The Arroyo Seco Bicycle Path is an approximately long Class I bicycle path along the Arroyo Seco river channel and canyon in the

Northeast Los Angeles Northeast Los Angeles (abbreviated NELA) is a region of Los Angeles County, comprising seven neighborhoods within Los Angeles. The area is home to Occidental College located in Eagle Rock. History The bulk of the area closer to Pueblo de ...

region of

Los Angeles County, California Los Angeles County, officially the County of Los Angeles and sometimes abbreviated as LA County, is the List of United States counties and county equivalents, most populous county in the United States, with 9,663,345 residents estimated in 202 ...

.TrailLink.com: The Arroyo Seco Bike Path
/ref> It parallels the

Arroyo Seco Parkway The Arroyo Seco Parkway, also known as the Pasadena Freeway, is one of the oldest controlled-access highway, freeways in the United States. It connects Los Angeles, California, Los Angeles with Pasadena, California, Pasadena alongside the Arr ...

(CA Route 110), which is also a part of the canyon.

Description

The bicycle path connects:

Montecito Heights Montecito Heights is a neighborhood in the Northeast Los Angeles region of Los Angeles, California. The population in 2000 was estimated at 16,768. Geography and transportation Montecito Heights' boundaries are roughly the Pasadena Freeway ( SR ...

Ernest E. Debs Regional Park Ernest E. Debs Regional Park is a large open space nature reserve and regional park in the Montecito Heights, Los Angeles, Montecito Hills neighborhood of central-northeast Los Angeles, California, Los Angeles, California. It is named after fo ...

and the Montecito Heights Recreation Center;

Hermon Mount Hermon ( / ALA-LC: ('Mountain of the Sheikh', ), , ) is a mountain cluster constituting the southern end of the Anti-Lebanon mountain range. Its summit straddles the border between Syria and Lebanon and, at above sea level, is the ...

at Hermon Park and

; and Highland Park at Sycamore Grove Park -- to the city of South Pasadena at the Arroyo Seco Stables. The pathway travels under the cover of tall

California sycamore ''Platanus racemosa'' is a species of plane tree known by several common names, including California sycamore, western sycamore, California plane tree, and in North American Spanish . ''Platanus racemosa'' is native to California and Baja Califo ...

and California oak trees. Arroyo Seco bicycle path

The southwest portion of the path, approximately , runs along the top of the channel and overlooks the Arroyo Seco through

chain-link fencing A chain-link fence (also referred to as wire netting, wire-mesh fence, chain-wire fence, cyclone fence, hurricane fence, or diamond-mesh fence) is a type of woven fence usually made from Galvanization, galvanized or linear low-density polyethy ...

. It then descends into the bed of Arroyo Seco

flood control channel Flood control channels are large and empty basins where surface water can flow through but is not retained (except during flooding), or dry channels that run below the street levels of some larger cities, so that if a flash flood occurs the excess ...

for the rest of the route. Following the channel

hydraulics Hydraulics () is a technology and applied science using engineering, chemistry, and other sciences involving the mechanical properties and use of liquids. At a very basic level, hydraulics is the liquid counterpart of pneumatics, which concer ...

, there is a slight and consistent uphill

grade Grade most commonly refers to: * Grading in education, a measurement of a student's performance by educational assessment (e.g. A, pass, etc.) * A designation for students, classes and curricula indicating the number of the year a student has reach ...

in the northeast/upstream direction, with some sections under

overpasses An overpass, called an overbridge or flyover (for a road only) in the United Kingdom and some other Commonwealth countries, is a bridge, road, railway or similar structure that is over another road or railway. An ''overpass'' and ''underpass ...

having slightly greater slopes. Parking and access are located at Hermon Park/Arroyo Seco Park, Sycamore Grove Park,

, and the Montecito Heights Recreation Center. The Sycamore Grove Park access is via a pedestrian bridge over the Arroyo Seco. The path crosses several other pedestrian and vehicular bridges along its route. ;Closures For flood safety reasons, if rain is predicted or if water release is expected from the upstream

dam A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use, aqua ...

, public access is not permitted in the channel.

Connectivity

The path continues as a walking and equestrian trail from its northern terminus, with only pedestrians and horses allowed beyond the Arroyo Seco Stables. However, bicyclists can continue on the Kenneth Newell Bikeway along Arroyo Boulevard just to the east, a quiet residential street that continues north in the Arroyo Seco to the

Rose Bowl Stadium The Rose Bowl is an outdoor athletic stadium located in Pasadena, California, United States. Opened in October 1922, the stadium is recognized as a National Historic Landmark and a California Historic Civil Engineering landmark. With a modern al ...

Pasadena Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commercial d ...

. Arroyo Seco Trail Guide — Map
/ref> From the path's southern terminus, the open air

Heritage Square Museum Heritage Square Museum is a living history and open-air museum, open-air architecture museum located beside the Arroyo Seco Parkway in the Montecito Heights, Los Angeles, Montecito Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, in the southern ...

and the Lummis House and gardens are nearby. Connections southwards to the

Los Angeles River Bicycle Path The Los Angeles River bicycle path is a Los Angeles bike paths, Class I bicycle and pedestrian path in the Greater Los Angeles area running from north to east along the Los Angeles River through Griffith Park in an area known as the Glendale Narro ...

several miles away are via the vehicle shared Figuroa Street to Riverside Drive.

Maintenance

The Arroyo Seco Bicycle Path is maintained by the City of Los Angeles. The Arroyo Seco river channel that the bike path is located in is maintained by the

Los Angeles County Department of Public Works The Los Angeles County Department of Public Works (LACDPW) is responsible for the construction and operation of Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County's roads, building code, building safety, Sewage collection and disposal, sewerage, an ...

Hazards

Especially after rain events, storm-borne

debris Debris (, ) is rubble, wreckage, ruins, litter and discarded waste, garbage/refuse/trash, scattered remains of something destroyed, or, as in geology, large rock fragments left by a melting glacier, etc. Depending on context, ''debris'' can ref ...

accumulates on the path and poses a danger to cyclists and pedestrians. Other hazards include trash and debris such as beverage bottles, shopping carts, and electronics that are being illegally discarded into the channel from bridge overpasses. Due to periodical maintenance activities, the path is usually clear from any debris and provides an enjoyable recreational area.

References

External links

Arroyo Seco Foundation: The Arroyo Seco Bikeway

Arroyo Seco Trail Guide, City of Pasadena

Los Angeles Bikeway Map (Metro.net) - PDF hosted on Dropbox
{{coord, 34.0965, -118.1903, type:landmark_source:enwiki-googlemaplink, display=title Bike paths in Los Angeles Arroyo Seco (Los Angeles County) Northeast Los Angeles Parks in Los Angeles County, California Highland Park, Los Angeles Montecito Heights, Los Angeles South Pasadena, California