Are We Adults Yet?

One of my favorite parts of living in Los Angeles has to be the fact that you can be outside year-round. We are definitely in one of the nicest climates which encourages a lot of al fresco dining, porch lounging, and, most importantly, hiking, whether it’s January or July! Also lucky for us, there are a lot of local hiking trails within the city or very nearby. You’re never more than a 10-15 minute drive from a good hike with great views, and there are myriad to explore all over if you want to add a few minutes to your car time. Here are three of my favorites:

Wisdom Tree in Griffith – A staple in the central/Hollywood area, the Wisdom Tree can actually be accessed from a few different starting points. My favorite is to start at Griffith Observatory and take an ~11 mile roundtrip route out to the tree through the hills, but you can also start in Hollywood or Burbank for a more direct (albeit much steeper!) route between 3 and 4 miles roundtrip. The Wisdom Tree is a great spot for reflection with 360-degree views of the city, though don’t count on it being super serene there on a fair-weather weekend day, it’s for sure a destination for lots of other like-minded Angelenos!
Echo Mountain / Inspiration Point – A favorite of mine to take out-of-towners on, the Echo Mountain hike is about 6 miles round trip with the option to add on the Inspiration Point summit for an additional 4.5 miles there and back. Full of switchbacks, this hike is great for lengthy conversations and delicious packed lunches to have at the ruins of Echo Mountain House and Chalet or at the peak pavilion.
Murphy Ranch in Will Rogers – My favorite west side hike, Murphy Ranch is one of many trails within Will Rogers State Park, none of which have disappointed me thus far (one of which is, confusingly for this post, called Inspiration Point). The trail to Murphy Ranch is a combination of fire road, wide trails, stairs, and single-file brush paths, weaving in and around an abandoned artists’ colony that has since been “reclaimed” by graffiti artists and offers quite the juxtaposition of nature and man-made treasures!