Location: California, connecting the cities of Los Angeles and Pasadena
Length: 9.45 mi (15.2 km)
Time To Allow: 1 hour

Description/Highlights/Points of Interest

Dedicated on December 30, 1940, the Arroyo Seco Parkway connects Los Angeles and Pasadena through the historic Arts and Crafts landscape of the Arroyo Seco. Conceived in the parkway tradition, with its gentle curves, lush landscaping and scenic vistas, the parkway incorporates the modern elements that laid the groundwork for the California freeway system.


Suggested Itinerary

The Arroyo Seco Parkway Scenic Byway begins at the Four Level, the intersection of U.S. Highway 101 and California State Highway Route 110 (The Pasadena Freeway) in downtown Los Angeles. From the Four Level, the byway continues northbound on the Arroyo Seco Parkway.

The first section of the byway goes through Chinatown and Elysian Park, the oldest public park in Los Angeles and home to Dodger Stadium. A high viaduct carries the parkway across the Los Angeles River and into the Cypress Park neighborhood, an early 20th century industrial landscape adjacent to the confluence of the Los Angeles and Arroyo Seco rivers.

At Avenue 43, the parkway enters its most historic and scenic stretch. Several late 19th, early 20th century landmarks are clustered at this ramp, including the Lummis House, Heritage Square and the Southwest Museum, visible from a high hill overlooking the parkway. A new Nature Center at Debs Park, famed for its birding and hiking opportunities, is also approachable from Avenue 43.

The parkway then winds through a chain of lovely small parks dotting the Highland Park neighborhood, which is also the largest locally designated historic district in Los Angeles. Craftsman-era bungalows are seen alongside the parkway in this stretch. At the Bridewell exit, the Arroyo opens to the north with spectacular views of the San Gabriel Mountains. The parkway then swings eastward and begins climbing out of the Arroyo via "the Cut." A landscape sign announcing "South Pasadena" dates from the road's opening in 1940 and marks the gateway into this quintessential icon of small- town America. The Fair Oaks off-ramp leads directly into downtown South Pasadena with its quaint shops and restaurants. Just west of the byway in Glendale is the Glendale Galleria, a shopping mall with three levels of America's favorite stores, brand names and restaurants. Out-of-town shoppers should visit the customer service center to receive special savings.

The parkway swings around Raymond Hill, and from this point north it becomes Arroyo Boulevard, a local street. Arroyo Boulevard, and the byway, ends on Colorado Boulevard in the heart of historic Old Town Pasadena, famed for its restaurants, boutiques and swinging street scene.

The following organizations offer itineraries along Route 110 – Arroyo Seco Historic Parkway:
American Driving Vacations