Rio Hondo bicycle path

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The Rio Hondo bicycle path is a Class 1 bicycle path that parallels the Rio Hondo through Los Angeles County. The North end of the path begins at the Peck Road Water Conservation Park, about 1/2 mile South of Live Oak Avenue (which becomes Myrtle Avenue just North of Live Oak Avenue as it enters Monrovia, California) on Peck Road, on the West side of the street. Even on weekends, the path is only sparsely populated by bicyclists and pedestrians. The trail is mostly level.

One highlight of the trail is a section that parallels the runway at the El Monte Airport, where it is possible to watch planes take off and land.

The bike trail also passes by the radio controlled model airplane field at the Whittier Narrows Recreation Area, also an interesting stop for aviation buffs.

Yet another wonderful feature of this path is its connection, through the back side of Whittier Narrows Recreation Area along a very rural stream bed, to the San Gabriel River bicycle path. As noted below, the proximity of the Rio Hondo Bike Path to the massive El Monte Bus Station makes it one of easiest ways access a variety of local bike paths without the extensive use of car drop-offs and pick-ups.

1 Entry Points / Parking
2 Maintenance
3 Current condition
4 Construction alert and detour
5 Future plans
6 Combining bus and bike travel
7 Avoiding current construction
8 References
9 External links

[edit] Entry Points / Parking

Peck Road Water Conservation Park in southern Arcadia has ample parking.
Whittier Narrows Recreation Area corner of Loma Ave and Rush Street in El Monte, with ample parking.
El Monte Bus Station (LACMTA station) on the lower level island for passenger route changes.

[edit] Maintenance

[edit] Current condition

There is some debris on the trail around areas where path-side parks are being built. The trail is in good repair, there are some cracks that have been filled with tar are slightly raised. There are also some metal plates across the trail that can give cyclists a jolt.

[edit] Construction alert and detour

From April 2007 to April 2008 the Rio Hondo flood control channel and the adjacent bike path will be undergoing major construction and repair. The bike path abruptly ends at Lashbrook Park in El Monte (a nice "pocket park" alongside the Rio Hondo Channel) and a 1.4 mile detour along city streets in required to rejoin the path just as it enters the Whittier Narrows Recreation Area at the corner of Loma Avenue and Rush Street in El Monte. A map showing this detour is provided at Lashbrook Park. From Mapquest, one can see that the detour essentially hugs the Rio Hondo Channel, runs southbound a few blocks on Lashbrook Avenue [quiet street], westward a few blocks on Garvey [very busy street - stay on the sidewalk], cross the Rio Hondo bridge then immediately left (southbound) for 2-1/2 blocks on Lee Street [fairly quiet street] then right (westward) on Rush Street [very quiet street] to rejoin the Rio Hondo bike path.

[edit] Future plans

There seem to be several path side parks being built along the trail. Lashbrook Park in El Monte is one of these new additions.

[edit] Combining bus and bike travel

One of the best features of the Rio Hondo Bike Path is its proximity to the massive El Monte Bus Station near the corner of Valley Blvd and Santa Anita Avenue. If you are taking your bike on a bus to start or finish your trip, you will find that many buses operated by the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) have a rack in front of the bus that can accommodate two bicycles (free of charge). See the "Riding Metro" link below for more information on bus routes and bicycle racks. As noted below, there is an entrance to the Rio Hondo bike path right across the driveway from the island where passengers wait to change to new bus lines. NOTE: There is also a "secret" dedicated entrance ramp to the San Bernardino Freeway (I-10) carpool lane also from this passenger island.

[edit] Avoiding current construction

In addition to simply getting you to the Rio Hondo bike path, there are at least two major MTA bus routes that would let you skip some of the current construction detour. MTA Route 70 runs every day from downtown Los Angeles near Union Station (the regional commuter train hub) to the El Monte Bus Station along Garvey Avenue in El Monte, so it would be wise to simply get off at Garvey and Lee Street and go south to Whittier Narrows Recreation Area. Similarly, you would need to get off at El Monte Bus Station to go north to see the adjacent El Monte Airport and Peck Road Water Conservation Park (only about 1-1/2 miles farther north). Alternatively, the MTA Route 287 that runs north-south from downtown Sierra Madre, along Santa Anita Ave through Arcadia, into the El Monte Bus Station. It then makes its way to Garvey, travels west along Garvey, eventually going to Montebello Town Center Mall. Therefore, one could disembark at Garvey Ave and Lee Street to get to Whittier Narrows Recreation Area. Note, however, that this segment of service between El Monte Bus Station and Montebello Town Center Mall does not run on Sundays. Similarly, although the Route 287 map shows it travels by the intersection of nearby Walnut Grove Avenue and Rush street, in fact there is a large golf course that interrupts part of Rush Street. One really must get off at Garvey and go south on Lee to get to Rush Street and back to the Rio Hondo bike path at the entrance to Whittier Narrows.