The Marvin Braude Bike Trail (also known as the Beach Bike Path, Coastal Bike Trail, The Strand, or the South Bay Bicycle Trail ) is a paved bicycle path that runs mostly along the shoreline of

Santa Monica Bay Santa Monica Bay is a bight of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, United States. Its boundaries are slightly ambiguous, but it is generally considered to be the part of the Pacific within an imaginary line drawn between Point Dume, in ...

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 ...

. The coastal bike trail is widely acknowledged as "the most popular bike path" in Los Angeles. The path "leads cyclists past colorful piers, lively crowds, and beach vistas unseen by automobile travelers". A 1985 bike touring guidebook reported that this was "deservedly the most popular (and most crowded) bike path in Los Angeles County. Riders see exhilarating views of the Pacific Ocean, fleets of weekend sailors, and, on a clear day, Catalina Island riding on the horizon". According to one guide to recreational biking in Los Angeles, "If you make the path a part of your morning workout routine, you'll see sunbeams lighting up the white crests of waves as they break, surfers getting the first rides of the day, and assorted marine life bobbing in and around the shoreline." For most of its length the concrete route is wide. The northern terminus of the trail is at

Will Rogers State Beach Will Rogers State Beach is a beach park on the Santa Monica Bay, at the Pacific coast of Southern California. Located in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, the beach is owned by the California Department of Parks and Recreatio ...

Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles Pacific Palisades is a neighborhood in the Westside region of the city of Los Angeles, California, situated about west of downtown Los Angeles. Throughout January 2025, the majority of Pacific Palisades was severely affected and destroyed by ...

. The southern terminus of the trail is in Torrance County Beach in Torrance, at the base of

Palos Verdes Peninsula The Palos Verdes Peninsula () is a peninsular subregion of the Los Angeles metropolitan area, located within southwestern Los Angeles County, California. It is often called simply "Palos Verdes", and is made up of a group of cities in the Palos ...

. County officials reported that at the time the trail was completed (in 1989), as many as 10,000 people a day used the route. For most of the trail, the bicycle path is Class I (no automobile contact) but for a few miles in Marina del Rey, the route is Class II where the bicycle route crosses six streets with automobiles and nearby traffic lights, adding moderate danger for bicyclists, pedestrians, roller skaters, and skateboarders. Near the midpoint, between the two ends of the path, this coastal bicycle path intersects with another Class I bicycle path, with abundant wildlife viewing opportunities, known as the

Ballona Creek Bike Path The Ballona Creek Bike Path (pronunciation: “Bah-yo-nuh" or “Buy-yo-nah” ) is a California bikeway classifications, Class I bicycle path and pedestrian route in California. The bike path follows the north bank of Ballona Creek until it ...

. This urban river bicycle path goes inland for approximately into

Culver City Culver City is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 40,779. It is mostly surrounded by Los Angeles, but also shares a border with the unincorporated area of Ladera Heights to the ea ...

, and there connecting to the

Expo Bike Path The Expo Bike Path is a rail with trail bicycle path and pedestrian route in Los Angeles County, California that travels roughly parallel to the Los Angeles Metro Rail's E Line between and stations. The Expo Bike Path is one of two major b ...

(ending at the

Los Angeles Metro Rail The Los Angeles Metro Rail is an urban rail transit system serving Los Angeles County, California, United States, consisting of six lines: four light rail lines (the A, C, E and K lines) and two rapid transit lines (the B and D lines), ...

station Station may refer to: Agriculture * Station (Australian agriculture), a large Australian landholding used for livestock production * Station (New Zealand agriculture), a large New Zealand farm used for grazing by sheep and cattle ** Cattle statio ...

) and the

Park to Playa Trail The Park to Playa Trail in Los Angeles County, California is a pedestrian and bicycle route that connects the Baldwin Hills (mountain range), Baldwin Hills parklands to the Pacific Ocean (''Playa'' is ''beach'' in Spanish language, Spanish). Acc ...

(ending in the Baldwin Hills).

Route

The path begins in Will Rogers State Beach in the Pacific Palisades area of the city of Los Angeles. The Santa Monica portion of the path is an Class 1 path in

Los Angeles County Los Angeles County, officially the County of Los Angeles and sometimes abbreviated as LA County, is the most populous county in the United States, with 9,663,345 residents estimated in 2023. Its population is greater than that of 40 individua ...

running from Temescal Canyon. It continues southbound along the beach and passes through

Santa Monica State Beach Santa Monica State Beach is a California State Park operated by the city of Santa Monica. The beach is located along Pacific Coast Highway. It is long and has parks, picnic areas, playgrounds, restrooms, as well as staffed lifeguard stations, ...

in the city of

Santa Monica Santa Monica (; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast (California), South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 United Sta ...

, where the path passes underneath the

Santa Monica Pier The Santa Monica Pier is a large pier at the foot of Colorado Avenue in Santa Monica, California, United States. It contains a small amusement park, concession stands, and areas for views and fishing. The pier is part of the greater Santa Monic ...

. This stretch hosts almost 5,000 parking spaces for visitors. The path then passes through in Venice Beach. According to a guide to traveling along the bay on foot, "Venice is one of the county's oldest beaches; lifeguard service has been provided since the 1920s. The quiet of this beach is a marked contrast to the hubbub of Ocean Front Walk paralleling the length of it. Almost every facet of zany California beach culture can be found on the boardwalk-jugglers, mimes, skaters and more sidewalk cafes, junk- and health-food eateries than one could sample in a year of Sundays." The Class I bicycle path ends at the

Venice Fishing Pier Venice Fishing Pier is a pier in Venice, Los Angeles, in the U.S. state of California. The pier is part of Venice Beach Boardwalk and attracts between 28,000 and 30,000 visitors daily. The current concrete structure was completed . The pier was o ...

and riders must continue .75 miles on the Class II bicycle path along Washington Boulevard. The Class II path eventually veers off of Washington Boulevard and takes riders around

Marina Del Rey Marina del Rey ( Spanish for "Marina of the King") is an unincorporated seaside community in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The eponymous harbor is a major boating and water recreation destination of the Greater Los Angeles ar ...

following a bike route and walkway crossing Admiralty Way. (At Admiralty and Washington riders can take an optional 0.7 detour loop around the

Oxford Basin Oxford Basin (also known as Oxford Lagoon or Marina Sanctuary) is a constructed wetland and wildlife conservation area in the northwest corner of Marina del Rey, California, located between Washington Boulevard and Admiralty Way.Moran, Julio. " ...

wildlife viewing area.) The path then wends past various boat basins and Fisherman's Village until it reaches a Class II path running alongside the main channel of the marina, an extension of the

. Below Marina Del Rey and Ballona Creek the path is called the South Bay Bike Trail, "The route follows a flat, curving path that snakes among the dunes of Dockweiler Beach State Park; in Manhattan Beach it's more like a broad boardwalk, and near King Harbor it's commercial—you'll have to dismount for part of the way through this busy shopping area." The path continues south through

Playa Del Rey Playa del Rey (Spanish for "Beach of the King") is a seaside neighborhood on the westside of Los Angeles in the Santa Monica Bay region of Los Angeles County, California. It has a ZIP Code of 90293 and area codes of 310 and 424. As of 2018, ...

Dockweiler State Beach Dockweiler State Beach is a beach in Los Angeles, California, with of shoreline, a hang gliding practice and training area. Although a unit of the California state park system, it is managed by the Los Angeles County Department of Beaches and Ha ...

(which abuts

Los Angeles International Airport Los Angeles International Airport is the primary international airport serving Los Angeles and its Greater Los Angeles, surrounding metropolitan area, in the U.S. state of California. LAX is located in the Westchester, Los Angeles, Westcheste ...

and the city of El Segundo), "which is wide, clean, sandy and mostly pleasant". Next comes

El Porto Beach El Porto Beach is a California public beach managed by the County of Los Angeles, located in Santa Monica Bay beside El Porto, which is now part of the City of Manhattan Beach, between the beaches of El Segundo Beach and Manhattan Beach, and is ...

and

Manhattan County Beach Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the smallest county by area in the U.S. state of New York. Located almost entirely ...

(both part of the city of Manhattan Beach). Manhattan Beach 065

Hermosa Beach Hermosa Beach (, Spanish language, Spanish for "Beautiful") is a beachfront city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Its population was 19,728 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. Census. The city is located in the South Ba ...

, riders have the choice of either continuing along the Class II bicycle path that runs alongside

(which can get quite busy with pedestrian foot traffic, especially during the summer months) or riding on a Class II bicycle lane that runs parallel to Hermosa Avenue. The scenic bike path/pedestrian trail that runs alongside the beach in

was established in 1908 and is known as The Strand. At Herondo Street, people can go two blocks inland to connect with the Beach Cities Greenway. The path continues along the beach through Redondo County Beach in the city of

Redondo Beach Redondo Beach (Spanish for ) is a coastal city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, located in the South Bay region of the Greater Los Angeles area. It is one of three adjacent beach cities along the southern portion of Santa Mo ...

. The path passes through the parking structure of the

Redondo Beach pier The Redondo Beach pier is located in Redondo Beach, California, and stretches into the Pacific Ocean. The pier has been rebuilt and altered by storms and redevelopments. Its official name is "Municipal Pier," and it has also been called the "Endl ...

. Signs instruct riders to dismount and walk their bikes across the main entrance to the pier and the King Harbor marina. Pedestrians and walked bikes can also "dawdle along the walkways around the boat basins". The path ends in Torrance Beach, below a parking lot at the base of the

hills. According to a guide to walking the entirety of Santa Monica Bay, "One of many ways to reach the trail head at Torrance County Beach is by exiting the

San Diego Freeway The San Diego Freeway is one of the named principal Southern California freeways. It consists of the following two segments: *Interstate 5, from California State Route 94 in San Diego San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of South ...

in Carson, on Torrance Boulevard, and traveling six miles west to Catalina Avenue. Turn left, then almost immediately veer coastward on Esplanade, which takes you 1 1/2 miles to Miramar Park, where there's bluff-top parking ($4 per day) and stairs leading down to the beach."

Access

The beach bike path can be accessed via multiple transit links. Most local bus lines have bike racks attached the front of the bus. Bikes are permitted in Metro light rail cars. * Santa Monica: Travel via E Line to the western terminus at Downtown Santa Monica station. "Go southwest on the protected bike lane on Colorado Avenue. Cross Ocean Avenue and go left/south on the sidewalk. Cross Moomat Ahiko (basically a PCH on-ramp), then turn right down Seaside Terrace, which ends at Ocean Front Walk." * Marina Del Rey: Culver CityBus line 7 ending at Fiji Way.

History

Realizing the success of paved bike paths in

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

, in the 1890s L.A. city planners proposed a bike path from Los Angeles to Santa Monica. The cost for the path was estimated at $200 per mile, with agreements from local farmers to allow the path to run across their lands. The ''current'' path was proposed in the late 1960s—the ''Los Angeles Times'' reported "Chamber Studies Plan for Bikeway in Venice" in 1967–and was approved by L.A. County Supervisors in 1971.Ferderber & Allan (May 9, 1974). "Beachfront Path Popular". ''Los Angeles Times''. p. CS1. Initial gaps in the route, which was otherwise largely complete by 1974, were in Marina Del Rey and Santa Monica, Hermosa and Redondo Beach. At the Marina, "proposed route around basins F, G, and H, and established route on Ballona Creek jetty are separated by locked gate at Via Venetia apartments". The ''L.A. Times'' reported "strip may be acquired". At Playa Del Rey there was a gap between the Pacific Avenue Bridge and Culver Blvd., and in Santa Monica the section near "the abandoned Pacific Ocean Park amusement complex, the

Synanon Synanon, originally known as Tender Loving Care, was a new religious movement founded in 1958 by Charles E. "Chuck" Dederich Sr. in Santa Monica, California, United States. Originally established as a drug rehabilitation program, Synanon develop ...

headquarters Casa del Mar">Hotel_Casa_del_Mar.html" ;"title="t Hotel Casa del Mar">Casa del Mar and the

" was deemed "geographically impassable". There was also talk about routing the Hermosa section entirely inland to Hermosa Avenue or Valley Drive, and sections of the Redondo portion were disconnected because of problems with "its Redevelopment Agency and harbor-area lessees". Hermosa Beach Strand

The entire path is along the beach and was adamantly opposed by beachfront homeowners, who managed for two decades to stop the path from reaching Santa Monica. The mile-and-half segment between California Avenue to Chautauqua Boulevard in the Pacific Palisades was added in 1985. The last section of the path was opened in 1989. The Marvin Braude bicycle trail was officially named in 2006 for Los Angeles City Councilman Marvin Braude and dedicated by State Senator Sheila Kuehl.

Route

Access

History

See also

References

External links