Ringed by the scrubby Santa Monica Hills to the north, the majestic San Bernadino Mountains to the east, the rugged cliffs of the Palos Verdes Peninsula to the south and the Pacific Ocean on the west, Los Angeles is topographically one of the most fascinating places in the country. Blessed with a mild climate and temperate weather, outdoor activities abound in L.A., with hiking being one of the favorites. Indeed, there are a plethora of hiking trails in and around the city, with some of the best providing incredible views of the rolling blue Pacific Ocean.
Trail Combos
- Northwest of Los Angeles, in central Malibu, are the Solstice Canyon Trail and the Rising Star Trail. When combined, they make an easy-to-moderate hike into the foothills that ends with a panoramic view of the Pacific. The hike involves a three-mile round-trip trek down the shaded Solstice Canyon Trail to a place called the Tropical Terrace. Here you'll find the foundations of a house built by renowned architect Paul Williams, as well as a waterfall that tumbles into a rocky pool and a statue of the Virgin Mary. The trail then joins with the hillside switchbacks of the Rising Star Trail to take you to the top of a hill for a stunning ocean view. Take note, however, that unlike the first part of the hike, the switchbacks aren’t shaded. To get there, take the Pacific Coast Highway to Solstice Canyon Road and find the Corral Canyon Road trailhead.
The Shoreline Hike
- Great ocean views are part and parcel of the Marvin Braude Bike Path, also known as the Boardwalk or the Strand. This 20-mile-long concrete path runs through the beaches, stretching from Will Rogers State Park to the north of Santa Monica to Torrance Beach at the base of the Palos Verdes Peninsula. The good thing about a hike along the bike path is that you can join it almost anywhere and be assured of a place to park prior to setting off. The only part of it that can get a little confusing is the short section that runs around the pleasure craft harbor at Marina Del Rey. While the terrain is flat and the hike is easy, pedestrians have to share the path with bicyclists, skaters and skateboarders for a good part of the way.
The Shipwreck Trail
- At the southwest edge of the Los Angeles basin is the Palos Verdes Penisula, a series of low hills ending in rugged cliffs and rocky beaches. Some very fine hiking trails can be found here, such as the Seascape Trail, a 1.5-mile hike along the edge of the cliffs that takes you from Palos Verdes Drive South to the Point Vicente Interpretive Center. But the most interesting hike is the 4-mile round-trip down a 100-foot descending trail that ends up at the wreck of the Dominator, a Greek freighter that ran aground on the reef at Rocky Point in 1961. The journey will take you down a poorly maintained path littered with small- to medium-sized stones to the beach, where the rusted remains of the ship are strewn on the rocks. To find the trailhead, drive south on Palos Verdes Drive to PV Drive West, turn right onto Via Corta, right again onto Via Arroyo and left on Paseo Del Mar. The dirt road at Via Horcada leads to the beach.
Trek with a Bi-Coastal View
- The most difficult -- but perhaps most rewarding -- hike in the area is the 11.75-mile trek over the ridges situated above the town of Avalon on Santa Catalina Island. The trail begins just outside of town at Hermit Gulch Campground, where the steep 1.7-mile Hermit Gulch Trail takes hikers 1,200 feet up to the Trans-Catalina Trail. This trail gradually ascends another 400 feet, reaching stunning views of dual coasts -- Catalina's coastline as well as mainland California's -- from a 1,600-foot perch set high above the island. The trail becomes Renton Mine Road before descending past Wrigley Road to Pebbly Beach Road at Sea Level and then continues past Lover’s Cove and back into Avalon. The island -- located about 26 miles across the water from Los Angeles -- is accessible from the mainland by both boats and helicopters that leave from the Port of Los Angeles and Long Beach on a regular basis.
