San Gabriel River Bike Trail

This trail is awesome so today I decided I would go for an adventure from Norwalk entering the trail from Foster to reach the end destination of Seal Beach. This was my first time doing this on a bmx bike lol. I gotta admit I’m too tall for that bike which makes it a lot harder to pedal but nonetheless I made it went in the water for a quite nice swim and rode back taking 10 minute breaks after every 4 miles.

Wow. Breathless trail for the bike ride. In addition to the variety of scenery, we got lucky enough to ride along side a seal swimming next to us on the trail. One day I hope to do the full 70 to 80 mile length.

So you decide you are a kewl dude and want to ride a bike to get your azz into shape… This is an awesome place to try and do it. Trust me, I have ridden half it more times than I can count.
This trail has multiple tiers in it as it follows the upper portion of the San Gabriel River. These tiers are about 5 yds in height every quarter mile or so. This helps your biking ability greatly. So you think its just an awesome ride going south in lieu of north and thus super easy I bet… Well yeah you would be misinformed if you thought that was the case. When you ride to the south you are often riding into a light breeze that usually has the flags snapping back and fourth a bit and not just hanging limply.
Pro Tip: Park at Peck Rd Water Conservation park, ride south on the Rio Hondo Trail till it conjoins with the San Gabriel River Bike Trail and take that north to the top of the San Gabriel River Valley dam. Then back down and take Arrow Highway till it hits Peck Rd (it changes into Las Tunas) and take Peck Rd back to the park. For a nice ride just over 18 miles with some tough terrain.
That is one of my favorite rides. One thing to beware of though is that sometimes the concrete plant has its dog get loose at night. One night it tried to snap at me a couple of times as I was riding by, but it couldnt keep up luckily enough for more than a second or two… but it is a way to see if you still have a bunch of energy left when you think you are tired… Its kinda like that scene in American Flyers where they have a dog chase them as they are training on their bikes. crazy stuff…
Overall though this a very well maintained path. South of the Rio Hondo Trail intersection its got some sketchy spots with regards to sharp angles (near the golf course especially) but overall its a nice place to ride everytime I have been on it.

I picked up the trail in Bellflower and headed south to Long Beach. That’s about 13 miles one way.
My blue little hybrid of a bike was sometimes too slow for this crowd and the narrow bike lanes didn’t help. Just watch out for the «real» cyclists out there sporting the clip on pedals. Some of them are nice enough to yell out a «LEFT», but others just zoomed right past me rolling their eyes. At least, it felt like they were.
The whole path is pretty scenic. Especially once you hit Cerritos and El Dorado Park. The tree line adds excellent shade and peering at peoples’ backyard and seeing their stables is pretty cool too.
My friend and I really got a feel for the trail once my friend’s pedal decided to fall off towards mile 10 of our ride. We pulled over to the side to assess the situation and a helpful cyclist stopped to come to our aid. Deciding we couldn’t do much about the broken pedal and determined to get to the beach, we decided to walk the last three miles.
That decision might have upset a couple of people, especially the cyclist who yelled «Jesus!» at us. My friend responded with a quick, «MY PEDAL BROKE!» — in an attempt to garner some sympathy. Everyone else, however, was kind enough to yell out a quick, «Are you ok?»
So, despite the hiccup and our slow and then broken bikes, I would definitely ride this trail again.
Oh … and at the end of the trail their’s a cute diner. We didn’t eat there because Seal Beach’s Main Street is a short walk away from the end.

Wow really no review on this trail yet from me! Thought I had it in the bag. Okay., for me the trail starts at Rivers End in Seal Beach. For others that’s where it ends. I sometimes ride my hybrid inland until I feel a little bit uneasy riding alone. I think for a women it is best to ride with a partner or group. Enough of the scare tactics, it’s a great trail. Kind of busy on sunny week-​ends. It can get hot inland too. It’s an interesting trail and I am glad California has spent the money on providing trails. I am not sure exactly how far the trail goes, but I think it is quite a ways up. I also do plenty of fast as I can, in time with the music walking here. I love the sea breezes ocean air. Nice views off Alamitos bay too.

I use this lower section of the San Gabriel River Trail as a connector to get me from the Coyote Creek River Trail to the Shoreline Pedestrian Bike Path that ends at the Catalina Express in Long Beach. All of these river trails are an excellent way to ride a bike a long distance and not have to compete with the cars on the street! For that reason alone, I give this trail five stars. Plus the trail from Katella to Marina Drive was newly paved this year (2012).
The San Gabriel Trail merges with the Coyote Creek Trail at the bridge crossing just South of Katella.
This is where the canal always has an ocean water level and some wildlife habitat. You will most likely see pelicans there. Heading South, you will pass by the Haynes Steam Power Plant between 7^th and 2^nd Street. At night, the lights from the Power Plant illuminate the trail. After going under PCH, the trail seems to end at Marina Drive. But if you cross Marine Drive, the San Gabriel River Trail actually goes anther half mile or so and ends up at the Rivers End Café.
If you go back to Marina Drive, you can take it to go around Alamitos Bay Marina and head for the Shoreline Pedestrian Bike Path to the Queen Mary!

After Alamitos Bay Marina you will take a left at 2^nd Street, a left at Bay Shore Avenue and another left at 54^th Place, which will take you right to the beginning of the Shoreline Pedestrian Bike Path. This trail will take you by the Belmont Plaza Olympic Pool, through Shoreline Village, go around the Aquarium of the Pacific and end at the Catalina Express. If you haven’t had enough miles by then or you forgot that you have to ride back… you can stay to your left after you go around the Catalina Express and catch the Los Angeles River Bicycle Path!