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Revving up for Runyon Canyon
August 26, 2010
Photo courtesy of Flickr Creative Commons user blmurch
LOS ANGELES, USA – As the saying goes, it never rains in Southern California. Thing is, it does rain here. Not that we have anything to complain about to the likes of constantly drenched Seattle folk or anything, but there’s definitely a period when Los Angelenos must forego their flip-flops to keep their toesies dry.
When the rains of late winter and early spring finally subside, one of the rewards for me is to get back on the hiking circuit. LA is a different city when you take to the hills–a place of wild chaparral, lush canyons, ocean breezes, and in some places even a waterfall or two. The range of foothills that runs from Griffith Park and Hollywood out to Malibu is crisscrossed with trails that make for a soothing respite from the smog-choked concrete grid below.
But of course, even in the thick of nature here, you can’t escape Hollywood completely. As trails go, Runyon Canyon–which runs from the Hollywood Hills residential area up to Mulholland Drive–is like the red carpet of hiking. Working your way up a variety of steep paths in the area, you’re bound to pass a glowing star or two (because of course stars don’t sweat…they glow). It’s a celeb magnet in part because its right in their backyard; they need only walk out the door of their Hollywood Hills mansion to be at the trailhead. Jason Bateman and Jessica Biel are regular fixtures, and one day Sheryl Crowe ran (yes ran, not hiked–she’s so fit she looks like the Bionic Woman) right past me.
Runyon is not the most picturesque canyon in Hollywood. There aren’t any waterfalls or many wildflowers to speak of, and the main trail is a wide fire road cut unsympathetically out of the hillside, not a twisting adventure through canopies of leaves. Smaller, less-well-traveled trails split off the main road if you want some variety, and directly across the canyon is a rougher, steeper path that puts any Stairmaster to shame.
But it’s a killer workout, and the views at the top of the trail are what make Runyon truly worth the climb. 360 degrees of LA’s most eye-popping highlights stretch out before you: Mt. Baldy to the east, the skyscrapers of downtown at 10 o’clock, the bustle of Hollywood at your feet, and Catalina Island floating on the blue Pacific to the west. I never tire of this perch. No matter how many times I drink in this view, I don’t get desensitized to its beauty.
The only downside (at least for me) is that Runyon can sometimes go to the dogs. It’s a favorite trail for the pampered pooches of Hollywood. While this is great if you want to take along a canine companion, it can be kind of a bummer if you’re not so much of a dog person. They can be an annoyance on the trail, especially when they insist upon sniffing every passerby in sight or get into some pooch-on-pooch action. That’s OK, though. When the rains are done, nothing can rain on my Runyon parade.
Runyon Canyon Park
2000 N. Fuller Ave
Los Angeles, CA
(323) 666-5046
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