Ultimate Guide to Wiking Los Angeles
Today we welcome guest blogger Jessica from www.scrollingthroughLA.com to tell us about her favorite wikes in La La Land. You can follow Jessica on her fitness and cocktail adventures on Instagram @scrolling_through_LA.
LA isn’t just a city filled with pricey avo-toast and Insta-famous individuals. People really value their well-being, and how can you not when the weather is always 72 and sunny? If you’re visiting the city of angels, discover different perspectives of this enormous city with this go-to list of wikes.
1. RUNYON CANYON
One of the most iconic hikes in Hollywood, Runyon Canyon is the place to spot celebs and see hikers dressed up for insta-worthy photo opps. With its location in Hollywood, it’s the perfect place to get a workout in while touring about the Walk of Fame or taking a cruise down Sunset Blvd. If the heat and elevation exhausted you, visit the infamous Pacific Cinerama Dome to catch a flick.
Pro tip: After your hike, treat yourself to a Pressed Juice or In-N-Out!
Trailhead Address: 2000 N. Fuller Ave., LA 90046
Distance: 3.5 Miles
2. OCEAN TRAILS, PALOS VERDES
It’s easy to get stuck and tangled up in your own thoughts. Hiking oceanside and seeing the vastness of the Pacific is quite humbling. If you need to get out, relax and unwind, this is the place to go! This is an easier trail, and you can start at multiple locations throughout the 5 mile hike. I always begin at Trump National Golf Course. Behind the club house, there’s a beautiful park facing the ocean that leads to different trail paths.
Pro tip: BYO lunch and eat in the park before starting your ocean side journey!
Trailhead Address: 1 Trump National Dr, Rancho Palos Verdes, CA 90275
Distance: 5 Miles
3. HOLLYWOOD SIGN & GRIFFITH OBSERVATORY
On this particular hike, you can ascend above and behind the sign’s 45-foot tall aluminum letters, where you look out over a windswept vista encompassing the DOOWYLLOH sign, overseeing downtown Los Angeles, and on a clear day, the vast Pacific. It’s worth it.
Pro Tip: It’s unfortunate, but you cannot actually touch the Hollywood sign on the Hollywood sign hike. Rumor has it, if you reach a certain distance to the sign, a drone will come down and yell at you, and then, on a much more serious note, a helicopter will fly down to arrest you.
Trailhead Address: 2927 Canyon Dr, Los Angeles, CA 90068
Distance: 6 Miles
5. WISDOM TREE HIKE
This mountain top is within close proximity to the Hollywood sign, and you can actually hike to the tree from the sign totaling over 8 miles round trip. If you are just looking for a short but challenging hike, you’ll be climbing a crumbly and steep 1.5 miles to the Wisdom Tree. With views of Burbank to one side and LA’s micro cities to the other, this is the perfect place to take a moment and read what past climbers wrote in the box of journals located underneath the tree itself. If you are in a reflective mood, jot down some feelings of your own!
Pro tip: This one gets extremely hot in the summer so make sure you bring water!
Trailhead Address: Find parking around 3052 Lake Hollywood Drive and walk to the starting point by the yellow gate.
Distance: 3 miles (or 8 if you start near the Hollywood sign)
6. HIKING MALIBU
Along with Palos Verdes, Malibu has absolutely gorgeous hikes overlooking the ocean. Varying in difficulty and length, you can find any kind of trail here. Two of my personal favorites are at Coral Canyon and Point Mugu.
Although Coral Canyon hike is only 2.5 miles, it is STRAIGHT up for a mile or so. I was sweating like crazy after reaching the top! Go here early in the morning so you can find parking behind the Malibu Seafood (and maybe enjoy a post-hike seafood snack).
My favorite part of Point Mugu’s hike is looking at all the little cars on PCH zooming along. From way up at Mugu’s peak, I wonder the same thing as when I see planes taking off at LAX: what adventures are other people going on while I am up here just observing?
With all the hiking trails in LA, you really can’t go wrong. Let us know if you have any west coast #wikes that you love and recommend!