LA River Eco Tour and Secret Stair Hike
Description
The LA Rive Eco Tour and Secret Stair Hike is meant for travelers and locals that want to see a part of LA that 99.9% of people will never find. You won't find this route in a guide book or with any other tour company. It is a one of a kind route the combines the history of the LA River, LA transportation, ecology, urban planning, architecture, cult organizations, and more into an experience that you won't forget. While other tourists are riding around in celeb homes vans, you'll be getting a taste of what truly makes LA special. See LA in a Day tours specialize in off the beaten path experiences. Secret stair hikes, Malibu wine tastings, and True Crime history are just a few of our favorite things to cover. Please check out some of our tours!
Tour Options
Itinerary
The LA River is more than a place to film a car chase for Grease of Terminator 2. This river has its own fascinating (and sometimes terrifying history.) This tour will take you through the LA River past, present, and future to help you better understand this vital waterway. The river is also a great place for bike riding, grabbing a bite to eat, or doing some bird watching. You'll know the best places for each by the end of the tour.
At our meeting point, we will learn about the people that have battled to make the river accessible. What started with pair of wire cutters and a rock n roll mindset, eventually morphed into the Friends of the LA River Organization. It wasn't always possible to walk or bike along the river like we can today. The river is undergoing a transformation and the Friends of the LA River Organization have had a vital role in the recent development.
Did you know LA used to have great public transportation? I know, it's crazy, but it's true. Here, you'll walk along an abandoned stretch of old trolley car lines and learn how we lost one of the world's best transportation systems.
This is where the hike really takes off. Up into the hills you'll go, using secret stairs and forgotten paths. There's beautiful early 1900s architecture and views of LA landmarks like the Hollywood Sign and Griffith Observatory. Echo Park is one of LA's older neighborhoods and the hills provided seclusion for occult organizations and self-sustaining religious compounds. The stairs, hills, and trails all lead to a secret swing with a great view of the LA River and LA's Eastside.
The final stretch takes us back by the LA River. In this last section, you'll see where new restaurants, shops, spas, apartments, and pocket parks are popping up along the river. Los Angeles has massive plans for the future of the LA River. What we see now reflects the beginning of a $1.6 billion plan to revitalize and renaturalize the LA River. Who knows what the LA River will look like 100 years from now? It could be as alien to us as our river would be the Indigenous people of LA 500 years ago.
One of LA's best spots for breakfast or lunch. This is a great spot to go before or after the tour. You can also rent a bike here and spend some more time by the LA River.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
- This is a 4.4 mile hike over 3hrs. Guests must be able to walk up and down several hills and staircases.
Reviews(23)
Eye-opening, thoroughly researched, and very fun. History, botany, and some Hollywood lore. Go check out the river and the stairs
We got to see amazing sights along the reborn LA River and learn how herons and egrets now live in what most probably think of as the dry concrete bed where car chases get filmed. We took hidden staircases that we never could have found on our own to see bungalows, flowers, art, and color from LA history (wait for the Pete Seeger song about the disappeared revivalist and the bed). Had a great time and learned so much from Chris, our guide and historian. Wonderful to see LA past, present, and future.
Chris was very informed and interesting. The history of the LA River and community around it was fascinating to learn about. Highly recommend!
Thank you so much for taking the tour and exploring Elysian Valley, Silver Lake, and Echo Park! They are such fascinating neighborhoods with so much hidden away in the less visited sections. Thanks again!
Highly recommend this tour! Chris was very knowledgeable and I learned a lot about the LA River, the history of Frogtown and the surrounding area. I enjoyed seeing parts of Los Angeles I wouldn’t otherwise find. Chris researches and writes all the tours himself; he is also well integrated in the area and would greet residents along the way by name. This is a great tour for visitors or locals looking to see parts of LA off the beaten path.
I highly recommend this tour! Chris was awesome. So knowledgeable. Our group loved learning the history of LA River snd all the cool facts about some of the surrounding areas.
Thank you for taking the tour and exploring the area around the LA River with me. It is such an interesting and underappreciated part of our city and its history.
The guide was great! He was very knowledgeable about LA history and the eco system. The stair hikes and views were amazing, definitely worth the effort and reasonably priced.
Thank you so much for exploring the LA River and LA ecology with me!
Chris did a great job! He was very knowledgeable about all sorts of LA history, the area we were touring and the LA River. He told some fascinating stories as we traipsed up and down a few staircases and was very engaging and warm.
It's awesome to hear that you loved the tour and enjoyed seeing a different slice of Los Angeles!
Chris was an amazing tour guide giving us the history of the LA River and touring the surrounding neighborhoods. There were so many tidbits of information that kept us engaged the entire time, plus the "secret" stairs provided excellent views of the city. A delightful experience!
Thank you for taking the tour! The LA River and those surrounding neighborhoods are a treasure trove of fun LA history.
This tour was a terrific way to learn about the LA River's relationship with the city. I grew up in LA, but it was so fun to visit neighborhoods that I’d just driven by as a teenager. Our guide, Chris, shared well-researched history and local lore. And he had photos of old LA that helped us see how much the city has changed. Chris’ clearly cares about the residents and how the city has developed. We ended our tour at Spoke where my friends and I enjoyed a delicious meal. I highly recommend getting off the beaten track with See LA in a Day. I’m already planning our next outing with them.
The LA River is such a fascinating part of history, it was great sharing it with you. Can't wait to see you on another tour!
This was an informative and fascinating "off the beaten path" tour that included the history and inter-related ecology for the LA River and adjacent human communities (Silver Lake, Echo Park, Frogtown/Elysian Valley). We particularly enjoyed exploring the numerous secret stairways, and seeing the diversity of architectural styles of the homes. Our tour guide (Chris), was very knowledgeable and seemed to genuinely enjoy giving the tour. He had many stories related to the area to tell, and illustrated points about the history using his iPad as a visual aid. He has obviously spent a great time studying the history of LA, the Master Plan for the LA River Restoration, and must have committed hours of time reviewing community property mapping and historical documentation. In summary, my wife and I found it be a very worthwhile and enjoyable experience. I would highly recommend this tour! As an added bonus, Chris may bring along his dog, who has a wonderful disposition, and seemed to enjoy the tour as much as we did!
