[1] The creeks and rivers were turned into unsightly flood control channels in the second quarter of the 20th century, and what were originally L.A. County Public Works Department maintenance roads are now bike paths.

[2] Although the Ballona Creek channel first surfaces in the Mid-City neighborhood of Los Angeles at the intersection of Cochran Avenue and Venice Boulevard, the bicycle and pedestrian access begins 2 miles (3.2 km) west, next to a stand of blue-gum eucalyptus trees at the back of a municipal park sports field in Culver City.

)[11] The bicycle path passes just south of the Baldwin Hills parklands (accessible via the Park to Playa Trail), winds east through Culver City and the Del Rey neighborhood, and ends between Ballona Wetlands and the Marina del Rey sailboat harbor,[12] where "there are unique views of the Westwood and Century City skyscrapers from the levee, as well as a peek into the [portion of the] Ballona Wetlands to the south.

Two streetlights further south is Sepulveda, which offers a bike lane, a marked elevation rise up the Westchester Bluffs and an straightforward route to the entrance of LAX.

A handful of minor storm-drain outlets flow into the creek across the bike path rather than under it, “leaking yellow-green across the street.”[23] Cyclists heading west in the afternoon may encounter headwinds.

The main public safety concerns of the CCPD are graffiti and transients setting up encampments along the Creek.”[16] A 1987 bicycle-touring guidebook advised, “Be wary and also bring a bike partner, as there have been reports of harassment and assault on some isolated creek stretches.”[2] A guide to road cycling in Los Angeles published in 2007 advised, “Riders have experienced fewer problems closer to the beach.”[1] “The scenery along these river trails changes drastically by season.

All Ballona Creek Bike Path gates are locked during significant rainstorms[29] due to the risk of low-lying areas of the route being flooded and the dangers of fast-rushing water and debris.

[8] La Ballona was channelized and the banks cemented by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers beginning in 1935, in order to prevent flooding and allow more extensive development of the surrounding land.

[59] A 1974 newspaper article about the successful launch of the Beach Bike Path described the full-length project as “still in the conceptual stage” but outlined the planned intersection of the two routes at the Marina and intention for Culver City’s McManus Park to be the eastern terminus.

[65] Ballona Creek Bike Path is a little more than half the total distance of the Park to Playa Trail, which was completed in 2020 and links the Baldwin Hills parklands to the seashore.

[66] Sculpted metal gates that depict the wildlife of the estuary, created by artists Brett Goldstone and Lucy Blake-Elahi, have been installed at certain entrances to the bike path, replacing older chain-link fencing.

[8][67] Artist Lindsay Carron and Culver City High School students have painted murals along the route depicting the history and ecology of the Ballona watershed.

[74] Infrastructure obstacles to connecting the existing bike path with the Mid-City Greenway include a Los Angeles Department of Water and Power facility and a CalTrans maintenance yard.