LA River Bike Path

Great place to walk your dog, walk with your family, watch the Los Angeles River people who live on the Islands and hope they don’t come rob you.. .We enter from the path from the parking lot of EatZ off of Los Feliz and walk down to the Horse Police station and make our way back home.. it’s an enjoyable view of Griffith Park and you can clearly see the hikers up on the mountain or watch the bikers on the other side of the river on the freeway side and watch the bikers and families enjoy a bike stroll.. Lately they have new levy’s up to protect the near by residents for the El Nino Of El Nino storms. I’m just happy I bought flood insurance, You never know.

Update: don’t come here. Just went this Jan and it’s so ugly since the rain knocked everything over, trees, etc and washed up so much trash. Not coming back for six months. :(
Before the rains: I’d walked this stretch many times, usually I park on the golf course parking lot and then head in at the gate in the back of the lot, just be careful if you come late because they’ll close the gate on this lot and also you’ll be there. Late. Which I’m sure it’s super sketch at night.
I feel pretty safe during the day, however, and I read that a 2015 grant has been issued to make this area by the river even better, which I’m happy about because I sometimes see trash and feel sorry for the animals in this area.
I love this walk because you can hear and see the 101 freeway in places and yet you’re in the middle of a lot of nature and it’s a juxtaposition that kind of represents Los Angeles pretty well, I think.
There are a lot of horses and stables nearby, but apart from that it’s pretty quiet, with the occasional biker going by up top and the golf course flanking the other side until it turns into stables and then parks and fields.

Interestingly enough, the L.A. Tweed Ride gave us our first introduction to the L.A. River. C.I.C.L.E. (a bicycle organization) hosts this event annually. On this particular year they wanted to explore the Highland Park section of the river. Around sixty riders took the path by storm, a nice relaxing pace set the tone for an enjoyable cruise. I liked the smooth roads the unique architecture and the calming effects of a car free environment.

Pretty much the reason why we bought our home in Elysian Valley. Got to the neighborhood in 2010 and it just keeps getting better with the whole river revival project and all those parks along the river. Great place for a family. The river trail has so much more than just a paved trail, there’s a café a bike service center a place called frog spot and the nomad. The river itself is a whole place to explore if you’re willing to go down there.

Pretty cool path. (no kids and dogs) haha. good for short distance. First try today. On my way back from Griffith park found it accidentally, will go back tomorrow. What a beautiful day ! Ride your bike ! Go ! :D

Awesome bike path. Highly recomended for the whole family. Never knew there was a bike path here. This will be my regular route now. Excellent for beginners like me. Safe bike path for kids too. A lot of regular bikers come here.

Nice bicycle path for cruising without the worry of constant stop signs.

My favorite bike path in the area. Long, smooth, scenic, path. Great way to get some exercise and enjoy the day.
Pros:
–Nice long, smooth ride that is pretty flat and well maintained No cars/​intersections to worry about :)
–Lots of little parks along the side to hang out (and even a bike rider café)
–Friendly neighbors
–Fun to ride overall
Cons:
–Watch out for walkers/​more crowded. If you are riding with a family (small kids), I may suggest the Arroyo Seco Bike path as it is shorter/​less crowded/​just as flat. There are real riders that ride the LA River Path at fast speeds.
–Louder/​smoggier along the stretch right next to the 5 Freeway.

4 out of 5 only because majority of cyclists do not know how to share the path. Sorry we didn’t all fall into that «European trend» and rather run with our dogs or stroll down the path for a nice walk even though I’m clearly on the side lines leaving you plenty of room to ride along. Been coming through for years and love it. Although it’s popularity has grown with trendy hipsters or wannabe hipsters has the crowd seeming unfriendly.
Other than that, love it!

Living in the middle of the city, it’s nice to have a place for running/​biking that’s easy on the legs without the threat of bad LA drivers. O. O
I recommend coming an hour before sunset for shade and early morning when it’s still cool. Mid day provides little to no shade…

A WELL TRAVELED PATH
BACKGROUND:
The first 3.2 miles, from Riverside Dr. (at Victory) down as far as Los Feliz Blvd., had been opened to the public for quite a few years. The next mile and a half, as far as Fletcher Drive, opened in 2000. The Los Feliz overpass was finally completed, and lighting is now installed all the way.
STATS:
Travel as far as you like
Minimal elevation gain or loss
Buggy at times
Not crowded
ESSENTIALS:
Walking/​running shoes
Bike
A partner of some sort
EXPERIENCE:
Couple years ago a friend and I did a 21 mile bike ride though Griffith Park that included several miles on the LA River Bike Path. The path wide and fairly well kept up. Free from cars and gangs of people, one can really pedal at top velocities. The past year I have been a caretaker for a friend has two canines. One of da furs has anger management issues towards other four legged creatures.
To ensure her and her step-​sister enjoy the great outdoors, we walk along the LA River on the bike path as so many others do. The path is a great place to walk with or without fur because of the wide path, clear line of sight for a long distance, which helps when I’m on path with da fur. It gives us a chance to either prepare for a potential outburst from da fur or to simply turn around and go the other way.
Walking on the path along the moving river is a great place to unwind and enjoy the sites of the native birds and the growing greenery in the river. Also, there are areas along the path that is full of bushes and trees, which is great for da fur to take care of business. Forgot your poop bags? No worries, there are poop bag dispensing posts at some entrances to the path as well as trash cans.
I have yet to try kayaking in the river. I know it can be done, but I’m unfamiliar with this activity in the river.
The LA River Bike Path is not just for cyclists, but also walkers, runners, and peeps who only want to hang out on the river.
The downside to the path is that it runs along the 5 freeway and it is a bit noisy, also there is some graffiti on the asphalt and water pipes, at least in the section of the path I frequent. Some may think this is a not so safe area, but I feel safe walking along the river.
SIDEBAR:
During the rainy season, the river swells quickly and many have been suddenly swept up and taken away sometimes found dead miles away. Don’t mess with Mother Nature, she ALWAYS wins.

This is a great path for people looking to bike a short distance, approximately 14 miles round trip. This path runs along the LA River and the 5 freeway, so it’s nice to ride your bike and look at the different things around the area. What better than exercising for free and in nature!
When you get to the bike path, I’m sure there are many places to park, but a good spot is at the LA Zoo parking lot. It’s a 2 minute bike ride from the lot to the bike path. Also, the LA Zoo parking is free! You’ll notice that there are many other bikers there to park there car. Just try to stay at the very end, near the entrance because that’s the closest spot to the bike path. The path is pretty leveled, so you won’t have a hard time riding up and down the path. My favorite thing about this path is that there’s shade! I’m usually biking at the San Gabriel River Trail which has many inclines and no shade at all! The shade doesn’t cover the entire bike path but a good portion of it.
This path offers a lot, you’ll see many people biking, running, fishing, and kayaking! I’m surprised you can fish and kayak. I didn’t think there were fishes. Also, the river didn’t look deep enough so you can kayak. There were about two different kayak vendors for you to rent kayaks, including tours. Maybe that is something that I will try next time. The bike path is also next to a recreational center, so you’ll see a couple people doing tai chi, singing, and playing instruments.
You won’t see too many professional cyclers out at this path because the round distance this too short. You’ll see most of the professional cyclers at the San Gabriel River Trail because the round-​trip for that ride is approximately 55 miles. Make sure to put on some sunblock and enjoy the bikepath. I highly recommend this place.

This just in… I see a family of six heading towards me. I also see 8 year old on a razor and he swerving In N Out of the lanes, as in going against traffic. I slow down and approached. the child still never saw me, his head was pointed down at the ground while driving his razor. he makes a last second swerve against traffic and crashed into me head on. I tried to explain to the family what happened and I tried to explain, look where the accident happened. the crash took place on my side of the lane. plus he was swerving in and out of the lanes as I could see up head. not my fault and another absent minded family that doesn’t get it.

I have been riding the LA River route from the Zoo to the tip of Downtown (7.4 miles stretch) for years! I can cruise it at 10 mph or hit 25 mph… This is a great place to ride and get in a good workout or prepare for a long ride (PLUG: River Ride, Chinatown Firecracker Ride, Volkswagon Ride, LA Marathon Crash…)
I love it, it is a simple flat ride with only 3 small changes in elevation (2 down/​ups and 1 up and down hill)… there are no cars. relatively smooth marked pathway… nice scenic rough…
There are some transients (they leave you alone)… some joggers (share the lane) … Its a great work out without the gym membership fees!
There are night lights, but try not to bike at night (I don’t)… Just use common sense… There is a Coffee vender that operates right off the River around Fletcher-​Marsh St. on the weekends (look for the signs) The coffee is good…
PS there are LE (law enforcement) that workout off duty and are packing heat off. So that should make you feel safe… I also see LAPD Bike Patrol work out there…

One of my absolute favorite parts of Los Angeles.
It’s no coincidence that it’s also one of the strangest, spookiest parts of the city too. For the last three months or so, I’ve made it a point every other week to walk or bike the path between the Victory blvd entrance and Atwater Village and always go home with a bizarre sighting or unusual find.
While it is common knowledge that many homeless people camp out along the river, there are all kinds of weird stories and rumors about a strange guy who either lives in the brush within the riverbed or spends a lot of time spooking pedestrians and riders. The «hiding man» as the posted signs along the path warn you, is a pale-​faced (masked?) man who will occasionally peer out from the brush and according to a few anonymous message board posts, can also be spotted walking along the riverbed. To say that I find this extremely fascinating is an understatement and makes every visit something of an expedition. Hopefully, one day, I will get to actually spot him myself (I added the only pic of him I could find).
A few things that I have seen and/​or found: a hand-​carved, very well-​endowed and articulated wooden doll; syringes; men at two different ends of the path at night, using flashlights within the brush; someone using a laptop within a tent within the brush; a knife handle; a rubber baby doll fully swaddled and soaked in dirty water; cat tail; bones of unknown origin; «wild» chickens; warning signs posted about the hidden man, a headless man, robbers along the path, wild dogs and people in the pipes with the cat faces; a stash of unopened microwave burritos.
So much mythology! Add all of that to the fact that right smack in the middle of congested, choking Los Angeles, you can spend some time away while looking at wildlife, lush greenery and, technically, a running river. It’s sort of like a tiny pocket universe in some stretches. It’s also typically isolated, aside from cyclists, it stays pretty quiet and calm all day so a good place to enjoy a book or a little scotch while you think about things.
Walking it at night is a bit trickier and typically advised against but I did it a few weeks ago and found it pretty exciting, albeit a little dangerous once I saw the flashlight guys in the brush. There are very few things one could be doing with flashlights in the dark in the middle of the river! I’ve read several other articles/​posts/​blogs that mention gang activity but I have yet to encounter any of it.

When visiting Los Angeles a week ago, I did a hike along the LA River Bike Path. I had read a column in the Times by Charles Fleming about this urban walk/​hike, and I knew it was one I’d have to do when I had the chance.
Saturday morning after breakfast, I parked near the Mulholland Memorial Fountain at Riverside Drive and Los Feliz Boulevard. Fleming described an entrance to the path accessed from behind the soccer field by the tennis courts. Sure enough, as I neared the rear of the courts, there were some bike tire tracks and I saw a small ramp to a bridge going over the 5 freeway.
It’s always fun to cross the freeways on bridges like this and I got a photo of an accident that was backing up AM traffic on the freeway. I was glad I was walking safely.
Once over the bridge, you can take the bike path north along the LA River and then cross at a bridge to the east side which is just a walking path. Instead, I chose to do Fleming’s hike in the opposite direction and I was glad I did. I saw people fishing in the river and I got a great photo of a beautiful heron. If you’re walking, you can walk down the concrete riverbank right to the river.
I went south to Rattlesnake Park and the Great Heron Gates to the park before coming back and crossing east on Fletcher Road and then north and back to the walking path.
It ended up being about a 4 mile round trip hike and it was a lot of fun. The bikers were very considerate of those walking and I returned the favor. This is a super place to ride or walk.

Who knew the LA River could be so appealing? Or that places such as ‘Elysian Park’ and ‘Frog Town’ exist here?
Easy 15 mile round-​trip bike ride (I ride a single gear). Entrance to one end of the Bike Path starts down the street from the Los Angeles Zoo. Beautiful side parks along the way.
Relatively empty in the mornings, before pollution from the 5 freeway rush hour blows into your face. Take a detour through Griffith Park and the golf course on your way back for variety.
It’s pretty romantic. This would be a good active date idea.

I love the city just as much as I love nature — this combines the two.
An aside about the «transients» others have noted — I grew up taking the NYC subway at 11 years old and I’ve pretty much seen it all… but ten minutes into my first ride and admiring the egrets, I found myself saying to my companion who regularly takes this trail, «What the hell? There’s a chick walking in the water!»
He glanced up, unconcerned. «Oh, see that bucket? She’s just taking a shit. She lives down there.»
Oh.
Like I said — city and nature combined.
Other than that, uncrowded, easy ride.

4 Stars. It’s a great escape to the hustle and bustle of a city. It’s a 14 mile roundtrip from 110 freeway to just about where the 134fwy meets the 5fwy. I must say that when riding next to the Freeway (going south) there is a headwind that’ll give you that extra burn in your legs. The wildlife is a bonus and the biggest plus is that it’s one long path with no obstruction, which brings me to why I deducted 1 star.
The kayaking is cool i might try it one day, but can we figure out a way to not load and unload the kayaks on the bike path?
Families, if you must take the kids can you hold there hands and not let them run around and on road? it is a road you know.
Walkers/​Jogging couples, can we please leave one lane open and not use both lanes?
All in all it’s a good ride with lots of road ahead.

Long and shows you Los Angeles diversity. You go from fancy, young and trendy, urban, industrial and questionable all in the same path.
Access points all over. Near Toluca Lake, Griffith Park, Los Feliz, Atwater Village…
Gotta love LA!