to the river here but that doesn't mean there's nothing fun to do.

The Central Branch of the Tujunga Wash, which gets it start near Valley Plaza in North Hollywood, joins the river here and splits Weddington Park into North and South sections.

South Weddington Park, which is only accessible by turning onto Valleyheart from Lankershim Bl., has plenty of things for a dog to do including running through plush grass, chilling under some shady trees, and digging at the gopher mounds that are everywhere in this park.

If you like digging for gophers (and who doesn't?), this is the place for you.

The park is divided into two sections by a couple of nice little league fields. The East side has a path that goes almost 1/2 mile around the park. The West side has become an unofficial off-leash area and gives you a good view of where the wash and the river merge. There are plenty of water fountains and trash cans around but no poop bag dispensers (the apartment complex across the street has some). There are public restrooms too.

The 'secret' off-leash park.

North Weddington Park is much more developed than the South and includes a Community Center, two gorgeous little league fields, a vegetable garden for teaching children about growing food, hand ball courts, picnic benches, a nice playground, and a 1/2 mile walking path that goes most of the way around the park. There are plenty of water fountains and trash cans but no poop bag dispensers. There are public restrooms here as well.

I think they should build a footbridge connecting these two parks.

This park is also only accessible from Lankershim Bl. Go North on Lankershim and take a left onto Acama St. which is about 1/4 mile up the road from Valleyheart.

 

The kids have their playground...and I have mine.

From here the river heads East behind the Universal City studio lot and makes its way toward Burbank - which is where we'll continue our journey in a future blog.




I hope this blog makes you realize that the L.A. River, even in the most developed areas, can be a fun place to take your pack.

See you on the river!

Chloe Canine-Angeleno




Resources used to write this blog:

Down By The Los Angeles River by Joe Linton

The Los Angeles River: Its Life, Death, and Possible Rebirth by Blake Gumprecht

KCET

The River Project

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.

*A Park By The Mountains; A Park By The Sea

I visited two more of Los Angeles' awesome parks this week. A visit to the Verdugo Mountains and the Pacific Ocean - that's what makes L.A. so great; we've got all these different environments so close to each other.

A Canine Angeleno is a lucky dog indeed...


*** Brand Library Park ***

Rating: 3.5 paws

1601 West Mountain Street
Glendale, CA 91201
The main entrance is at the corner of Grand View and Mountain


Leslie Brand was an extremely successful real estate developer who left his mark all over Glendale in the early 1900's (Brand Bl. was built by and self-named after him). From 1902-1904 he built, then moved into the "castle" and property that we know today as Brand Library Park.

A dog could get used to this kind of luxury.

Mr. Brand lived his life to the fullest and while some people of the time questioned his character, he was a renowned dog lover and is actually buried on the property along side his dogs. He also left his property to the city and insisted it "be kept in as good condition as the best public parks and libraries are maintained in Southern California." Anyone that would do those things is alright by this dog...

The park has lots of humans only things to see and do including a library, an art gallery, a recital hall, a sculpture court, a Japanese tea garden, and Brand Studios - a popular place for parties and conferences. 

All that stuff is nice I'm sure, but I'm much more interested in the park itself; 31 acres of grass and trees at the base of the Verdugo Mountains. There are hiking and biking trails, a basketball court, a softball field, a playground, and a children's wading pool. The grass is extremely well maintained and there are many picnic areas where we could stop for a cookie.

The main attraction for hikers and mountain bikers is the Brand Trail, a fire road which climbs steeply for about 3 miles. Its a nice workout and there's not much shade, so get started early before it gets too hot out. On the trail you will find the Brand family cemetery where Mr. and Mrs. Brand and their dogs are buried. There are also a few spur trails and a paved walk around a debris basin for those of you that want something less strenuous to do.

Glendale from the trail above the debris basin

All of these walks start at a trail head that has a poop bag dispenser and the Miss American Green Cross statue, a tribute to an early 1900's ecological society. The statue itself is rather odd looking and has a very colorful history.

Sure its a little creepy, but its all about saving trees and rivers... I think.

Another interesting piece of local history that can be visited by all of us as we roam around the lawn is the Doctor's House Museum and Gazebo. The house was originally built in 1888 on E. Wilson Ave. but was moved to its present location in 1980. 

What a doctor's office looked like in the late 1800s to early 1900s...but where's the vet's?

Brand Library Park, much more than most places, has a little bit of something for everyone. Its a must visit for anyone interested in local history, the arts, or well manicured lawns to roll in. It also has the fanciest dog friendly water fountain I've ever seen...

To drink from anything else would be....uncivilized.

*** Palisades Park ***

Rating: 3 paws

 

Ocean Ave. between Colorado Ave. and San Vicente Bl.

Santa Monica, CA 90404
There is metered parking all along Ocean Ave. but get here early on weekends if you want a space.



In 1892 John P. Jones, one of the founders of Santa Monica, along with Arcadia Bandini de Baker, widow of another one of the city's founders, donated a strip of land which has grown to become one of the legendary landmarks of Los Angeles - Palisades Park in Santa Monica.

A Los Angeles_Santa Monica classic

This 1.6 mile stretch of prime ocean front real estate is a major tourist attraction full of art, history, and colorful characters as well as breathtaking views of the Pacific.

The Santa Monica Pier is across the street too - you will be surrounded by tourists

There are well manicured, tree lined dirt paths that let you walk along the bluffs and enjoy the scenery as well as lots of grass that just begs to be rolled in.

No, I'm not finished yet, but thanks for asking...

You humans will learn a few things too as the park is full of sculptures, war memorials, and a visitor center that incorrectly calls itself the Western terminus of world-famous Route 66.

Its not really the West end of the road - but don't tell the tourists

You weren't expecting a Civil War era cannon at the beach? I want to know why its pointed at the pier...hmmm

Palisades Park is a great place to visit on a hot day. The ocean breezes are refreshing and there is plenty of shade to be found underneath the many beautiful trees. There are also water fountains available so staying cool is no problem here. 

The only bone I have to pick with a park that's so popular with dogs is that there are no poop bag dispensers.

Two more things that L.A. is famous for: The PCH....and traffic.

That's all for this week's adventures in Los Angeles. I hope you visit and enjoy these wonderful parks soon and be sure to check out my website CanineAngeleno.com for more great places to take your humans. 

Click here to see what factors I look at to come up with my park ratings.


See you at the park!

Chloe Canine-Angeleno









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

The Los Angeles Times

The Glendale Historical Society


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.

The Los Angeles River #2 - Sepulveda Basin

Welcome back my fellow Canine Angelenos! 

Its time for our next adventure, and this week I'm going to return to a subject that will come up often in this blog: The Los Angeles River!

In Part 1 of my dog-centric look at the river, I started at the Headwaters and finished in the Sepulveda Basin Dog Park. Today I'm going pick up where I left off and follow the river all the way through the vast Sepulveda Basin Recreation Area. This place is full of fun things for dogs and their humans to do, so tell your pack to throw a towel in the car and let's roll!

The Sepulveda Basin is an approximately 2,000 acre flood control basin that was built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers after the floods of 1938. Those floods devastated much of the San Fernando valley and led to the concrete assault on the river that we see today. The dam, which can be seen from the 101 Freeway, was completed in 1941. 

Today, besides being used for flood control, its a major recreation area. 

The LA River runs through the entire basin and four seasonal creeks end their journey to the river within its boundaries: Encino Creek, Haskell Creek, Woodley Creek, and Bull Creek. You can explore most of the river on foot/paw, on or off trail, and you can see the river from many spots along a well maintained 3.3 mile bike loop. 

Beyond the river, there are many 'humans only' places for you guys to have a good time including: the Balboa Sports Center, Hjelte Sports Center, Sepulveda Garden Center, Encino Golf Course, Balboa Golf Course, Woodley Lakes Golf Course, the Leo Magnus Cricket Complex, the Sepulveda Basin Archery Fields, the Sepulveda Basin Wildlife Reserve, and the Japanese Gardens...

But enough about what the dog can't do....

The Wildlife Reserve is beautiful but its a No Fun (for the dog) Zone

There are two places to park that access the areas described in this blog: a large parking lot just South of the Balboa Bl. bridge on the West side of Balboa or across the street in Anthony C. Beilenson Park.

I've broken this adventure into 3 sections, each divided by one of the major boulevards that run through the complex:


1. From White Oak to Balboa

From the dog park, the river makes it's way Southeast after it passes under the White Oak Ave. bridge. The bridge has fencing along it and you cannot access the river from this end. The only way to get to this section of the river is to start at the Balboa Bl. bridge and walk upstream. 

You'll initially be on a bike bath but, just as the path U-turns, you'll see a small trail. 

The unofficial trail upstream from Balboa Bl.

Follow this trail until you reach some baseball fields, then continue on along the top of the concrete wall that slopes down toward the river; the baseball fields will be on your left. For approximately the next third of a mile, the river will be on your right, hidden by impassably thick vegetation and trees. But don't worry, you'll soon pass under the Metro Orange Line bridge where you can access the concrete encased river. This is the first place you can actually get your paws wet if your following the river downstream from its origin at the Headwaters. 

Continue upstream toward the next bridge at White Oak where the dog park will be above you to the right. You can't see the dog park but you can hear all the dogs having fun. 

I can hear dogs having a good time up there.

Return the way you came to get to the next part of our adventure.
 

2. From Balboa to Burbank 

[Note: This section is currently being considered by the Army Corps of Engineers as a spot where kayakers will be able to explore the river. If you want to know what they decide, follow me on Twitter and I'll let you know as soon as the information is available.]

When you get back to the bike path's U-turn, continue East and you'll soon pass under the Balboa Bl. bridge. 

Walking beneath Balboa Bl.

When you get to the other side of Balboa, you quickly find yourself in Anthony C. Beilenson Park. This park has a lot going for it: a very well equipped Universally Accessible Playground, tennis courts, picnic benches, lots of grassy areas to roll in or have a picnic on, and best of all...Lake Balboa.

Lake Balboa is a man-made 27-acre lake filled with reclaimed water from the nearby Donald C. Tillman Water Reclamation Plant. There's a paved walkway that goes all around the lake and you can fish or rent a paddle boat for a closer look at the water. Unfortunately you cannot go swimming which I wanted to do soooooooo badly.

Someone please tell me to "go jump in a lake" - I won't be offended

To walk along the river from this point you can use a dirt path on the North side or backtrack toward Balboa Bl. and access a much more popular path on the South side. The best thing of course is to take one path on your way out and the other on your return trip. Either way you'll be walking in between two golf courses. 

The river bank is thick with vegetation but there are many spots along the way where you can access the water. 

A quiet spot along the North path

The North path also goes along side the Apollo XI Model Aircraft Field, where you can watch people fly remote controlled planes and helicopters. 

The trails end at Burbank Bl. near its intersection with Woodley Ave.


*Side Trip: 
North of the river and East of Woodley are a couple of places to check out that aren't right on the river. Woodley Park has plenty of cool grass to roll in and some picnic benches...

Woodley Park has all the basics - grass, trees, water fountains...but no poop bag dispensers.

...and just South of Woodley Park is an earthen section of the dam that makes for a nice 2 mile round trip walk, as long as you don't mind walking along side the 405 freeway.

Park in the tiny lot on Burbank Bl., just West of the 405 freeway to quickly access this part of the dam.

3. Burbank to Sepulveda

From the end of the path, cross Burbank Bl. and walk down to the river. 

View from the edge of the Burbank Bl. bridge.

This is my favorite part of the whole complex. Here the river is wide and shallow as it approaches the Sepulveda Dam and just begs to be splashed in.

Watch out ducks! I'm coming through!

This is the end of our journey. Beyond the dam, the river is mostly inaccessible as it passes the Sherman Oaks Castle Park, where you humans can play a round of mini-golf or take some swings at the batting cages. It then passes underneath the Sepulveda Bl. bridge, where we'll pick up our exploration of the river in another blog.

The Sepulveda dam is the end of the line for today.

The Sepulveda Basin is one of the biggest places to play in all of LA County and is easily accessible from the 405 and 101 freeways. Its so much fun for dog and human alike that you should make it a regular stop on your adventures in LA. Just don't forget a towel for the dog ;)


See you in the river!

Chloe Canine-Angeleno





 
Resources used to write this blog:

Down By The Los Angeles River by Joe Linton

The Los Angeles River: Its Life, Death, and Possible Rebirth by Blake Gumprecht

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.