Once upon a time, I convinced my mom to accompany me on an “easy”, “brisk” hike. Oops. At least it was cloudy and colder on the day that we went. I can’t imagine hiking Runyon Canyon in the dead heat.
Runyon Canyon is one of those things that every SoCal native has done, but somehow, not me. I was determined to fix that this year, and now I can say that I have conquered the beast. There are two entrances to the hike: N Vista Street or the one we chose on Mulholland Drive. I’m not familiar with the Vista Street area, but we got VERY lucky and found a parking spot right by the northern gate.
You can make the hike as easy or as difficult as you want. I know some people stay on the paved fire road, and others circle the whole thing. It all depends on what you want, and how long you want to be there. We took the West Trail all the way down, and circled back up on the fire road.
Don’t be scared about getting lost! There’s so much traffic on the trail, and most of them are locals. They will happily point you in the right direction.
The benches by the inspirational points offer the perfect spot to sit and think about the doughnuts you’re going to inhale later.
The west trail has a LOT of stairs, steep hills, rocks and slippery slopes. There was one point where I just sat on my butt and slowly slid down. It was a sight to see. The view was worth it though. 😀
“The harder the climb, the better the view.”
If you squint really hard, and tilt your head, you can almost see the Hollywood sign on the hill!
Have you ever hiked Runyon Canyon? What entrance do you prefer?
Park Hours: Sunrise – Sunset
Parking: Free! But keep in mind that the little parking lot fills up FAST, and it gets crazy later in the day. We had barely buckled our seat belts, and a police officer knocked on my window asking when we were leaving. While he was very polite, they take parking spots very seriously. So do yourself a huge favor, and arrive early!
Entrance Fee: None!
Pet Friendly? Yes! Just keep your furry friend on a leash at all times, and don’t forget their water bowls. Penelope has IVDD, and honestly, this hike was probably too much for her. So pay attention to how your pet is feeling, take breaks and carry them for a while if they look uncomfortable.
All my love,
Oh my! I don’t think I would be able to do this! Even tho I want to for the vamazing views it has. I will probably roll on the way down lol. Love the pics girl!
Thank you! 🙂 And I almost rolled down one of the trails. haha So glad I didn’t, but it would’ve made for a funny story!
You and dog are super cute omg ❤️😘
Thank you!!!
Nice pictures😍. I want to go to Los Angeles so bad!
Thank you! And besides the traffic, I think you’d love it! 😀
What an amazing day. We could not have asked for better weather. The company was great too. I would go again and do the big loop without the puppy. It was a lot for my dog. Great hike.
So glad we scored a cloudy day instead of the heat. It would be fun to do it again without my bowling ball of a dog. 😛
I would LOVE this! Florida is too flat! This looks like a fun adventure!
Let’s trade places!!! I’ve always wanted to visit Miami, and see what the hype is about. haha 🙂
That looks amazing! I have some back and neck issues from car wrecks, I don’t think I could do that physically, but I woud love to! The puppy is everything! I love that you had an amazing time!
The view was worth all the struggle! I love that you could make it as easy or hard as you want. We wanted to see everything so we took the steep route. Next time, I’ll be more lazy. 😀 haha
yesss doughnuts after 😍 that seems fun though! I need to get out more lol