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San Gabriel River Trail - Safe ??

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San Gabriel River Trail - Safe ??

Old 06-24-20, 06:08 PM
  #76  
TakingMyTime
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I wrote my question as I was sitting here this morning trying to decide where to ride. I finally decided there's no better way to find out than to do it yourself, so I rode from El Dorado Park to the top of the dam and back. 54 miles. I was pleasantly surprised at how nice it was. Like CAT7RDR said "the only problem were the usual zombie walkers". The whole ride felt really safe. A few small encampments but that's about it. I'll be doing it again soon.
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Old 06-24-20, 07:27 PM
  #77  
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The one thing about the SGRT is when you start to get north of the 5 fwy is that it's very dirty. I can't believe how dirty my bike got on just 1 ride.
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Old 10-04-20, 05:43 PM
  #78  
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new group loitering on lower SGRT running a cell phone app

this is an RFC, so has anyone else noticed this?

new riders loitering around entry/exits, mostly women on walmart style bikes. Don't seem interested in riding or meeting other riders in order to ride. They exclusively watch their phone, especially intently when passing other riders.

they sometimes fake punctures and if they converse with you, they talk gibberish, as if a third listening party is telling them what to say.

I was dumb enough to stop and help one of them finish a flat repair, she said she started her ride at Alondra/sgrt. When I rode by her, she was gluing a patch, so things looked like she might get stranded. I decided to go back and help.

They are mostly minorities, never wearing riding clothes. They always have a handlebar phone mount.
When doing my 8 mile circuit, they will still be there lap after lap, each lap takes 28 minutes or more.

My guess is someone is testing a `Contact Tracing` App, or some piece of the App. The App will
see how your WIFI/Bluetooth tries to connect to theirs and measure proximity - my guess.

I noticed them starting Sep 1, which was a Tuesday, an odd day for so many ladies to ride solo.

At this point I ignore them and now refuse to help any solo ladies that have problems on the trail.

cheers,

Last edited by marquhar; 10-04-20 at 05:53 PM.
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Old 10-04-20, 06:20 PM
  #79  
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The only thing I noticed on the SGRT this morning south of Dunlop Crossing to the beach is a lot more traffic and unsteady newer riders that slow to almost a stop going up the under bridge ramps. Good for the newbies to get out and ride but I was glad to exit and get on PCH south where I can relax and not fret being taken out by a Hello Kitty pink bike.

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Old 08-10-21, 10:46 AM
  #80  
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rode the 30 mile stretch from seal beach to santa fe dam. southern end still well-trafficked and with solid pavement.

heading northbound from seal beach, pavement not as nice and less traffic past the 10 mile mark.

some small encampments and trash but not as bad as i remember it being in the last few years...I think it's been
a year/year and a half since i last hit any section of the sgrt.
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Old 08-10-21, 12:57 PM
  #81  
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Originally Posted by ooga-booga
rode the 30 mile stretch from seal beach to santa fe dam. southern end still well-trafficked and with solid pavement.

heading northbound from seal beach, pavement not as nice and less traffic past the 10 mile mark.

some small encampments and trash but not as bad as i remember it being in the last few years...I think it's been
a year/year and a half since i last hit any section of the sgrt.
That sounds about right. Riding north from Seal Beach the pavement starts to deteriorate right about where the concrete portions of the flood control turns to dirt. The ride between the Pico and Santa Fe dame isn't really that bad. The pavement is good except that the ride is just barren for about 7 miles. The homeless encampments are almost non-existent. The last several months there has been a noticeable police and social worker presence at the encampments. It seems the county is really trying to keep the area safe.

I"m not sure if you rode on the weekend or not, but the weekdays on the SGRT, especially North of El Dorado Park... the path is deserted.
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Old 08-10-21, 01:54 PM
  #82  
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Originally Posted by TakingMyTime
That sounds about right. Riding north from Seal Beach the pavement starts to deteriorate right about where the concrete portions of the flood control turns to dirt. The ride between the Pico and Santa Fe dame isn't really that bad. The pavement is good except that the ride is just barren for about 7 miles. The homeless encampments are almost non-existent. The last several months there has been a noticeable police and social worker presence at the encampments. It seems the county is really trying to keep the area safe.

I"m not sure if you rode on the weekend or not, but the weekdays on the SGRT, especially North of El Dorado Park... the path is deserted.
Roger that I'm at the point of avoiding most bike paths on weekends if possible. Much nicer & many are deserted as you mentioned on Fridays.
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Old 08-10-21, 02:13 PM
  #83  
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rode sgrt, rio hondo, the beach path through bolsa chica beach and the whittier
greenway all yesterday (monday). they were all pretty mellow.
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Old 08-10-21, 02:34 PM
  #84  
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I've been on SGRT between Pico and SF Dam multiple times in the last year. Zero issues, and only a few mellow homeless folks have been seen at all.
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Old 08-15-21, 12:51 PM
  #85  
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Came down thru the northern segment for the first time in a while.

The bums have burned themselves out of a home! Lario Park is cleaned up and deserted. (probably has the gate locked too)

Several fresh burns around Lario that had been bulldozed and a large one down by the nature trail. My office is on the other side of the dam and Monday LA County fire air was doing orbits about where the nature trail burn was, but I didn't see or smell any smoke then.

Not a single campsite to be seen all the way to Santa Fe dam.
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Old 09-02-23, 07:57 AM
  #86  
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Any updates you'd care to share about safety of the trail? I'm planning a long tour, which would include taking me from Seal Beach to Azusa (instead of using the ACA Rt. 66 routing, since I will be riding north from San Diego area. Thanks for any info.
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Old 09-02-23, 08:43 AM
  #87  
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Originally Posted by azbackpackr
Any updates you'd care to share about safety of the trail? I'm planning a long tour, which would include taking me from Seal Beach to Azusa (instead of using the ACA Rt. 66 routing, since I will be riding north from San Diego area. Thanks for any info.
Don't even give it a 2nd thought. You're good the whole way. If you're planning on doing it in the Winter some of the access gates will be closed.

Heck, message me here at the forum when you know when you're passing through and maybe I'll do that stretch with you.

Last edited by TakingMyTime; 09-02-23 at 08:48 AM.
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Old 09-02-23, 09:22 AM
  #88  
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Thank you so much! I will let you know. I have never done a tour of the length I'm thinking of. I hope I can muster up the moxie to do it! Coming from Yuma, making a big loop. Quite a few hundred miles.
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Old 09-02-23, 09:31 AM
  #89  
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I was on the SGRT a few weeks ago from Dunlop Crossing up to the north end above Encanto Park.
No issues with homeless and debris fields.
Appears LASD and Public Works are keeping the homeless off the trail.
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Old 09-02-23, 09:58 AM
  #90  
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Originally Posted by azbackpackr
Thank you so much! I will let you know. I have never done a tour of the length I'm thinking of. I hope I can muster up the moxie to do it! Coming from Yuma, making a big loop. Quite a few hundred miles.
If you're coming up the coast from San Diego keep in mind you'll be on the 5 fwy through the Camp Pendleton area. You might want to start a separate thread regarding your route through So Cal and we can all chime in there. Between everyone here I think we know just about where every pot hole and shortcut is in So Cal.
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Old 09-02-23, 10:04 AM
  #91  
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Thanks! San Diego is my home town, but I haven't lived there in quite a while, so there's a lot I don't know. For instance, last I heard, you could bike NORTH thru Camp Pendleton, but not south. That is worth checking out, for sure. I know that otherwise I'd have to ride on the 5. As it is, I'll have to ride on the 8 some of the time, and on the 40 a bit, east of Barstow.

Anyway, I'm thinking when I'll have time for this project won't be until Feb. I'm glad I know I can probably find some info in these pages.

Thanks again,
Elizabeth
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Old 09-04-23, 02:38 PM
  #92  
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I constantly ride this trail and as stated before the underpass at Whittier is a difficult one. Tends to flood a bit when it rains and stays that way for a few days. 1 riders each way only and at a slow pace to be safe.

Right before the Santa Few Dam theres usually a pit stop with snacks and drink for sale. Also small repairs and air pump if needed.
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Old 09-09-23, 06:21 PM
  #93  
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I rode from Eldorado Park up to where the concrete ends and the dirt begins (the flood control portion of it) on the SGRT and I have never seen it this empty of homeless.
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Old 09-24-23, 05:32 PM
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How much things can change in 2 weeks. There seem to be a couple of growing encampments on the West side of the ditch at Alondra and Artesia. Also at the underpass of the 5 freeway. I never felt threatened, just noted that the groups seem to be getting kind of big.
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Old 09-24-23, 06:41 PM
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Originally Posted by TakingMyTime
How much things can change in 2 weeks.
That's too bad.
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Old 02-13-24, 08:08 PM
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Rode the SGRT today after work to head home. Seems the rain from last week left alot of debris between Florence and Beverly Blvd. Especially in the underpass on whittier Blvd and Beverly. Eyes open and ride safe everyone.
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Old 02-13-24, 09:31 PM
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Originally Posted by malcala622
Rode the SGRT today after work to head home. Seems the rain from last week left alot of debris between Florence and Beverly Blvd. Especially in the underpass on whittier Blvd and Beverly. Eyes open and ride safe everyone.
That's too bad it's getting out of hand, I've been wanting to do that ride. It was like that on SART for a little but it was cleaned up and it's nice to ride that trail now.
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Old 02-13-24, 10:44 PM
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Oh man, this is taking me back. One of my favorite rides when I was a kid living in Walnut/Diamond Bar was to ride through City of Industry and catch SGRT somewhere up around the dam, ride it down to Seal Beach, then take PCH down to the edge of Newport, and head back home (usually with a seabreeze on my back in the afternoon) on SART back to Walnut. I was just a teenager and it felt like a true accomplishment. Rode that loop four times before going away to the Army. Was a broke teenager, so I had bland-@$$ raw corn tortillas in a ziplock, so I wouldn't eat them until I really needed them. (And I eventually really needed them.)
One time on SGRT, there was a guy jetskiing on the river next to the bike trail and we were racing toward the ocean. I was pedaling my guts out, but keeping up with him. He was in full race-tuck, and gave me a thumbs-up when the bike trail ended.
There was a place near the end of the bike trail in Seal Beach. I'd never tried chilaquiles before, but they had the best I've ever had. I've tried chilaquiles many times in other places, but nothing has come close to what they had. So delicious.

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Old 02-14-24, 08:16 AM
  #99  
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Originally Posted by malcala622
Rode the SGRT today after work to head home. Seems the rain from last week left alot of debris between Florence and Beverly Blvd. Especially in the underpass on whittier Blvd and Beverly. Eyes open and ride safe everyone.
It's really dirty towards the Southern end of the ride (once you hit PCH). A ton of gravel, sand and dirt has washed onto the trail. After a couple of rides this week my bike looks like I haven't cleaned it for a month.
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Old 02-23-24, 11:13 AM
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