Author: motsmike

Mari Copeny, aka Little Miss Flint, has spent most of her childhood fighting for clean water, first with Flint when the city changed water sources, and onward towards other communities. First with water bottles and realizing the plastic pollution issue, moving towards water filters. Her 17th birthday was coming up and I wanted to do something to celebrate that for her.

Continue reading “Flint Canyon Trail”

Let me start by pointing out that is no ordinary set of stairs. And while there are other challenging stairs around the greater LA area, these present their own unique challenge. These are carved out of stone from the mountain and are not the same level of step up from one step to another. The steep incline doesn’t help either, which is why these stairs come with wire ropes on both sides to aid you on the way up and even on the way back down.

My first attempt at the Culver City stairs took place on July 4th, 2024 and took an entire 10 minutes to climb my way to the top, with needing to use the available wire ropes about half the way up. There of course were a few reasons for this: I had my backpack on me so as to add weight to add to the difficulty up and because this is a popular spot and was rather busy the day and time I went. That led to frequent stopping and waiting for slower climbers in front of me. I made it about half way up and nearly gave up and headed back down. Thankfully I pushed through the fatigue and reached the top. And the scenic views from the top of the stairs made the climb worth it.

An Alternative Path

If you wish to see the view from the top and the stairs are too challenging or you simply wish to not take the stairs, you can alternatively take the path near the stairs which winds up and bisects each landing area of the stairs. While that’s a little extra walking, this winding path also serves as an alternative for coming back down from the top as well.

The Park to Playa Trail is a 10.9 mile hike which begins near the Baldwin Hills in Culver City through a nearby park and down a bike path heading towards Ballona Creek Wetlands located near Marina Del Rey. While the hike is rated as easy, it is still of enough length in my opinion to ensure that it should not be done as a beginner hike, at least not if attempting to take the entire journey. However, you could break it down and do the Culver City portion as a beginner hike, but be sure to bring enough water and a light snack if desired.

My first attempt at this happened July 01, 2024 and included the Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook, passed the Stoneview Nature Center around the top of the uphill climb, down the trail and across the bridge into the Kenneth Hahn State Recreation Area. I visited the area to go up to the scenic overlook, as well as to have a look at a waterfall.

Take Metro to the Trails

If you don’t drive and wish to hit up the trails here, you can take the Metro E line from Downtown LA to the La Cienega / Jefferson stop and walk up to Obama Blvd, hang a left and walk up Obama which turns into Jefferson. The entrance to the Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook is on the left, along with an option to test your stamina at the Culver City Stairs.

Continue reading “Park to Playa Trail”

The Runyon Canyon Park contains several hiking trails, including a paved fire road option. For more information about Runyon Canyon, visit https://www.laparks.org/runyon/

Take the Metro

Coming from Downtown LA, grab the North Hollywood B Line train towards North Hollywood and get off at the Hollywood / Highland Station, heading upstairs to the street. Due to the typical busyness of Hollywood Boulevard, I head west from Franklin Ave, one block north of Hollywood Blvd. From the station head left to the corner of Highland and turn left, walking one block to Franklin Ave. Cross at Franklin Ave and turn left down Franklin Ave towards North Fuller Ave. You will walk past the Magic Castle on Orchid Ave. Turn right at Fuller Avenue and head up the hill to the entrance of Runyon Canyon Park at 2000 North Fuller Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90046

Limited Street Parking

There is limited street parking on both sides of the street. Be mindful to not park across drive ways or anywhere the curb is painted red.

Note: There is a small bike rack near the entrance and another smaller bike rack near the beginning of the trail inside the park. Several porta potties are near the start of the trail inside the park, along with a water fountain, which includes a dog water dispenser. There is even a bottle fill option.

Park Hours and Amenities

Park hours are Sunrise to Sunset. Dogs are to be leashed at the beginning, but there are off leash allowed areas along the path. No bikes or smoking is allowed on the trail.

There are trash cans along the way, as well as water fountains, but restrooms in the form of porta potties are only available near the start of the hike on the east side trail. And there are a few picnic tables near the start of the actual East trail, which is a good spot for something light to eat before you hike up. Sitting in the picnic area you can hear the birds, which is awesome. [Insert bird chirping audio here]

East Trail

The east trail is the main one used, with the West trail being closed at the time of this post. While the first little bit of the East path is paved, is does eventually becomes unpaved.

After a nice bit of upward climb at a nice incline you hit a spot which meets up with the fire road, And then it’s paved from there to the end. At the top of the East Trail, if you wish to return back down the fire round, turn around at the top gate.

There are some really nice opportunities along the path to stop at scenic spots and grab photos. Unfortunately it seems every time I take the trail it’s overcast, so you end up with overcast photos.

Fire Road Trail

There is a fire road running the length of the Runyon Canyon Park and you will use it on the upper bit of the trail. It is accessible from the Runyon Canyon Road Park Entrance, or you can cross over to it from the Fuller Ave Entrance shortly after entering the park.

West Trail

At the time of this post, the west trail is closed with a fence placed over the lower entrance. You can check the status of the trails and get more information about the park at https://www.laparks.org/runyon/