If you’re in the L.A. area and feeling the need to get outside and get some exercise, we understand.  According to Dr. Barbara Ferrer, director of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, even during a pandemic, hiking is a great way to get exercise. 

With that thought in mind, here are nine spectacular hikes you can take in Los Angeles.

1. Parker Mesa and Los Liones Trail

Beach hikes are a favorite with some hikers.  This specific hike begins in popular Pacific Palisades and finishes in Topanga State Park.  Along the way, you’ll be cutting through verdant hillsides and take in wonderful views of the California coastline.

This hike is more than 7 miles long.  It intercepts the local Los Liones Trail and heads towards the Parker Mesa overlook.  Much of the trail is exposed, so it’s great for a sunny day in February and a little more uncomfortable in the summer months.

Nobody Hikes in LA recommends a five-mile hike through this historic park. The park property includes a route once used by the Chumash and Tongva natives to travel between the Simi and San Fernando Valleys.  It was also later used by both the Spanish and old stagecoaches to travel between L.A. and points north.

The park still holds traces of the Chumash’s grinding basins and even stagecoach wheel ruts visible in the sandstone here.  Other interesting natural features include the rugged cliffs, the rock formations, and a seasonal waterfall.

This is a 10-mile hike to the famous Bridge to Nowhere found in the massive San Gabriel Mountains.  The trail is generally unshaded, so it’s best to start early and to go when it’s not too hot.  This trail is named after a lone span of bridge at the trail’s end.  

The bridge, erected in 1936, was meant to connect the area to a local highway.  Unfortunately, the highway was washed away by a flood in 1938.  Today the bridge remains standing alone.  Unlike some other hikes, this hike involves water crossings.  Stop at the San Gabriel Canyon Gateway Center for permits, maps, and information on water levels, and trail conditions.

Burbank’s Wildwood Canyon offers visitors a 2-mile loop hike that is rated as “easy-to-moderate.”  Here hikers will find a peak perfect for taking in incredible views of L.A.  There’s also a permanent memorial reclining chair where you can catch your breath.  After the hike, you can stop off Wildwood Canyon Road and take advantage of the restrooms, drinking water, and picnic grounds there.  Arrive early though as the park shuts down at sundown.

If you would rather take a shorter trail, Hikespeak reports helpful directions for a route that’s short but steep and ends in Amir’s Garden.  Amir’s Garden was created after a huge fire in Griffith Park in 1971.  Griffith Park is definitely a huge draw, nevertheless, this trail is often sparsely traveled and thus social distancing should not be an issue, even in the actual garden.  It’s a peaceful place and the view can be surprisingly expansive.

Hike the five-mile round-trip trail to Echo Mountain in Altadena and picnic amidst the picturesque ruins.  You’ll start at Lake Avenue, through a large, beautiful gate, and along well-maintained yet steep switchbacks with little shade.  At the top, you’ll find a shaded picnic area and a history exhibit.  

The ruins are what’s left of a resort that once stood here.  You will also see huge pieces of the now dismantled old Mount Lowe Railroad that once transported travelers to this former vacation spot.  Hollar into the old metal echo phone here too.  You’ll hear your voice bounce off the local mountains and right back to you. 

Everyone loves a waterfall.  (We write about them a lot!)  Here in Thousand Oaks’ Wildwood Park, you will find the famous photogenic feature named Paradise Falls.  

It’s only a two-mile hike to the attractive 40-foot-tall falls, but if you’re feeling athletic, you can extend your hike into a 4.5-mile hike by adding a visit to Lizard Rock.  The hike is rated a “moderate” one and features great views of the Stagecoach Bluff area and the neighboring valley. 

The Murphy Ranch is a former compound built in Rustic Canyon by 930s Nazi sympathizers.  It was meant to be a self-contained community for enough people to fill a small town.  Hike this trail and you can see it for yourself.

It’s a flat hike for the most part and is under four miles.  The trail begins just a few miles off the 405.  While there’s a lot of graffiti, the buildings remain generally intact and there are gates and staircases still standing as well.  Plans to demolish the buildings back in 2016 were apparently shelved.  What remains is still surprisingly well-preserved.

If you’d like to hike somewhere with some Hollywood history, head for popular Malibu Creek State Park.  Within this park, you will find former shooting locations for both the classic motion picture South Pacific and the hit 1980s TV show “M*A*S*H.”  While the relatively recent Woolsey fire did a lot of damage to the area, veteran visitors confirm that as this goes to press, you will still see the scorched remains of rusted, old Army Jeeps and a few other signs of filming that once occurred here.  The authorities do request that you not stray from the existing trails on your hikes though because the area is still recovering from the devastation wrought by the wildfire.  

This hike is less than five miles in total and there’s less than a 200-foot increase in elevation.  Keep in mind if you plan on starting your hike at Crags Road it will cost you $12.00 to enter and park there in the lot.  You can park for free close to the trailheads for the Cistern and South Grassland Trails.