The 7 Best Hikes in Los Angeles, According to a Local

It never fails to amaze me—on clear days I can turn a corner on Venice Boulevard, near where I live, and see mountains rising above the sprawling skyline of Los Angeles, California. The city is known for many things—celebrity sightings, movie studios, traffic-choked freeways, avocado toast—but it doesn’t have a reputation as a great outdoors city. That’s too bad, because just beyond the strip malls and parking lots is something special: real, honest-to-God wilderness, and it's laden with hiking trails.

The best way to find wilderness in L.A. is to head to the mountains; the city is surrounded by them. The Santa Monica Mountains rise dramatically above Malibu and stretch for miles along the coast. Within the city limits, they reach all the way into the hills of Griffith Park, one of the largest urban parks in North America. To the east, within the 700,000-acre Angeles National Forest, the San Gabriels soar thousands of feet above the city, and they’re filled with nature preserves, chaparral-studded canyons, serene pine forests, waterfalls, wildflowers, and after a big winter storm, deep powder. And those are just the biggest peaks.

Since moving here a few years ago, I’ve found that hiking is a great way to explore these beautiful places year-round. Below, I’ve rounded up a sampler of some of the best hikes to get you acquainted with the wilder side of L.A. (Casey Schreiner’s book Day Hiking Los Angeles is another great resource if you want to go deeper.)

Grab your hiking boots, fill up your water bottle, and get out there. And remember folks, Leave No Trace means cleaning up after yourself and your pooch.

Griffith Park: Mount Hollywood Trail

Distance: 5.3 miles
Elevation Gain: 1,250 ft
Difficulty: Moderate
Route Type: Loop
Dogs Allowed: YES, on leash

Griffith Park covers over 4,200 acres east of the Hollywood Hills, includes a 53-mile network of trails and fire roads, and is a refuge for all kinds of wildlife, including a resident mountain lion named P-22. And yes, it's also home to the famous Hollywood sign (and the fabled Wisdom Tree). There are lots of hikes in the park, which makes it great for short jaunts, but for the best views, try going up to Mount Hollywood. You can string together a few different trails to pass by the iconic Griffith Observatory, an Art Deco landmark within the park, before topping out at Mt. Hollywood’s 1,620-foot summit, which offers panoramic views of the Hollywood hills and the Los Angeles Basin.

Parker Mesa Overlook

Distance: 5.4 miles
Elevation Gain: 1,200 ft
Difficulty: Moderate/Difficult
Route Type: Out-and-back
Dogs Allowed: No

For stellar Pacific views without leaving city limits, Parker Mesa's scenic overlook in Topanga State Park is hard to beat. Trail access starts in Castellammare just off Sunset Boulevard and near the famous Getty Villa, but it doesn't take long before fire roads and chaparral dominate your surroundings. This one is a mostly uphill journey, so come prepared for the climb with plenty of water, but the great views are well worth the elevation gain. Plus, this trail tends to be less crowded than other easy-access hikes in the city like Runyon Canyon. Still, parking can be tricky on weekends, though it tends to be more reliable at the Los Liones Trail compared to the Paseo Miramar Trailhead. It's a solid option for trail running, too.

Sandstone Peak: Mishe Mokwa Trail to Backbone Trail

Distance: 5.7 miles
Elevation Gain: 1,312 ft
Difficulty: Moderate
Route Type: Loop
Dogs Allowed: YES, on leash

At just over 3,100 feet, Sandstone Peak is the highest point in the Santa Monica Mountains. The best way to bag this peak is to include it as part of a six-mile loop trail. Start out at the Mishe Mokwa trailhead, which descends into Carlisle Canyon. Keep an eye out for rock climbers scaling the opposite canyon wall and look for Balanced Rock, a precarious rock formation perched high above the canyon bottom. Stop and rest at a shady riparian area at the head of the canyon before you hop onto the Backbone Trail (a 67-mile-long path along the spine of the Santa Monicas that’s also worth exploring). From there, hike to the top of Sandstone Peak, which offers commanding views of the Pacific Ocean, the Channel Islands, and the surrounding coastal peaks.

Cooper Canyon Falls: Burkhart Trail

Distance: 4.6 miles
Elevation Gain: 1,013 ft
Difficulty: Moderate
Route Type: Out-and-back
Dogs Allowed: YES, on leah

This waterfall is located deep within the Angeles National Forest, which covers a massive swath of mountainous terrain to the north and east of downtown L.A. This out-and-back hike in the San Gabriel Mountains takes you through a mixed pine forest and down into a canyon before ending at a small but picturesque waterfall. The final descent below the falls is very steep and sketchy, but worth it—you can sit beside a crystal clear pool of water and dip your feet in to cool off.

Trail Canyon Falls

Distance: 4.5 miles
Elevation Gain: 990 ft
Difficulty: Moderate/challenging
Route Type: Out-and-back
Dogs Allowed: YES, on leash

A less popular hike along the front range of the San Gabriels, Trail Canyon is a great pick for avoiding crowds. It’s an out-and-back hike that meanders up the appropriately named Trail Canyon and offers amazing views of the jagged canyon walls, which soar hundreds of feet into the air from the bottom of the valley. If the creek is running (your best bet is in the winter or spring, after rain), this trail will take you past a waterfall, too. Access this hidden gem via the Trail Canyon Trailhead just outside of Tujunga.

Upper Canyonback Trail

Distance: 3 miles
Elevation Gain: 456 ft
Difficulty: Easy
Route Type: Out-and-Back
Dogs Allowed: YES

Upper Canyonback is an ideal dog-friendly hiking spot for Angelenos since it’s an off-leash permitted hike. Located just north of Santa Monica and east of Topanga State Park, it's also easy to get to. The trail itself is a mellow fire road that follows the top of a ridge running down toward the Pacific Ocean. It’s especially beautiful in the spring, when the hills turn a verdant green, and on clear days, you can see Santa Monica Bay, the skyscrapers of downtown L.A., the hills of Palos Verdes, and even Catalina Island. Just make sure you pick up after your dog and keep an eye on them—there are coyotes out here.

Mt. Baldy: Devil's Backbone to Baldy Bowl Loop

Distance: 11 miles
Elevation Gain: 3,943 ft
Difficulty: Hard
Route Type: Loop
Dogs Allowed: YES

Mt. San Antonio, better known as Mt. Baldy, is the snow-capped peak in the Angeles National Forest that looms above the skyline in postcard views of downtown Los Angeles. At 10,060 feet, it’s the tallest peak in the San Gabriel Mountains and the highest point in all of L.A. County. Getting to the top requires plenty of stamina; the 11-mile hike includes switchbacks and will take you above the treeline and into true alpine conditions (in the winter, climbers go at it with crampons and ice axes)—total elevation gain nears 4,000 feet. But it’s a great hike for more experienced hikers, and the views are Oscar-worthy.