This ride starts at the East LA Civic Center. This is right off the L Line (formerly known as the Gold Line) at the aptly named East LA Civic Center Station. If taking the L Line, head to the east exit of the station and cross the street to head north along Civic Center Way.
If you’re driving, there is some public parking available along Civic Center Way for three hours. Take note that on Saturdays, parking is reserved for those visiting the East LA Farmers Market, which runs from 8am to 1pm. There are also some restrooms here that are usually open, just look for the orange/yellow building to the northeast of the parking lot.
About 70 feet north of E. 3rd St, keep an eye out for a sign marking the location of a time capsule buried in 2009. Set to be unearthed 50 years after burial, the time capsule includes some things thought to become obsolete by 2059. The sign itself features articles from the Eastside Sun, a local newspaper that ran from 1945 until 2018. In 1979, the newspaper was sold by its original owner and purchased by a group of 12 Mexican American investors. The bi-lingual paper covered many stories focused on the lives of the Eastside community.
Head north through the park until you reach the pedestrian bridge that will take you over the 60 freeway to 1st St.
Animal Alert: Watch out for coyotes! This area is part of their home turf and they’ve been here for thousands of years! Coyotes have called North America home for more than a million years.
Keep an eye out for an animal that resembles a medium-sized dog, with a tawny gray color with long legs and a tail that is about less than half of its body length. If you see a coyote, you can wave hello but make sure to keep your distance. Coyotes are naturally fearful of humans, but they can also be very curious. If you see one and it keeps approaching you or you feel threatened, act big and loud, wave your arms, yell and clap your hands until the coyote runs away.
At the other end of the bridge, use the crosswalk to cross 1st St, then make a right along the sidewalk for one block.
At Vancouver, make a left.
This route will take you in a northeast direction for 3.5 miles before arriving at Barnes Park.
After heading north across Cesar Chavez, the route climbs 72 feet over a quarter mile before dropping back down the same elevation over the same distance before climbing 181 feet over one mile. The route comes back down before arriving at Barnes Park.
