The Santa Ana River Trail is a multi-use trail complex that runs alongside the

Santa Ana River The Santa Ana River is the largest river entirely within Southern California in the United States. It rises in the San Bernardino Mountains and flows for most of its length through San Bernardino County, California, San Bernardino and Riversid ...

in southern

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

. The trail stretches from the Pacific Ocean at Huntington Beach along the

to the Orange–Riverside county line. Planned extensions of the trail reach to Big Bear Lake in San Bernardino County. When completed, it will be the longest multi-use trail in

Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural List of regions of California, region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Its densely populated coastal reg ...

, at approximately . In 1989, the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

'' described the path as "a veritable freeway for bicycles".

Description

The asphalt-paved bike path is up to wide, divided into two lanes so cyclists may ride abreast in many portions, adjacent to a hiking & riding trail. Many intersections with local streets are grade separated with bridges or underpasses making it a Class I bicycle facility. Cyclists must yield to pedestrians and runners (who are considered pedestrians by the law) at all times. As of 2006, of the path were complete; when finished, in conjunction with the equestrian trail, the bikeway is expected to bridge three counties, touching on 17 cities and two

national forests National Forest may refer to: * National forest or state forest, a forest administered or protected by a sovereign state ** National forest (Brazil) ** National forest (France) ** National forest (United States) ** State Forests (Poland) ** The N ...

History

In 1977, the bike path was designated a

National Recreation Trail The National Trails System is a series of trails in the United States designated "to promote the preservation of, public access to, travel within, and enjoyment and appreciation of the open-air, outdoor areas and historic resources of the Nati ...

. In 2005, heavy rains caused extensive erosion on the path, requiring repairs from the state at about $1 million, part of an approximately $43 million clean-up in Southern California occasioned by the disaster.

Events

Since 1985, the trail is the avenue of the annual "Riverside to Surfside" bicycling event, formerly known as "Smog to Surf", in which cyclists ride the trail from Riverside, Corona or Anaheim to Huntington Beach.

Safety

In 1990, safety on the trail became a concern when it was occupied by

homeless Homelessness, also known as houselessness or being unhoused or unsheltered, is the condition of lacking stable, safe, and functional housing. It includes living on the streets, moving between temporary accommodation with family or friends, liv ...

populations and

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s. An increased police presence in 2009 led to a reduction in crime, though pockets of homeless camps have reappeared under some bridges along the trail. From early 2016 into autumn 2017, the presence of tent camps along a 6.5-mile stretch centered near

Angel Stadium Angel Stadium is a ballpark in Anaheim, California, United States. Since its opening in 1966, it has been the home venue of the Los Angeles Angels of Major League Baseball (MLB), who relocated from Los Angeles to Anaheim following the 1965 seas ...

resulted in many riders feeling uncomfortable. At the end of 2017, the trail was closed as authorities with the assistance of social service agencies removed those camping along the trail. As of April 2018, the trail was cleared of the remains of the encampments and reopened.

References

External links