Ordering Up a Walk With Fish and Ships

The Long Beach Aquarium of the Pacific could be considered one of the state’s best sources for environmental education about the Pacific Rim.

The aquarium stunningly re-creates the three distinct ecosystems of the Pacific Rim: Southern California and Baja, the Northern Pacific and the Tropical Pacific. Southern California exhibits interpret the tide pools off Long Beach and a kelp forest. Boisterous seals and sea lions bask on Catalina Island’s coast. Puffins and sea otters populate the Northern Pacific exhibit while thousands of brilliantly colored fish swim among coral reefs in the Tropical Pacific galleries.

The new aquarium is having a pronounced ripple effect on the city’s economy and waterfront environment. Adjacent Pacific shores have been revitalized, meaning a Long Beach that’s easier on the eye and much more pleasant for the adventurer afoot.

From the aquarium, take a short walk along a rejuvenated waterfront now called Rainbow Harbor to the Shoreline Village shopping center or opt for a more ambitious sojourn along the beach. This jaunt travels Los Angeles County’s southernmost coast from just south of the mouth of the Los Angeles River to just north of the mouth of the San Gabriel River.

During the first mile of this shoreline saunter, the walker gets various views of the Queen Mary cruise ship. The 1,019-foot-long British luxury liner was launched in 1936, served as a troop ship during World War II, was retired in the 1960s and is now a Long Beach-owned tourist attraction and hotel.

Once past Shoreline Village and the city marina, the Long Beach explorer can continue on the paved beach bicycle-pedestrian path or hit the beach and walk along water’s edge.

You certainly can take a very long walk along Long Beach; the strand is very long--and quite wide in places as well. The coastal town was first named Willmore City for W.W. Willmore, who developed it in 1880 and settled it with emigrants from Kansas City. Few lots sold. In 1887, the Long Beach Land and Water Co. took over, giving the community its name.

The Long Beach City Beach extends nearly five miles from the city’s downtown marina to Alamitos Bay. The beach, 100 yards wide in places, offers some of the finest and most gentle ocean swimming in Southern California. An ocean breakwater constructed in the 1940s protects the shore from all but the most southerly swells.

Those preferring a one-way ramble along Long Beach can return to the aquarium on a Long Beach Transit bus. Catch the westbound Route D bus from the corner of Bayshore Avenue and 2nd Street and enjoy the 50-cent ride to the corner of 1st Street and Pine Avenue. You can meander up and down the now-trendy Pine Avenue, then board the Route C bus (free) for the short ride back to the aquarium.

Directions to trail head: Head south on the Long Beach Freeway (710) to its end and follow the Downtown Long Beach/Aquarium signs. The signs lead you onto Shoreline Drive and to the Aquarium’s multilevel, 1,500-vehicle parking structure on the right. (A common error for first-time visitors is to look left and mistake that large round building painted with sea creatures for the aquarium; actually, that’s the Sports Arena.)

The hike: Leaving the wave-shaped aquarium behind, follow the beige- and brown-brick road along Rainbow Harbor. The soothing strains of classical music emanating from the loudspeakers lining the esplanade add to the Oz-like quality of the waterfront. You’ll soon pass the Pine Avenue Pier, where the California, the state’s official tall ship, is sometimes berthed.

Follow the promenade as it travels under the pedestrian overpass that links the convention center to the waterfront and you’ll soon arrive at Shoreline Village, a waterside shopping center. Two detours beckon: 1) Follow the boardwalk past the shops and eateries of Shoreline Village. 2) Head out on the Long Beach Marina breakwater for good views of the pleasure craft and the Queen Mary.

This walk leaves the breakwater and Shoreline Village behind and continues a less-than-scintillating half a mile or so south along the inland side of the marina to a second breakwater and the beginning of Long Beach City Beach. At the south breakwater, the bike-pedestrian path continues beneath the bluffs, but the better, quieter walking is right along the beach.

Walk along the wide sandy beach, sometimes called Long Beach Strand, past the downtown area. On summer weekends, you’ll pass brigades of beach-goers; at other times, in other seasons, the walk is a more tranquil one, often in the company of curlews, godwits, sandpipers and other shorebirds.

Continuing along the sand, you’ll cross into trendy Belmont Shore and reach the 1,620-foot-long Belmont Pier. From the pier, a mile’s walk brings you to the foot of Bay Shore Avenue. For a fun side trip, follow the avenue a mile around the horseshoe of Alamitos Bay to Appian Way Bridge. Cross the bridge to Naples, a residential community of three islands separated by canals. Explore the “Naples of America” via the waterfront walkways that lead along the canals, past some intriguing residences, and over to Naples Plaza, a park off 2nd Street.

(The corner of 2nd Street and Bay Shore Avenue is a good place to catch the bus back to the aquarium.)

Those determined to complete the last leg of the Long Beach walk will head out onto Alamitos Peninsula, which extends from 54th Place to the entrance channel of Alamitos Bay. You can stick with the sandy and rocky beach or join Bay Shore Walk, a public walkway that extends along the bay from 55th Street to 65th Place.

Long Beach Trail

WHERE: Long Beach Vity Beach

DISTANCE: From Long Beach Aquarium to Long Beach City Beach is 3 miles round trip; to Belmont Pier is 6 miles round trip; to Naples is 8 miles round trip; to Alamitos Bay is 10 miles round trip.

TERRAIN: Developed shoreline; long, wide sandy beach.

HIGHLIGHTS: Stunning new Long Beach Aquarium of the Pacific, rejuvenated waterfront.

DEGREE OF DIFFICULTY: Easy to moderate

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Long Beach Aquarium of the Pacific, te. (562) 590-3100; Long Beach Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, tel. (562) 436-3645