L.A. River Ramble: Entering the Backcountry of Los Angeles
Last summer the Los Angeles Urban Rangers in conjunction with MOCA's Engagement Party hosted the River Ramble, an urban nighttime hike exploring the Los Angeles River. The event served to inform the public of the river's presence and expose nature in Downtown L.A., with family activities and enthusiastic guides leading a unique journey.
More on the Los Angeles Urban Rangers and the river
As part of our StoryShare initiative, Departures collected over 30 stories from the urban hikers, many of whom were experiencing the L.A. River for the first time. Many came with media-informed ideas of the river, from movies like Grease and Terminator, but left with a renewed perspective. As downtown bridges stretched into the horizon, together with the concrete walls a geometric portrait of nature was formed from the river's banks - an illustration of industrial beauty in contrast to the river's dismal reputation as a sewage ditch.
The Los Angeles River may be the most famous forgotten river in America, but with our collective efforts we can change that.
River Ramble- Exploring the Los Angeles River