Marvin Braude Bike Trail

Marvin Braude Bike Trail
Beach Bike Path
Length22.3 mi (35.9 km)
LocationLos Angeles County, California
Established1974
Completed1989
TrailheadsWill Rogers State Beach
UseMixed
DifficultyModerate
Websitebeaches.lacounty.gov
Trail map

The Marvin Braude Bike Trail (also known as the Beach Bike Path,[1] Coastal Bike Trail[1], The Strand, or the South Bay Bicycle Trail[2]) is a 22-mile (35 km) paved bicycle path that runs mostly along the shoreline of Santa Monica Bay in Los Angeles County, California.[3][4] The coastal bike trail is widely acknowledged as Los Angeles' "most popular bike path."[5]

The path "leads cyclists past colorful piers, lively crowds, and beach vistas unseen by automobile travelers."[2]

A 1985 bike touring guidebook reported that this was "deservedly the most popular (and most crowded) bike path in Los Angeles County. Riders see exhilarating views of the Pacific Ocean, fleets of weekend sailors, and, on a clear day, Catalina Island riding on the horizon."[5]

According to one guide to recreational biking in Los Angeles, "If you make the path a part of your morning workout routine, you'll see sunbeams lighting up the white crests of waves as they break, surfers getting the first rides of the day, and assorted marine life bobbing in and around the shoreline."[6]

For most of its length the concrete route is 14 feet (4.3 m) wide.[7] The northern terminus of the trail is at Will Rogers State Beach in Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles. The southern terminus of the trail is in Torrance County Beach in Torrance, at the base of Palos Verdes Peninsula.

County officials reported that at the time the trail was completed (in 1989), as many as 10,000 people a day used the route.[8]

For most of the trail, the bicycle path is Class I (no automobile contact) but for a few miles in Marina del Rey, the route is Class II where the bicycle route crosses six streets with automobiles and nearby traffic lights, adding moderate danger for bicyclists, pedestrians, roller skaters, and skateboarders.

See also: California bikeway classifications

Near the midpoint, between the two ends of the path, this coastal bicycle path intersects with another Class I bicycle path, with abundant wildlife viewing opportunities, known as the Ballona Creek Bike Path. This urban river bicycle path goes inland for approximately 7 miles (11 km) into Culver City, and there connecting to the Expo Bike Path (ending at the La Cienega/​Jefferson Los Angeles Metro Rail station) and the Park to Playa Trail (ending in the Baldwin Hills).

  1. ^ a b "LA County Beach Bike Path – Beaches & Harbors". Archived from the original on 2022-05-18. Retrieved 2022-07-07.
  2. ^ a b Sunset Travel Guide to Southern California. Menlo Park, Calif.: Lane Publishing Co. 1974. p. 43. SBN 376-06754-3.
  3. ^ "Marvin Braude Coastal Bike Trail Map" (PDF). Marina Del Rey Convention and Visitors Bureau. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-04-01.
  4. ^ "L.A. Beach Bike Path – Santa Monica to Redondo Beach – maps.google.com". Archived from the original on 2014-01-08. Retrieved 2016-11-09.
  5. ^ a b MacArthur, Loren (1985). L.A. Bike Rides: A Guide to 37 Specially Selected Bike Routes in Los Angeles County. San Francisco, Calif.: Chronicle Books. pp. 15, 62. ISBN 0-87701-316-0.
  6. ^ Mariotti, Tony (2019-07-25). "5 Great Recreational Bike Rides in Los Angeles". RubyHome.com. Archived from the original on 2022-08-13. Retrieved 2022-08-13.
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference :2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference :1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).