The Santa Ana River Trail is a multi-use trail complex that runs alongside the Santa Ana River in southern

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

. The trail stretches from the Pacific Ocean at Huntington Beach along the Santa Ana River to the Orange–Riverside county line. Planned extensions of the trail reach to Big Bear Lake in San Bernardino County. When completed, it will be the longest multi-use trail in

Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and cultural region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. It includes the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the second most populous urban a ...

, at approximately . In 1989, the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the U ...

'' described the path as "a veritable freeway for bicycles".

Description

The asphalt-paved bike path is up to wide, divided into two lanes so cyclists may ride abreast in many portions, adjacent to a hiking & riding trail. Many intersections with local streets are grade separated with bridges or underpasses making it a Class I bicycle facility. Cyclists must yield to pedestrians and runners (who are considered pedestrians by the law) at all times. As of 2006, of the path were complete; when finished, in conjunction with the equestrian trail, the bikeway is expected to bridge three counties, touching on 17 cities and two national forests.

History

In 1977, the bike path was designated a National Recreation Trail. In 2005, heavy rains caused extensive erosion on the path, requiring repairs from the state at about $1 million, part of an approximately $43 million clean-up in Southern California occasioned by the disaster.

Events

Since 1985, the trail is the avenue of the annual "Riverside to Surfside" bicycling event, formerly known as "Smog to Surf", in which cyclists ride the trail from Riverside, Corona or Anaheim to Huntington Beach.

Safety

In 1990, safety on the trail became a concern when it was occupied by homeless populations and street gangs. An increased police presence in 2009 led to a reduction in crime, though pockets of homeless camps have reappeared under some bridges along the trail. From early 2016 into autumn 2017, the presence of tent camps along a 6.5-mile stretch centered near

Angel Stadium Angel Stadium of Anaheim is a baseball stadium located in Anaheim, California. Since its opening in 1966, it has served as the home ballpark of the Los Angeles Angels of Major League Baseball (MLB), and was also the home stadium to the Los An ...

resulted in many riders feeling uncomfortable. At the end of 2017, the trail was closed as authorities with the assistance of social service agencies removed those camping along the trail. As of April 2018, the trail was cleared of the remains of the encampments and reopened.

References

External links