Navigating the Future of the L.A. River, by Kayak

Growing up in California's San Fernando Valley, I was only hazily aware that the L.A. River had ever been, you know, real. Where was the water? Where were the fish? To me, it was the fenced-off trench that ran alongside the freeway, entombed in concrete. The water level was pitifully low, and hardly a tree was in sight. Decades had passed since the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers used concrete to line the bulk of the river's 51 miles, as a solution to regular, sometimes devastating flooding. Now better known as a "flood control channel," the once-living river was effectively dead.

But last May, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers approved Alternative 20, a robust plan to revitalize a significant portion of the river. The $1 billion proposal promises to restore habitat, widen the river, create wetlands, and provide “rio vista” access points and bike trails along an 11-mile stretch between Griffith Park and downtown Los Angeles.