Active Things To Do in Los Angeles

Los Angeles is immediately next to the Santa Monica, Santa Gabriel, & Verdugo Mountains. Accordingly, there are great walks & great hikes everywhere: near Pasadena and farther east, in the large hilly city parks, and also near the Pacific Ocean.

Inside the city, Griffith Park is a great place to take a hike or a hilly bike ride. The walk via park access roads to a viewpoint above the Hollywood sign is a local favorite; the trick is negotiating the twisty roads to find a suitable parking spot in the hillside neighborhoods above Beachwood Canyon. (If you have all day you can hoof it up here from a lower Griffith Park entrance, like Bronson Canyon).

Another popular Hollywood hike is Runyon Canyon. The walks here tend to be short and steep ones; half the fun here is people watching as this place is a real workout hot-spot.

There are a number of large gardens in the Los Angeles Basin that make great walking destinations. The Los Angeles County Arboretum is one; Huntington Gardens and the Descanso Gardens are also notable. Others as well are listed on this L.A. garden guide.

The bike path by the ocean is a classic active destination where you will find many bikers, joggers and rollerbladers. The crowds do make for slower going at the Venice Beach Ocean Front Walk; the bike path goes south from Santa Monica all the way to Palos Verdes.

Griffith Park

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4730 Crystal Springs Drive
Hollywood; entrances are along Los Feliz Blvd., at Riverside Dr., Vermont Ave., and Western Ave

Tons of Activities...
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Runyon Canyon

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2000 North Fuller

Amazing views and natural beauty in the heart of Hollywood...
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Solstice Canyon

Solitude and serenity attract people here...
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Franklin Canyon Site

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Island of open space, surrounded by city...
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Brand Park

1601 W. Mountain Street

Great hiking and the historic Brand Library...
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Angeles National Forest

Off the Angeles Crest Highway

Almost 700,000 Acres...
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Venice Beach's Ocean Front Walk

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Great people watching, funky stores, and the beach!...
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The Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden

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301 N. Baldwin Ave
Arcadia

Flower Power...
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Baldy Notch to Mt. San Antonio Trail

Baldy Notch to Mt. San Antonio Trail brings you to the top of the crown jewel of the San Gabriel Mountains, majestic Mt. San Antonio (10,064 ft. elevation) towers over all other peaks in the range...
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Los Angeles Conservancy

523 West 6th Street
Suite 826

Architectural walking tours...
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