Not only are Los Angeles’ mountains beautiful to look at, but they are also great for hiking. In fact, one of my favorite parts about living in Los Angeles is the easy access to hiking trails.

I always pinch myself that I am able to live in a place with such beautiful trails. Los Angeles is home to a few mountain ranges, the two biggest ones being the San Gabriel Mountains and the Santa Monica Mountains. However, there are other smaller ranges such as the Santa Susana Mountains. If you live in LA or plan to travel to LA, hiking in these mountains is a must-do. Many of Los Angeles’ trails have scenic views, and there is a ton of variety in steepness and length of trails within LA’s mountains. Since hiking is one of my all-time favorite things to do in Los Angeles, I am sharing the best LA hikes with you all in this post. Enjoy!

1. Paseo Miramar

Paseo Miramar is probably my favorite hike in Los Angeles because of its amazing views. Located in Pacific Palisades close to Topanga Canyon, the trail has ocean views the whole way. It is about a 5-mile hike. This trail leads you to a stunning viewpoint with a beautiful ocean view. The trail is pretty steep going up (although it has many flat points), but since it is an out-and-back style trail, the walk down is much easier on the legs!

2. Runyon Canyon

You have probably seen people take Instagram pictures in front of the Hollywood Sign and wonder “how do they get there?” The answer- it would most likely be from hiking the Runyon Canyon Trail. This 2.7 loop is super fun and also has great city views. And of course, there is an amazing view of the famous Hollywood Sign.

3. Ferndell Trail to the Hollywood Sign

This hike is also located in the Hollywood Hills. However, this trail takes you right up to the Hollywood Sign (contrary to Runyon Canyon which takes in front of it). However, be ready to sweat it out on this hike, as it is 11.8 miles! It is an out-and-back style trail, not a loop.

4. Temescal Canyon

This 3-mile hike is located in Pacific Palisades and has great ocean views. The surrounding greenery in combination with the amazing ocean view makes for a very enjoyable hike! This hike is perfect for the days when you do not have a ton of time but want to hike a steep, scenic trail.

5. Glendale Peak Trail

This 3.6-mile hike located just above the Griffith Observatory has beautiful city views. This hike is a loop that has a pretty steep incline on the way up to the top making the view from the top extra sweet!

6. Solstice Canyon

Solstice Canyon hike is a 3.2-mile loop trail located in Malibu. The hike has beautiful ocean views and serves as a great workout because of its switchbacks and inclines on the way to the top. There is also a small waterfall located in this middle of this hike.

7. Castro Creek via Backbone Trail

This hike is for those looking for a killer workout! This trail is approximately 10.3 miles long, and it is located in Malibu Creek Park in the Santa Monica Mountains. It is an out-and-back style trail surrounded by super cool rock formations.

8. West Observatory Loop to Griffith Observatory

This 2.5-mile hike is a relatively easy loop that takes you up to the iconic Griffith Observatory. The Griffith Observatory has stunning city views, so making it to the top is very rewarding! You can also see the Hollywood Sign from this hike. You can put “Trails Café” into your GPS to get to starting point of this hike says alltrails.com.

9. Ray Miller Backbone Trail

This trail is located in northern Malibu. It is just over 7 miles long, and it is an out-and-back style hike. However don’t worry, the scenic ocean views will motivate you to crush this difficult hike!

10. Santa Susana Pass

This hike is a bit over 5 miles long, and it is located in Santa Susana State Park, which was once populated by the Tongva and Chumash and was later a route for stagecoaches to travel to LA. This state park trail is located in Chatsworth and has a beautiful view of Simi Valley. The hike is also surrounded by beautiful geography, such as cool rocks and cliffs.

11. Echo Mountain via Sam Merrill Trail

This 5.5-mile hike has awesome city views of LA, and it is an out-and-back style trail. The hike is located in Altadena in the Angeles National Forest. Experts recommend to hike this trail early for shade!

(Information regarding exact lengths and images credit to alltrails.com)