Hiking in Los Angeles: 9 hikes with breathtaking views

Hiking is a low-cost option to enjoy the sunshine and fresh air. You can have the experience of a beautiful journey with jaw-dropping ends whether you are a native or a traveller.

Hiking in Los Angeles is a once-in-a-lifetime event that is nearly a rite of passage for many people. Here are nine hiking trails with magnificent ends.

Malibu Creek State Park

Malibu Creek State Park travel guidebook –must visit attractions in City of  Los Angeles – Malibu Creek State Park nearby recommendation – Trip.com

Malibu Creek State Park is a California state park in the Santa Monica Mountains that protects the Malibu Creek canyon. The park, which covers 8,215 acres, was founded in 1974. The park, which was first opened to the public in 1976, is also part of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area.

Hiking in Malibu Creek State Park connects you to the good life in Hollywood. This site has appeared in a number of films and TV series. Despite the fact that the region was burned by the Woolsey fire, there are still some rusty Army Jeeps and other traces of filming, making for a great photo opportunity. Keep in mind that the terrain is still rebuilding from the devastation caused by the wildfire, so keep on the existing pathways.

Eaton Canyon

Eaton Canyon Falls Trail: A Beautiful Waterfall Close to LA - California  Through My Lens

At the foot of the San Gabriel Mountains, Eaton Canyon Natural Area is a 190-acre zoological, botanical, and geological nature park. Hiking paths, horse routes with a staging area, picnic sites, a seasonal stream, rocks and minerals, natural ecosystems, native vegetation, and wildlife are all available to visitors.

If you enjoy being near water, Eaton Canyon is a great place to visit. The waterfalls at this location are as breathtaking as those at Niagara Falls, albeit smaller. The hike is mostly flat and shaded, but it can be started at the nature centre. The hike is suitable for some truly thrilling days. Hike along the main trail until you reach the waterfall intersection. The rest of the trail is made up of concrete and a bridge. If you’re lucky and the season is right, you might be able to witness the lovely 40-foot-long waterfall with a little pool at its base.

Echo Mountain

Echo Mountain offers a tough L.A. hike with rich history - Los Angeles Times

If you want to have a picnic in the midst of some beautiful ruins? You’ll have to struggle for it on the path to Altadena’s Echo Mountain. The 5-mile (round-trip) trail begins at the top of Lake Avenue and passes through a large, gorgeous gate. It is steep-ish switchbacks with little cover, but it is well-maintained. It’s also densely populated enough for a solitary hiker to feel safe.

A vibrant historical exhibit and a sheltered, very spread-out picnic area left over from the resort that used to be on the site are the rewards. There are also enormous parts of the decommissioned Mt. Lowe Railroad, which originally hauled resort-goers here, and an ancient metal echo phone, which you can use to yell into and have your words bounce back to you off the mountains.

Santa Susana Pass State Historic Park

Santa Susana Pass State Historic Park Hike - Modern Hiker

For the Tongva and Chumash who originally inhabited the area, this historic park in Chatsworth contains part of the main path between the San Fernando and Simi Valleys. Later, the Spanish and stagecoaches used the route to travel between Los Angeles and points north.

The area is now littered with Chumash relics (such as rock-cut grinding basins) and stagecoaches (look down and you might see wheel ruts in the sandstone). Natural features such as rock formations, cliffs, and possibly even a seasonal cascade add to the excitement.

Then there are the views. Panoramic views of the rough natural scenery, which contrast sharply with the neighbouring built communities.

Bridge to Nowhere

Bridge to Nowhere

If you’re searching for a little more adventure, the Bridge to Nowhere, located in the San Gabriel Mountains above Azusa, might be the place to go. The path is 10 miles long and mostly un-shaded, so it’ll be a lot less fun to hike once the weather warms up—check this one off your list before it’s too late! However, if rain is expected, this hike should be postponed because the area is prone to severe flash floods.

The trail’s name comes from a surprise bridge that appears out of nowhere towards the trail’s end, crossing the San Gabriel River’s east fork. According to Atlas Obscura, when the bridge was completed in 1936, the plan was to connect it to a highway that ran through the area; however, when that highway was washed out in a massive flood in 1938, that plan was washed away as well, leaving the bridge alone in the mountains with no road to connect it to anything. The path to the bridge is a long, if flat, journey that includes many water crossings with water ranging from ankle to knee-deep, the possibility of swimming, and the possibility of seeing bighorn sheep.

There’s also a visitor centre on San Gabriel Canyon Road, just before the national forest begins, where you may get general information, permits, and maps, as well as inquire about water levels at the crossings and the trail conditions.

Mount Wilson

Mount Wilson (Clark County, Nevada) - Wikipedia

The 7-mile climb from Sierra Madre’s Chantry Flat to Mt. Wilson, is a tough but gorgeous hike with a 4,200-foot elevation increase. Many people use this hike as a warm-up exercise before attempting higher summits.

The Mount Wilson Observatory is the major prize at the finish, assuming you’re still up for it. The gardens, museum, and 100-inch telescope viewing gallery are open all year, even if the weekend tours and cafe are closed for the winter.

An added perk of visiting the Observatory is the parking lot directly below it, where a kind soul may be waiting in a car to transport your exhausted bones home.  The parking area is located about 30 minutes north of La Caada and requires a $5 day-use Adventure Pass. Passes can be purchased at a variety of sites.

Hikers could even return down the trail for a 14-mile trip if they so desired.

Murphy Ranch

Murphy Ranch Hike & Trail Info • Pacific Palisades, LA | EXSPLORE

Winona and Norman Stephens, sympathisers of the anti-semitic, white supremacist Silver Legion of America, erected the Murphy Ranch in Rustic Canyon, Los Angeles, in the 1930s. Jessie M. Murphy was the owner of record in 1933. It was meant to be self-sustaining for lengthy periods of time as a base for Nazi activity in the United States. A water storage tank, a fuel tank, a bomb shelter, and other outbuildings and bunkers were all part of the site. Paul Williams, a well-known African-American architect in the Southern California area, designed the estate’s front gate.

Local police occupied the facility on Monday, December 8, 1941, the day after the Japanese assault on Pearl Harbor, and jailed members of the 50-strong caretaker crew. It had been abandoned and in decay since 1990, and it was covered in graffiti.

 The city of Los Angeles now owns the property. The buildings were supposed to be being demolished in 2016, however images reveal that it is still a fairly well-preserved location in a lovely setting. The power house, an all-concrete structure that previously housed the diesel generators, is one of the few remaining structures. All doors and windows have been shut. This somewhat flat trip is about 4 miles long and begins just a few miles from the 405.

Runyon Canyon

Runyon Canyon Park travel guidebook –must visit attractions in City of Los  Angeles – Runyon Canyon Park nearby recommendation – Trip.com

The Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks manages Runyon Canyon Park, a 160-acre park in Los Angeles, California, at the eastern extremity of the Santa Monica Mountains. This park in Hollywood offers hikers a couple overlapping circles as well as spectacular views of Hollywood. One of the most popular hiking spots in Los Angeles is Runyon Canyon Park.

Runyon Canyon Fire Road, East Ridge Trail, and Western HighWay Trail are the three primary trails in Runyon Canyon. This trail is ideal for people watching and possibly spotting celebrities. The climb allows new hikers to see the Hollywood Hills and take in the breathtaking sights. Both the inspiration and cloud points can be visited. Million-dollar residences and magnificent vistas of the Hollywood Sign are featured prominently in the trial. You can also go to the Los Angeles Desert to get a taste of nature.

Paradise Falls in Wildwood Park

Hiking to Paradise Falls at Wildwood Park in Thousand Oaks, CA | Librarian  Style

Along the Arroyo Conejo in Thousand Oaks, Paradise Falls plunges 40 feet into a big pool. Paradise Falls is located within Wildwood Park, and thanks to an almost endless network of trails, it may be reached in a variety of ways, including a 2.15-mile out-and-back hike or a 2.55-mile circle that includes a visit to a tiny cave. With 260 feet of height difference between the trailhead and Paradise Falls, it’s a downhill climb. Extending the hike to 4.35 miles or more by visiting Wildwood Park’s other primary attraction, Lizard Rock, is a nice option to do it.

Most trail intersections in Wildwood Park have signs pointing to Paradise Falls, so finding the waterfall won’t be difficult.

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