Best hikes in LA: Get outdoors and view the city from the hills

In a city where open space is sparse and the sprawl can feel endelss, climb up to escape from it all. These five hikes provide a great experience and unmatched views that really put Los Angeles in perspective. Whether you're more cityscape gawker or ocean gazer, we've got the trek for you, in this list of the best hikes in LA—with views.

Hollywood | Los Feliz | Malibu | Culver City | Altadena

Runyon Canyon, Hollywood

An exerciser’s paradise in the Hollywood Hills, Runyon’s the spot for views of the toned bodies and even tonier homes endemic to this part of LA. The packed dirt path leads hikers, runners, yoga enthusiasts and roving weightlifters on a loop around the canyon, guaranteeing countless moments to pause and utter “This is so LA”—particularly during the after-work rush hour, when people-watching reaches its frenzied peak. Look out for tatted-up porn-star bodies sprinting bare-chested through the hills. Make eyes with middle-aged gay couples, chiseled and waxed. And clear the path for at least one dog walker, clogging the trail with a pack of purebreds.

You can catch the loop from either the east (Fuller Avenue) or West (North Vista Street) side of the canyon. Either way, it’s a mostly gradual ascent, except for a treacherously steep and narrow section near the top of the eastern canyon wall. At the top, the trail plateaus along a ridge, giving views of the architectural hodgepodge of the Hollywood Hills—solar panels, pools and decks on stilts—downtown Hollywood and the Capitol Records building, the manicured tidiness of WeHo’s grid, and the tangle of high-rises along Miracle Mile.