National Recreation Trails Database

Hosted by AmericanTrails.org

---

• NRT Home
• About NRT Program
• Featured NRTs
• What's Hot
• Calendar
• Training
• Resources
• Support Trails
• Symposium

The Los Angeles River Trail (Greenway/Bike Path)

Location	In the City of Los Angeles in Los Angeles County, California—connecting approximately seven miles from the north side of Griffith Park at Riverside Drive (at Zoo Drive) along the Los Angeles River to Barclay Street in Elysian Valley, north of Downtown L
State(s)	California
Counties	Los Angeles County
Type	Greenway Urban Trail
Length	7.00 Miles / 11.27 Km	Loop Trail?	No
Allowed Uses	Bicycling (on pavement) Dogs - On leash Fishing Heritage and History Roller/Inline Skating Skateboarding Wildlife Observation
Agency
Entry Fee?	No	Parking Fee?	No

 

Description

 

The Los Angeles River flows 51 miles through the nation's second-largest urban region. The Los Angeles River Trail helps to tell the story of the founding of Los Angeles and its survival via its relationship to water resources. From the diaries of Franciscan missionary Father Juan Crespí, we know that a settlement party led by Spanish explorer Captain Gaspar de Portolà, which included people of Native American, African and European heritage, journeyed more than one-thousand miles across the desert from present-day northern Mexico and established a farming community in September 1781 largely because of the river's presence as a water supply. The party stopped on the banks of the river and declared the area “El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Ángeles de Porciúncula” or “The Town of Our Lady the Queen of Angels of the Little Portion,” which has grown into modern Los Angeles. The river flowed freely across a vast floodplain—varying its seasonal path by many miles—but was channelized in concrete after devastating floods in the 1910s and 1930s. The US Army Corps of Engineers led the effort to channelize the river and that has allowed millions of people to populate its historic floodplain. Today, efforts are underway to restore ecological value to the river in order to encourage the proliferation of native species and respect to it as a natural and cultural heritage resource. Population of the river's vast (approximately 870-square mile) watershed h (Continued...)

Visitor Information

Seasonal Information

Date Opens: 1/1 - Date Closes: 12/31

Time Opens: Not Available - Time Closes: Not Available

Directions

The trail may be accessed from many points—near the intersection of the 134 and 5 Freeways from Griffith Park and the LA Zoo (along Zoo Drive), from Universal Studios (along Forest Lawn Drive), from the cities of Burbank and Glendale (across Riverside Drive), and, paralleling the 5 Freeway, from Glendale, Los Feliz, and Atwater Village at Los Feliz Boulevard (west bank), from Los Feliz, Glendale, and Atwater Village at Glendale Boulevard/Hyperion Avenue (west bank), from Glassell Park and Silver Lake at Crystal Street and Fletcher Drive (west bank), and from Elysian Valley at various points on the west bank, including Marsh Street, Knox Avenue, Riverdale Avenue, Oros and Barclay Streets

 

Additional Information Width: feet, 127 inches. Primary Surface: Asphalt Secondary Surface: Asphalt Average Grade: 1% Elevation Low Point: 350 Elevation High Point: 460 Year Designated: 2012 Date Last Updated: 12/31/1969

Contact Information Public Contact: Michelle Mowery Senior Projects Coordinator; Bicycle Programs City of LA Dept. of Transportation 100 S. Main Street, 9th Floor Los Angeles , CA 90012 (213) 972-4962 Michelle.Mowery@lacity.org

Do you see a problem with this trail data? Contact either the trail manager (listed above) or email trailhead@americantrails.org.

 

NOTE: The information on this web site and/or in this database is provided for the convenience of the public, trail managers, organizations, elected officials, etc. Neither the National Park Service, the USDA Forest Service, nor American Trails can guarantee that the information is accurate. Trail users are urged to inquire locally about weather, trail conditions, trail characteristics, fees, and regulations! The information on this web site and/or in this database should not be interpreted as representing the opinions or policies of the U.S. Government, and any mention of trade names, commercial products, or businesses does not constitute their endorsement by the U.S. Government.

 

 

 

 

The on-line database has details on the currently designated National Recreation Trails. The NRT Program online is hosted by American Trails: www.AmericanTrails.org

 

The NTTP Online Calendar connects you with courses, conferences, and trail-related training

 

Promote your trail through the National Recreation Trails Program

 

  Some of our documents are in PDF format and require free Adobe Acrobat Reader software.
  Download Acrobat Reader

 

American Trails and NTTP support accessibility with Section 508: read more.

 

The National Recreation Trails Program
American Trails, P.O. Box 491797, Redding, CA 96049-1797
Phone (530) 547-2060 • Fax: (530) 547-2035 •
nrt@americantrails.org • www.AmericanTrails.org