jonathdo

If you know or don't know the Los Angeles river is basically a concrete ravine running from Pasadena all the way out to the beach. Obviously it doesn't rain much in SO CAL and the river is usually dry to the bone. I was considering riding down in there, thought it might be fun. Downgrade all the way to the beach. Anyone think I am a complete idiot? What's the worst that could happen other than maybe getting robbed by some bums.

save10

um. there is actually water in the LA river. and by water I mean sewage.

nden

if you try it, keep us updated on the experience. ive considered that myself.

urbanknight

First, the LA river does not start in Pasadena, nor does it even go through Pasadena. It starts in the San Fernando Valley and runs through Los Angeles on its way to Long Beach. On the other side of Pasadena (but also does not touch the city) is the San Gabriel River which also terminates near Long Beach. There is an Arroyo that starts in Pasadena and I believe joins the LA River somewhere near Silverlake or something.

Anyway, if you are still referring to the actual LA River, there is a bike path that runs along side it. Same goes for the San Gabriel River, but not the Pasadena Arroyo. Riding down the middle is something I'm sure crazy teens do from time to time, but it should be known that the river does fill from time to time, even if it's not raining in LA (the runoff comes from a good distance away). Your move.

Dubbayoo

there's plenty of water in it if you're even remotely close to the beach, and by remotely close I mean 3-5 miles.

urbanknight

I was wondering if he meant to ride it all the way into the harbor

prendrefeu

I've ridden in the river. It's only possible when it's not raining, of course and only in certain sections of the river.

As stated previously, the river's bed is fully immersed in water from about 3 or 4 miles out from the Harbor. Full details of the River's path, engineering, and more can be found at the following links:

FOVICKS: Friend of Vast Industrial Concrete Kafkaesque Structures
(old website, but it's still very relevant)
FoLAR: Friends of the LA River. (Joe Linton, now working for FoLAR and probably one of the foremost experts on the LA River, co-founded the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition. Become a member today!

Now, as for RIDING in the river, yes it is possible, and I've done it.
I'll state here on the record that I do not condone it, and it is actually illegal: the River is managed by the Army Corps of Engineers and as such it is illegal to enter the River's Bed without authorization.

There. That being said, riding in the river: Very possible, only when it's dry. When you hit water, you will slip and fall - almost in a comedic fashion. The area beneath the water will quickly grow algea - which is super slippery and will gunk up your drivetrain. When I rode the river bed with my friends, years ago, we were on a few fixed with brakes and a few fully geared bikes. Luckily none of these were fancy, so when we fell the frames that were scratched up, and the algae that embedded itself in the chain/gears didn't matter too much.

The water isn't toxic, nor is it sewage. That's a misconception: it is the natural river from the LA Basin. Basically, if you live in the LA area you most likely live in a giant watershed. The river, prior to it being turned into a concrete path, has always been a naturally occurring river, long before civilization established camps along its shores. The only reason it was turned to concrete is because of some really tragic and catastrophic flooding that happened in the early part of the 20th Century. Look it up - Google is your friend.

Far too many people in LA County don't know the history of where they live, nor the infrastructure that surrounds them, and they perpetuate false beliefs. It's really sad.

BikeCoder

The river is technically an alluvial river, meaning that is had flood plains at one point. It was eventually paved over as the city grew. In the city's early days, it did provide water for the residents.

It does rain in SO Cal, and when it does there is flooding. The concrete river is there to help channel the water quickly into the sea.

The worst that can happen is being trapped in one of the floods and yes there have been people lost. Luckily LA has a great swift water rescue team.

https://www.fire.lacounty.gov/Special...aterRescue.asp

not2blu

Riding the river, be it the LA or San Gabriel River sounds boring, unless you like staring at concrete for hours on end. And it may be downhill all the way to the beach but, let me guess, it's not downhill on the way back. And what about the bike-jackings you hear about in these areas? Is it worth risking your bike and possibly your life for this?

Surely not my kind of ride. I'll take the beaches and canyons in Malibu any day over a concrete ditch.

dalava

Yes... I have seen worse than sewage in there

RichinPeoria

Pics. of your ride if you do it?

zzzwillzzz

not yet, but you're on BF so it's only a matter of time

The Carpenter

Go right now and let us know how it works out for you. Take your scuba gear.

prendrefeu

*sigh*

It isn't.

Dubbayoo

You've clearly never been on it. SART is actually QUITE scenic. SGRT less so. There is plenty of water and vegetation in it plus the areas it goes thru are pretty nice. The elevation gain/loss is hardly noticeable, and surely wiped out by the headwinds coming from the ocean. Besides, 50-70 easy miles without ever passing a car is pretty hard to beat in L.A. I try to do one or the other twice a month. It's a nice diversion from the hills around here.

Fat Boy

What he said. There's a bike path right next to the actual 'river'. Ride on it.

Mr. Beanz

Just got off the SA Rivertrail. Forgot my scuba gear though!

JetWave

Sounds nice! So where do you get on/off the SART?

rooftest

Huh? You can't mean the Santa Ana River Trail and the San Gabriel River Trail - If not for the crummy underpasses on SGRT, they'd be identical - except for the horses.

Dubbayoo

Negative. SGRT has very little manmade landscaping in the river itself compared to SART. On SGRT you're pretty much riding between chain link fences and an empty drain the entire way.

Rather than post pictures I'll just direct you to Mr. Beanz SART thread in the SoCal forum.

or this https://www.haroldoland.com/sarbt.html

Treefox

Isn't there a chase scene in Terminator II in the LA river??

save10

yes. and many commericals and music videos. But also alot of homeless people peeing in the water. but the river trail by griffith park is a great place to do intervals. few joggers or kids or dogs (they are usually in the park itself). very few crossing points so someone won't cross in front of you. the part i used to ride was a 8 mile shot out and back without cars.