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Marlena Steiner

Travel & adventure photographer in love with the great outdoors! Check out my blog for more photographs and adventures: http://www.marlenapearlphotography.com

The canals are one of my favorite LA spots. There are usually very few people (if at all) there and it can be such a wonderful stroll amidst a crazy city. It feels like a little escape! Great place to stroll on a date, or grab some lunch and enjoy the view while you eat!

Runyon Canyon is an LA staple. You have to do it at least once. The views are some of the best in the city and not to be missed. But if you don't like hiking with tons of people around, you might want to do this once just to say you did, and then check out some other less-trafficked local hikes.

After nearly a decade of living in Los Angeles, I finally did this hike recently. It's a pretty short hike, but can easily be combined with a hike across the ridge to the Hollywood Sign if you want. There's no shade (of course, it's LA!) and the elevation rapidly increases, but the views at the top are well worth it. Plus the tree is super photogenic. It can get crowded on the weekends and the trail is not very wide, but don't let that stop you from going!

If you're looking for a super easy and short hike with a neat payoff, then this is the place for you. The caves are a bit spooky, especially if you're exploring by yourself!

If you're not one for crowds, you probably won't want to bother with this hike. Parking is usually pretty easy on Jefferson Blvd, there's bathrooms at the pavilion at the top of the hill, and it's well located within the city... so 5 stars for all of that. The 3 stars is because there are always tons of people climbing the stairs - you constantly have to wait for people to pass, avoid children or people casually strolling (if you're doing a workout or a hike), and the stairs are relatively short. You can be at the top pretty quickly. It's definitely a great workout if you want to go up and down several times, but you'll definitely be dodging people on your way.