L.A. River Excursion: Arroyo Seco Bike Path
The Arroyo Seco begins in the Angeles National Forest above Jet Propulsion Laboratory. It begins to be channelized below Devil's Gate Dam, where it passes along the Rose Bowl through Northeast Los Angeles, connecting with the Los Angeles River just below Cypress Park (a short distance from Dodger Stadium).
Already filled with concrete to allow for flood control, an additional 12-inch slab of concrete, two lanes wide, runs along the base of the east bank from York Boulevard down to Montecito Heights, across from Sycamore Grove Park, to form a designated bike path. Few bikers seem to take advantage - mostly likely you'll see the same ones twice as the path itself it is only two miles long. Walking along the path takes a cautious eye as bikers in their skin suits are zooming by; it's safer to just walk beside it.
The walk itself provides for an interesting perspective, as the concrete walls curve around corners creating the sensation of a water-slide. Each curve reveals something different, whether its a bridge, or a staircase to no where.
The Arroyo Seco Parkway runs adjacent to the river, but the sounds of traffic are barely noticeable.
This is starkly different from the Sepulveda Basin, which is wild in comparison. Still little bits of nature appear, whether it's moss blooming from drain holes, or ivy wrapping around crosswalks. Sycamores dot the top of the banks and Debs Park rises in the distance.
