

A new section of the L.A. River will be open to kayakers, like these, and fishermen starting this weekend (Photo by houze via the LAist Featured Photos pool)

This Memorial Day a stretch of the L.A. River near downtown will be opened up to kayakers, fishermen and riverside ramblers for the first time since the river was paved decades ago.

There is going to be a little ceremony around 10 am on Memorial Day marking the opening of a 2.5-mile section of the river that starts at Marsh Park, which is near Elysian Valley (just northeast of the 2* and 5 freeway interchange). Some kayakers will paddle downstream (while politicians and a rep from the US Army Corps of Engineers look on).

This section of the river will be open from Memorial Day until Labor Day. You don't need a reservation or permit unless you're a part of a big organized group. The Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority will manage the new recreation zone, which will be open from sunrise to sunset.

This is all a part of a broader effort to open up the channelized and underappreciated Los Angeles River to Angelenos.

If you go, take some pictures of whatever you do and e-mail them to us or drop them in our Flickr photo pool.