With the opening of a new pedestrian bridge spanning La Cienega Boulevard, the Park to Playa trail is officially complete.

“When we broke ground on this trail 8 months ago—the world looked entirely different. Despite this, some things remain the same, or perhaps have become even more important,” said Los Angeles County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas in remarks at the project's ribbon-cutting ceremony. “The value of human connection and opportunities to experience the beauty of our natural environment has become paramount to our wellbeing. Today we celebrate the Park to Playa Trail, which represents the best of what public agencies can do, when they come together, to create special spaces and experiences for our community.”

The trail, which created in seven phases over a roughly 10-year period, connected a series of hiking routes within the Baldwin Hills area to the Ballona Creek bicycle path, creating a continuous 13-mile corridor terminating in Playa del Rey.

The lynchpin of the Park to Playa trail - a 440-foot bridge crossing La Cienega Boulevard – permits pedestrians and cyclists to cross between the Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook with Kenneth Hahn State Park.  The orange, steel-framed structure also includes landscaping, and doubles as a wildlife corridor for small animals.

The full trail, built as a partnership between Los Angeles County, the Baldwin Hills Conservancy, the Baldwin Hills Regional Conservation Authority, and the Mountains Recreation Conservation Authority, cost an estimated $23 million.  The project included the renovation of several existing green spaces along the corridor, as well as the construction of the Stoneview Nature Center and Milton Street Park in Del Rey.