Bike the Basin

Bike Ride Around Sepulveda Basin Recreation Area

Oil up your metal steed and hit the bikeways at the 2,000-acre Sepulveda Basin Recreation Area in Encino. Pedal a 9-mile loop around the area's perimeter, or venture deep within on a number of other concrete paths. One option is to start at Victory Boulevard and Balboa Boulevard where the Orange Line bike path intersects the parkland, and head south. Turn east onto a bikeway just before passing over the Los Angeles River, an unpaved, riparian zone running through the park. The path swings around Balboa Lake then passes a golf course before hitting Woodley Avenue. Head south along an open expanse, where you might spot a model propeller plane—or even a mini jet—taking off from the neighboring Van Nuys RC field. At Burbank Boulevard, roll west. You can stop for breakfast or lunch at the Encino Municipal Golf Course Restaurant, which serves up hearty, home-style breakfasts all day and offers patio seating near oak trees.

TIP: After chow, consider biking a few blocks south to the tiny Los Encinos State Historic Park, tucked discreetly behind Ventura Blvd. This 19th-century rancho has restored adobe buildings and a natural spring that feeds a duck pond. Head back up Balboa Blvd. to complete the bike loop.

Directions: The recreation area is wedged northwest of the 405 / 101 freeway interchange in Encino. If traveling by car, exit Victory Blvd. from the 405 and head west until Balboa Blvd. — or exit Balboa Blvd. from the 101 and drive north to Victory. There is a parking lot on the southeast corner. You can also ride the Orange Line bus to the Balboa Blvd. Station. Bike path is dog-friendly! Los Encinos State Historic Park is dog-friendly!

Trending Stories NorCal

View all Stories
  1. Taking the Stage: Tyler Ranch

    Hike the recently opened Tyler Ranch Staging Area in Pleasanton Ridge Regional Park, with 18 miles of new trails. This 6.5-mile loop up Sunol Peak is a challenge and rewards with exceptional views of seasonal iridescent hills.

    View
  2. A woman stands at Dante's View in Death Valley, looking out to Telescope Peak and Manly Lake, Badwater Basin below.

    Sunset Hike (and Manly Lake Vista!) at Dante's View

    It’s one of the world’s best places to watch a sunset. Dante’s View is a 5,476-foot vantage of the whole southern basin of Death Valley from the top of the Black Mountains. On clear days you get views of both the highest and lowest points in the contiguous U.S. 

    View
  3. Swing into Spring

    Swing into this 7.1-mile hike in the hills of Half Moon Bay! It’s got gorgeous views, fields of spring wildflowers, and a hidden rustic tree swing.

    View
  4. The Carson Show

    Carson Falls is ready for primetime. This three-tiered, 100-foot stunner is hidden back in a canyon outside of Fairfax and reached on a 3.25-mile (round-trip) hike.

    View

Trending Stories SoCal

View all Stories
  1. Lava Lava

    Once a land of volcanic activity, Mojave National Preserve shares plenty about its past via a quick yet adventurous hike to the Lava Tube in the Cima Dome Volcanic Field.

    View
  2. Kelso Dunes

    The hike to the top of Kelso Dunes in the Mojave National Preserve is only 3 miles (out and back), but you’ll feel like you’ve hiked much farther by the time you’re done.

    View
  3. William Kenyon Overlook

    Some of the best vistas of Anza-Borrego Desert State Park are easily accessible via a short and sweet 1.25-mile (round-trip) hike just off the CA-78. Enter your next favorite desert viewpoint: the William Kenyon Overlook.

    View
  4. Beaudry Bountiful

    There are no cars allowed on Beaudry Loop, but this 6-mile hike takes you on a wild ride. You’ll be climbing 1,500 feet up the southern Verdugos along a chaparral-lined trail with gorgeous mountain and urban vistas every step of the way.

    View