Safe Flat Trails in LA Area

I had this in VA when I was a kid: http://www.nvrpa.org/park/w_od_railroad/content/mileage_chart

Do we have something like this? (not sharing a lane with a car like in Montrose where I live).

 

1) Take Victory Blvd all the way west until it ends. Those trails are less hilly than most, but not totally flat.

2) Sycamore Canyon (at Point Mugu CG) in Ventura. Ride from the beach inland. About as flat as flat gets in SoCal.

 

Do you mean something like the Santa Ana River Trail? I think the paved section is 30 miles right now... From Huntington Beach to the Riverside County line.

I've only ridden it a couple times. It's paved and flat...

 

Santa Fe Dam area by the 605/210. Paved bike path from Azusa to Long Beach. Mtb trails in the flats near the dam and alongside the paved trail in spots.

 

I mean in the Burbank/Glendale/Pasadena vicinity. Where there are no cars. When I see these road bikers in my area, I get nervous. Vancouver (downtown even) had a separate real bike lane with a median separating it from the car lanes. That's badass.

 

Don't forget to tell him that people have been attacked/robbed/killed/murdered along the SART. That oughta make him feel real safe.

At least there are no mtn Lions there.

 

The closest thing to that are these sweet-ish lanes in Temple city. I don't see much use for it unless you live along that 8 block stretch and don't want to go anywhere else.

http://la.streetsblog.org/2014/05/2...ay-on-beautiful-rosemead-blvd-in-temple-city/

The San Gabriel River trail/Rio Hondo that @rossage mentioned is the closest. Interesting riding and people watching on the weekends.

 

Mtn lions are rational (unless they're sick I guess). Gangs may not be, I'm not dealing with that. Virginia was so safe compared to LA. South OC (at least Irvine) was safe too.

 

Ya think so?

http://m.ocregister.com/articles/police-700899-irvine-dead.html

 

I don't think it's beneficial to discuss unfortunate isolated incidents like these. I've read that Irvine is #1 safest for population <200k and Glendale is #9.

Can you try to be positive for once please?

 

Mountain lions are not rational. They operate on instinct.

If they're hungry and you're available they will eat you. They won't stop and think "maybe the there's a really tasty deer I just can't see yet."

 

Based on my experience, like most other animals, mtn lions perform risk analysis (or at least that's what I think). If you run at a mtn lion, I guarantee you it will move. They do not like being surprised. Based on the book I read, mtn lions typically attack humans if they're young, old, hungry or sick. One hiker in my area told me that mtn lions attack when they have been displaced from their home range by, for example, fires.

And that 2nd comment you made is probably correct, that's why there are more attacks on humans in the west side of Vancouver Island b/c supposedly there are not much deer there.

 

How about Griffith Park? From there you can also ride the LA River south.

 

Yup ^^^^this^^^^

As a bonus you can practice sprinting past the homeless encampments. Good for building your cardio. They're called intervals.

 

If you are ever near the Antelope Valley (still part of LA county) there is always the Aqua Duct. It goes for miles and is completely flat. As far as I know it's pretty safe too. I've never heard of anyone being attacked/ robbed/ killed/ murdered while using it.

 

If it's flat and easy to get to for a LARGE part of the population, there will be all kinds of wonderfulness going on there. In other words, it will be a sh!t show in a sh!thole. The only reason there are open spaces near LA that are not overrun would be because they are more difficult to access. The fact that mountain biking in steep terrain is difficult is the only reason you can get away from crowds in those places.