By Guest Columnist Fred Hulls-McGovern
We all know California to be a place of beauty and wonder with incredible landscapes, terrain and wildlife. From mountains to desert, forests and lakes, rivers, beaches and everything in between.
But what about LA? For those of you who love the outdoors, did you know you can visit some pretty spectacular spots not just around, but IN our sprawling city? Los Angeles exercise isn’t only about the gym…
Since moving here a few years ago, I’ve made it my mission to find incredible hikes that don’t involve Runyon Canyon. Here, I’m going to share of my ten favorites that I’ve hiked solo, with friends, my husband or my dogs. I try to hike as often as possible so if you want to see more, follow my Insta @fredhulls.
Upper Canyonback Trailhead (Upper Canyonback Trailhead, 17024 Mulholland Drive, Encino). I like this hike because a) it’s right by my house and b) there’s an off-leash trail so I can take my dogs. For those of you who prefer dogs on-leash, there’s actually another trail from the same car park to the Nike Missile Tower. Like most trails in LA (I think all in my list are, so I’ll mention only once) it’s not a loop, you follow the same trail back. This is about 40 mins there and back at an easy pace. This one’s great because you can stick to the path or if you want it a little tougher can head up a few hills that run beside. It’s pretty desert-like, apart from post-rain when it gets very green and lush.
Sturtevant Falls (Sturtevant Falls Hiking Trailhead, Forest Rte 2N40, Arcadia)
The first time I came here, I found it difficult to find the start of the trail – so be ready for that. The signs are honestly not very good – the trail starts on the other side of the roads than you’d expect (hopefully that’ll make sense when you’re there!). This trail is pretty cool. It starts on a tarmac road then you’ll cross a river and it’s onto shaded path with trees and cabins. Not a super hard hike, I’d say about 40 minutes to get to the falls which is really lovely.
Hermit Falls. (Hermit Falls Trail, Forest Rte 2N40, Arcadia)
This one actually starts at the same spot as Sturtevant. It’s pretty flat for the majority of the walk with the incline increasing only for the last bit. The falls are gorgeous with a decent sized pool. About 2.5 miles total and not too hard.
Verdugos (Brand Park, 1601 W Mountain St, Glendale)
Not for the faint hearted! This is a three mile STRAIGHT UP hike, winding around the Verdugo Mountains. It’s home of the Verdugo 10k run (yes, people actually run it). You get shade when the trail wraps behind a hill and the views of the city at the top are gorgeous. I won’t tell you how quick people run this trail, but depending on how fast you hike, I would allow up to 2.5 hours.
Solstice Canyon. (Solstice Canyon Hiking Trail Parking, Malibu)
Unlike all of the other hikes, you can actually loop back round on this one, but this takes you up a pretty steep hill before descending to a small river, following the road back to the car park. The trail is mostly tarmaced but you’re pretty exposed to the sun. When you get to the Robert’s Ranch you’re at the end – the house was designed by architect Paul Revere Williams, African American member of the American Institute of Architects, in 1952.
Nicholas Flat (Leo Carillo State Park)
This is a very cool (and pretty easy) hike! The trail takes you through some kind-of fields then past a pretty lake before ascending through a shady path. The view of the ocean you get at the end of this hike is completely spectacular. Side note, we let our big dog Murphy take a dip in said lake – I didn’t confirm the facts of this story, but a friend told me there’s harmful algae in the area so we had to bath him as soon as we got home!
Wisdom Tree (Hollywood)
This Hollywood staple is short and sweet, providing panoramic views at a calm spot underneath a beautiful tree. To start the trail you need to walk through a residential street but keep going up and you’ll get there! It’s very steep up and pretty rocky but you can do the whole hike in around 40 minutes.
Franklin Canyon Reservoir (Hollywood)
This is a hidden treasure very close to Hollywood. You’ll often find people picnicking on the side of the reservoir, chilling in the sun. The trails go all over the place so you can really make your own path. Some of the trails take you through overgrown patches but they all meet up as far as I can tell so you can make it as long or short, easy or strenuous as you like.
Wildwood Canyon (Burbank)
This one is pretty similar to Verdugos… but with less shade – almost zero shade. About five miles up and down, and you’ll hit a missile tower at the top. This one is intense and only gets steeper as you go up… be warned!
Switzer Falls (Switzer Truck Trail, Altadena)
I love this hike! You’re looking at a 40 minute drive from LA (out of traffic) but it’s worth it. Switzer Falls has become my favorite hike around LA but if you’re very afraid of heights it’s not quite as fun. You’ll need a parking ticket for this one (you can buy them in places like Big 5) which are very cheap for a year pass and work in multiple places. I’d leave approximately two hours for hiking, but you could explore all day if you want to, and can hike Bear Canyon I believe. From the car park, you hike along a gorgeous shaded path next to the river. Then you’ll climb for a few minutes into the open before it flattens out then descends again – the path splits once; make sure you bear left if you want to get to the waterfalls. Once you get to the bottom, head left and after about five minutes you’ll hit a decent sized waterfall and pool. It’s the perfect spot to chill and replenish before heading back.
