Big-city rapids
Deluged with relentless rain and wind for five days straight in late February of 1938, the Los Angeles basin was flooded with roaring waters, which killed about 100 people and destroyed 1,500 homes. The Academy Awards were postponed for a week because movie stars were marooned in their houses. The destructive power of the river was recognized. So began the shackling of the wild and wandering ribbon of water that ran through the middle of the city.
The result: much of the LA River became channelized with a concrete bottom. The US Army Corps of Engineers started concreting over the river in the late 1930s; but now, that same entity has approved over a billion dollars to restore it. Through the Corps’ recent renewal efforts, the river has reclaimed a semblance of its former glory, especially in Elysian Valley, colloquially known as Frogtown.
Info
Address LA River Kayak Safari, www.lariverkayaksafari.org | Hours The river is open to kayakers four months of the year, from Memorial Day through September. Check LA River Kayak Safari’s website for tour schedule.| Tip Walk or bike to Spoke Bicycle Cafe (3050 N Coolidge, Los Angeles, CA 90039), located on the river path, where you can grab a cup of coffee or a snack.
One of the most exhilarating ways to experience the river is by kayak. There are various outfits that offer guided tours, and one of the best is LA River Kayak Safari. They combine a bicycle ride upriver with a kayak trip back down.
Riding the river feels practically rebellious. Catching speed from a Class II rapid on an earthen-bottomed waterway restored in the face of massive obstacles in the middle of a dense, intensely urban, sprawling city? Preposterous. Wondrous! Suddenly, you are paddling along 2.5 miles of fresh flowing water, surrounded by coyotes, white and arroyo willows, sycamores, and reeds. On quieter stretches you might hear birds like snowy and great egrets, cormorants, and yellow warblers. Beware, fish! Triumphantly, in the past couple of years, ospreys, rarely seen in urban environments, have started to appear. They have a special claw, like an opposable thumb, that hooks fish out of the water. There are turtles now too. Healing can happen.
Back
To the online map