12

Running in Anaheim/Disneyland Hotel (Read 152 times)


Best Present Ever

    I am going to a conference I really don't want to attend. It's being held at the Disneyland Hotel. Please tell me there are decent places to run from there.  I'm already cranky about the trip. Anyone done this?

     

    My family is coming, which is good overall, but means I'll really have to get up and just run out the door of the hotel.

    TJoseph


      It is not the nicest neighborhood and Harbor Blvd and Katella are very busy with a lot lights.  I wouldn't call it decent unless you want to run around the park and the parking lot.

       

      MTA:  It looks like you can get to the Santa Ana River Trail by runing two miles down Ball or Katella, but those two miles each way are on very busy city streets.

      fimmx


        I did a 19 miler on the Santa Ana River Trail earlier this year in April. Yeah, getting to the trailhead from the convention center is a pain. Many many many traffic lights. But once you get to the trail, it's many many miles of smooth paved trail. It's pretty flat and boring but it beats lights and pavement any day. There are also a few water fountains to be found on the trail. I went north on it.

        TJoseph


          A lot of the riverbed has been encased in concrete so it isn't very scenic, but that is probably the best you can do on that end of town.  I went to high school in Anaheim Hills right off that trail and we did some training on it during cross country and track.  North/East (left as you come from Disneyland) would be towards Anaheim Hills and Green River where the trail starts and the other direction will take you to the ocean.  You can run 15 miles or so in either direction as that is about the middle of the trail.  I suppose the safer direction would be towards Anaheim Hills so you are not going through Santa Ana, but I don't know from personal experience since I haven't run or biked there in about 30 years.

          Jack K.


          uʍop ǝpᴉsdn sǝʇᴉɹʍ ʇI

            Go to the riverbed trail. The area around Disneyland is a toilet.

            Mysecondnewname


              1+    They've had some violent crime around there so I'd watch when/where you run.

               

              Honestly, it might be better to get in the car and drive 15 minutes to a better area.  (For instance, go down Ball Road towards Cypress/Los Alamitos)

               

              Otherwise, I'd treadmill it.


              Queen of 3rd Place

                Newport Back Bay area is the best bet, but it does require a car. It's worth it, however. People have been mugged on the river trails in the greater LA area, although the only ones I've heard about involved bicycle thefts.

                Ex runner


                Best Present Ever

                  Thanks for the information -- sorry though that it confirms that I don't want to go to this stupid meeting in this stupid hotel.  Ugh.  At least I'll be one night at my husband's uncle's house in Baldwin Hills, from where I have gone running before.  It's right hilly, and people seemed shocked as hell to see a person OUTSIDE who isn't a paid gardener or washing their car, but running is possible.


                  You Rang?

                    A lot of the riverbed has been encased in concrete so it isn't very scenic, but that is probably the best you can do on that end of town. 

                     

                    There are lots of homeless folks who live under the highway overpasses on the river trail.  The Santa Ana River Trail is also used by folks on bikes.  Also there are not a whole lot of bathrooms on the river trail.

                     

                    If you have access to a car, head one block west from Disneyland to Euclid Street and turn left (south).  Drive a few miles to Mile Square Park in Fountain Valley.  It is flat, and a combination of pavement and dirt, much much safer than the Santa Ana River Trail and is popular among local runners and walkers.

                     

                    Rick

                    Rick 

                    PR: 5k 25:01 (10/15) 10k: 57:44 (7/14) HM: 1:57 (5/15) FM: 4:55 (1/15)

                    kcam


                      Whew.  Anaheim ... the grimmest place on Earth.

                      TJoseph


                        Whew.  Anaheim ... the grimmest place on Earth.

                         

                        Not really any more so than San Jose.  It has some good neighborhoods too.  The area around Disneyland isn't one of them.


                        You Rang?

                           

                          Not really any more so than San Jose.  It has some good neighborhoods too.  The area around Disneyland isn't one of them.

                           

                          That's true and is borne out on the course maps of the Disneyland and Tinkerbell Half Marathons.  The Disneyland Half course runs east out of Disneyalnd and is a tour de grim. Lots of light industry, office buildings, liquor stores and strip clubs on the route.  Curiously enough, there is about a half a mile of the Santa Ana River Trail on the course.

                           

                          The Tinkerbelle Half route runs north from Disneyland and runs through the older residential sections of Anaheim.  I've never run the Tinkerbelle half (cuz I'm not a girl) but the route looks a whole lot nicer.

                           

                          Rick

                          Rick 

                          PR: 5k 25:01 (10/15) 10k: 57:44 (7/14) HM: 1:57 (5/15) FM: 4:55 (1/15)

                          TJoseph


                            I grew up in Anaheim Hills and there are some very nice homes in that area, particularly Peralta Hills.


                            Best Present Ever

                              For anyone who searches for the same info in the future, it is possible to run a perfectly decent route around the parks/hotel complex. Wide, flat sidewalks, not sketchy feeling. The loop is about 3.75 miles, and it's possible to cut through the middale through 'downtown Disney' (aka any mall in America with more twinkly lights). I was easily able to make this into a decent 7 mile tempo run and be back by 630.

                               

                              The front desk gave me the map, though I did have to twice decline the offer to join the 7 am power walk to get it. And I don't understand why a 8.5x11 piece of paper that has a map of a .75x1.25 mile square, the creator couldn't lable all the streets.

                                I was just there two weeks ago.  My runs were the beautiful stretch up and down Harbor Blvd.  It sucked, but at least I got in 5-6 miles a day.  It was my recovery week from marathon training.

                                12