San Fernando Valley, NW of the intersection of the 405 and 101 Fwys
Sepulveda Dam
Flat tires are frequent in this park.
About 9 miles around the entire perimeter. Flat and easy. The bike path goes in and around the Sepulveda Dam Recreation Area, which is a green and pretty park, with all the amenities: water, restrooms, picnic tables, golf courses, softball fields, etc.
Click here for Google’s Street Map with nearby businesses.
Thomas Guide pp. 531, 561.
Current weather conditions:
There is also parking in several of the golf course parking
lots, although the sign at the Lake Balboa Golf Course
suggests it is only for golfer parking, it is never full and
they don’t seem to bother the bikers and bladers who park
there.
The 9 mile route for bicylists is too rough for rollerbladers. The shorter route bounding Victory Blvd at Lake Balboa Skate and Hockey Shop, to Balboa Blvd. to Burbank to Woodley is usually much better . . . when repaired, it is an interesting and sometimes scenic five mile run if you use the old bridge underpasses on
Balboa. . . . P.C. Wright
Viewer Comment:
In recent years the path has fallen into extreme
disrepair due to the flooding of the Sepulveda Basin . . . repairs are incredibly slow. The inner loop through the Lake Balboa Park
area, including Victory Blvd and the north portion of the larger
loop along Balboa and Woodley (about 2.3 miles) is completed and in excellent condition. The Lake area has parking, a large boy and girl rest room and snack wagons on weekends. (Warning: The park closes at dark and the path through the park is very congested on weekends.)
Recommend you don’t bike on the path that goes around the three golf courses. You will be constantly dodging joggers, walkers, walkers with baby strollers taking up both bike lanes while chatting on their cell phone and trying to control their Irish Setter on a 20 ft. leash.
I did not find the 9 mile bike path to be in too much disrepair to rollerblade on. Perhaps for a beginner it would be too bumpy, but for a mild to seasoned pro, it’s really no problem. I also found that between 1 and 4 PM the path is virtually empty, save a few walkers and a couple bikers. There is also ample shade along the West, East, and even the North sides of the path to keep you cool and out of direct sunlight. Bring an iPod, and an hour will go by in a snap!
Beware!!! I have repeatedly gotten flat tires in recent weeks. My bicycle repair man said he wouldn’t reccomend going there at all, but at this time of year on particularly.
Too many prickly thorns!! They are everywhere, not worth riding bikes unless you wanna keep changing tubes or you have slime tubes. This is unfortunate because the park is an easy ride.
Three flats in two weeks. Live near chandler bike path, shame I can’t continue around park. Like the ride, wish someone would clean the thorns.
I’ve had three flats due to the Goatshead thorns in the past several weeks. It’s indeed frustrating, but my brother (a bicycle coach) recommended installing Mr. Tuffy Liners on my tires and adding tubes with Slime. You can get this at Performance Bike (PB) in Woodland Hills (other places I’m sure), but PB also installed it for me (for a small charge). If you go there and bike a lot, you might want to join their rewards program. My bike which I purchased there in August also has a service agreement that was very reasonable. Great for “girls” and “beginners” like me who don’t want to do all the maintenance, but I’m learning to take care of flats.
I’ve ridden 45 miles exclusively around Balboa Park since Sunday (9/18) with no flat tires. I am also looking out for Goatshead and debris fields as I bike to avoid any trouble spots (particularly at Woodley & Burbank corner).
I had a flat tire due to the same thorns and had to buy the slimy thingy to make sure i won’t get flat and walk back to my house. After that, no more flats and it is really a good bike path. No complains.
I got a flat about a month ago… Two in one week. The second time I had ridden my bike to the park, ran 6 miles and had to run an additional 3 miles home because of my tire… If you are riding to the park on a bike I suggest bringing a cell phone or bus fare!
Have an EBike or ezip trailz. My tires are a mtn bike and hardy new, haven’t had a flat at all. Weeks after 1pm are a best ride there. I have considered motorizing the Columbia Tricycle I have with a small gas engine. Not harrassed by my ebike, but because the motorized bikes go slower than many on the racing 12 speeds that usually pass me on my ebike I have begun to look into it. With a very bad knee, the engine effort helps to relieve the pain from excess peddling. Anyone know what the laws are for a small cc motorized gas or electric bike on the path?
Fyi: Do not ride in the Wildlife Refuge. It’s one place bikes may not go. You will get a ticket from the ranger and you scare the wildlife.
Way too many Goat Head thorns. I get flats almost every time I ride there, even with Slime tubes, so I stopped using the path. I once had over 20 thorns in one tire and Slime was of no help. The City really should do a better job of managing the foliage so that Goat Head thorns do not proliferate the area or cyclists will eventually stop using the facility.