Urban Adventure - Packrafting the Los Angeles River
Packrafting the LA River is a fun and weird experience. The first question everyone asks is why? And my answer would be, quoting Sir Edmund Hillary (The first person to climb Mount Everest) “Because it’s there”. But after paddling it turns out, it's actually a pretty fun little river. The next question is can you? And of course the answer is yes, you can legally paddle two sections of the Los Angeles River. I’ve paddled both sections and found that the Elysian Valley aka Frog Town section near Dodger Stadium is the most fun.
First some history
When most people think of the Los Angeles River, they picture dry concrete channels, car chases from ’90s action movies, or the occasional graffiti-covered bridge. But beneath the urban sprawl and cinematic legend lies one of the most unexpected paddling adventures in Southern California.
The L.A. River was designated a “navigable” waterway in 2010 by the US EPA, meaning that it’s protected by the Clean Water Act. After this, a group of kayakers and boaters paddled 51 miles of the river to show that the river is in fact navigable. In 2011 a pilot recreation program was started in the Sepulveda Basin, and two years later, the Elysian Valley recreation zone was opened.
For over a decade now, both select sections of the LA River have been open to recreational use during the summer, typically from Memorial Day to the end of September.
These 2 zones, the Elysian Valley (aka Frogtown) and Sepulvetda Basin both offer surprisingly scenic stretches of river with leafy green overhangs, a large variety of birds and fishing.
It’s a strange and beautiful paradox: surrounded by freeways, power lines, helicopters and the hum of the city and then you make a few turns and suddenly you are in a little jungle and you forget you’re in LA at all.
What to Expect on the Water
The LA river has a few beginner rapids that are pretty easy to paddle if you have had some experience paddling a packraft or kayak on moving water. The LA River isn’t mighty Coloarado rushing through the Grand Canyon, but that’s kind of the point. You’ll float past street art murals, under vintage bridges, and through narrow channels surrounded by thick vegetation. Expect birds, some unfortunate scattered trash & debris, and curious looks from cyclists and joggers who didn’t realize “you can do that on the LA River.” The weather is usually great when its open season so no need for wet suits or special paddle outerwear.
How to Paddle the LA River:
Directions
Elysian Valley section is 2.5 miles and took me about an hour to paddle it and 30 minutes to walk back up after a packing all my gear up. The put in is Rattlesnake Park at Fletcher Drive, I found the easiest place to park was at Ripple Place and then walk down to the water, from there you can put in or walk up stream a block or two to the bridge. The take out is Oso park about 2.5 miles downstream. To set shuttle there’s a few ways. Since you have a packraft, the easiest is to just park at the put in, paddle down and then walk back up the bike path. Or vise versa and park at the take out so you don’t have to walk up wet. Another option is doing the same but locking up your bike at the take out, then driving back to the start so you can ride back to your car after paddling. Finally you could also bikeraft it and paddle down the river with your bike strapped on the bow then deflate your boat, strap it to the handle bars and ride back up. Also it’s LA so you could even call an uber to run shuttle for you. The beauty of a packraft is all of the shuttle options are easy.
Paddling Beta
At Fletcher Bridge you can start by blowing your boat up at the car or a short walk down to inflate it right at the river on a concrete pad.
The river starts out with one tiny easy rapid and then you head under a bridge. From here the current is moving pretty good and you are on the right side of the ditch. Throughout the whole river there’s several small rapids, rocks and other things you’ll need to navigate.
After about 20 minutes you will get to the first class 2 rapid. I’m not sure if it has a name but I call it the chutes. The river slows down and pools up, forcing you to turn left and head towards the other side of the river. There’s a few little channels or chutes you can take with the middle ones being the best, but conditions can change so chose one with the most flow so it will be smoother.
After that you’ll be on the left side of the river bank and soon you’ll arrive at a big red pedestrian bridge overhead which is almost the middle marker of the trip. From here keep heading down stream looking for the deepest parts so you don’t get hung up on rocks.
Soon you’ll start making your way back to the middle of the concrete ditch paddling through what looks like a jungle. There’s one final class 2 rapid here that was actually really fun.
After that, you’ll end up back on the left side of the river channel and then you’ll start seeing the red warnings on the left concrete wall noting that the take out is coming up in 500 feet. You’ll also see a freeway up ahead and the walls start changing from slopes to vertical almost making it look like you’d be paddling into a gorge.
From here you’ll want to head over to the right side of the river to get back to the bike path. Once you are at Oso Park area you can hop in your car if you set up a shuttle or walk or ride your bike back to your car and head home. If you have extra time to you can stop by the local Frog Town Brewery for an after paddle beer.
Packrafting the LA River is more than just an afternoon float—it’s a great reminder of how adventure can exist anywhere, even in the heart of a city of millions. It’s a testament to resilience, to reclaiming overlooked spaces, and to making your own kind of wild. So next time you’re craving a quick dose of nature, ditch the hustle and bustle of the city life go explore your sense of wonder. The LA River is waiting.
Have fun out there! -Tristan