Hiking Trails Within 3 Hours of Los Angeles

Solstice Canyon Trail

The gentlest real hike on this list: a wide, nearly level path up a shaded Malibu canyon beside a running creek, ending at the burned-out shell of the Roberts Ranch House, a 1952 home by architect Paul Revere Williams. The trail guide says it is flat enough to walk in flip-flops, which makes it the one to pick with small kids or visiting relatives. There is a small waterfall behind the ruins when the creek is up, and shade from sycamores and oaks for most of the way. The National Park Service lists the site as open, and parking is free.

Sandstone Peak via Mishe Mokwa Trail

At 3,111 feet this is the high point of the Santa Monica Mountains, and the loop out of Circle X Ranch is the classic way up it: out along Mishe Mokwa past the Echo Cliffs and a balancing rock, back down the Backbone Trail. The summit gives you the whole range plus the ocean and, on clear days, the Channel Islands. It is a real climb but never technical, and there is a shaded picnic area at Split Rock roughly halfway. Shade is otherwise scarce, so it is a poor choice on a hot afternoon.

Parker Mesa Overlook via East Topanga Fire Road

A steady fire-road climb out of Pacific Palisades to a bare mesa with the coastline laid out from Palos Verdes to Malibu, which is why people time it for sunset. There is no shade and no water, so it is an early-morning or late-afternoon hike rather than a midday one. California State Parks reopened most of Topanga State Park in June 2026 after the Palisades Fire, and this route is not among the trails still closed. Dogs are not allowed anywhere in the park, which rules it out for a lot of LA hikers.

Escondido Falls

The tallest waterfall in the Santa Monica Mountains, reached by an odd but easy walk: three quarters of a mile up a paved private road past Malibu mansions, then a mile of creek crossings through oak and sycamore to the base of the lower tier. The Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy describes the falls as multi-tiered and 150 feet high; the 50-foot lower tier is the part the public trail reaches, since the upper falls sit on private land and the scramble up to them is steep and rope-assisted. Go after winter rain, because it can be a trickle by late summer. You cannot drive into the park itself, so everyone parks in the lot at Winding Way and PCH.

Sturtevant Falls via Gabrielino Trail

The best-loved waterfall walk in the front range, dropping from Chantry Flats down a shaded canyon past the century-old cabins of Roberts Camp to a 50-foot fall in Santa Anita Canyon. The first six tenths of a mile is steep pavement, which means the climb comes at the end when you are tired. It is popular enough that parking at Chantry Flats fills early on weekends, and it sits far enough west to be outside the Eaton Fire closure that shut the Altadena trails. An Adventure Pass is required to leave a car at the trailhead.

Mount Baldy Loop (Mount San Antonio)

The biggest day hike close to Los Angeles and the one Southern California hikers treat as a rite of passage: 10,064 feet, the highest point in the San Gabriels, with the whole basin below you on a clear morning. The standard loop climbs the Ski Hut trail through Baldy Bowl and comes down the exposed knife-edge of Devil's Backbone, so you get both classic routes in one day. The trail guide calls it strenuous and warns that winter conditions up there are genuinely dangerous, with ice and snow well into spring. Start at first light: this is a seven-hour day and afternoon thunderstorms are common in summer.

Mount Baden-Powell Trail

Forty switchbacks up a well-graded stretch of the Pacific Crest Trail from Vincent Gap to a 9,399-foot summit with a monument to the founder of the Scout movement. Near the top the trail passes the Wally Waldron Tree, a limber pine estimated at 1,500 years old, and the view splits between the San Gabriel Valley on one side and the Mojave on the other. It is a long climb but a forgiving one: the grade is steady and shade from pines lasts much of the way up. The trailhead is a turnout on Angeles Crest Highway roughly 50 miles from La Canada Flintridge, and the highway can close in winter.

Bridge to Nowhere via East Fork Trail

A ten-mile walk up the East Fork of the San Gabriel River to a 1936 arch bridge that leads nowhere: the flood of 1938 washed out the road it was built to carry, and the bridge was simply left standing in the canyon. The route fords the river several times, so expect wet feet and swimming holes rather than a dry trail, and the path is faint in places where it crosses the rocky riverbed. The elevation gain is modest for the distance but the river crossings make it slow, and the trail guide suggests budgeting at least six hours. You need a free wilderness permit for Sheep Mountain Wilderness on top of the parking pass.

Vasquez Rocks Pacific Crest Trail Loop

Tilted sandstone slabs jutting out of the desert floor at 45 degrees, about an hour north of the city and instantly familiar from Star Trek, Blazing Saddles and a long list of other productions. The loop links a stretch of the Pacific Crest Trail with the park's Foot Trail, and the walking itself is easy and mostly flat; the appeal is scrambling around the Famous Rocks formation afterwards, which children tend to do for as long as you let them. There is almost no shade and it bakes in summer, so this is a cool-season or early-morning outing. Entry and parking at the Los Angeles County park are free.

Mugu Peak via La Jolla Canyon

A 1,266-foot peak at the far western end of the Santa Monica Mountains that drops almost straight into the Pacific, with 360-degree views taking in Mugu Lagoon, the green ridges of La Jolla Valley and the Channel Islands on the horizon. It is a steep, sun-exposed climb with a seasonal cascade in the canyon on the way up. One caution: the trail guide notes that La Jolla Canyon Trail, the approach described here, was damaged in the winters of 2015 and 2017 and posted as closed, so check with the park before you go. A shorter and steeper alternative starts up Chumash Trail from a separate PCH trailhead.

Ryan Mountain Trail

The best short climb in Joshua Tree: a mile and a half of stone steps up a sun-exposed slope to a 5,457-foot crown in the middle of the park, from which you can see the whole jumble of granite piles and Joshua tree forest spread out below. It is the shortest way in this table to earn a genuine summit, and the trail is well built and easy to follow. There is no shade at all, which makes it dangerous in summer heat and lovely from October to April. Joshua Tree charges a park entrance fee at the gate, and dogs are not allowed on park trails.

Inspiration Point via Tunnel Trail

Santa Barbara's signature front-country hike, climbing out of Mission Canyon to a perch about 1,800 feet above the coast with the city, the harbour and the Channel Islands laid out below. The first stretch is paved and unpromising, then the trail turns to dirt and weaves up past the sandstone Mission Crags. It pairs well with a day in Santa Barbara, which is the real reason to drive this far, and parking along Tunnel Road is free but tight on weekends. The Forest Service currently has the back side of Tunnel Trail closed for storm-damage repair, which does not affect the climb to Inspiration Point itself.

Mount San Jacinto Peak via Marion Mountain Trail

The hardest hike in this table and the only one that reaches above 10,000 feet without a tramway: 10,834 feet, the second highest peak in Southern California, up the shortest tram-free route from near Idyllwild. It climbs steadily through pine and granite into the San Jacinto Wilderness, and the summit panorama is the kind people describe as unbeatable. Treat it as an all-day outing with an early start, and be ready for thin air and afternoon weather. You need a wilderness permit to enter the state park wilderness, though Marion Mountain has no hiker quota and parking at the trailhead is free.

Icehouse Canyon to Icehouse Saddle

The shadiest hike on this list, following a clear creek up a canyon of oaks, sycamores and old stone cabin foundations before climbing to a 7,500-foot saddle with views west across the San Gabriels. It is a real 2,600-foot climb, but the creek and the tree cover make it far more pleasant than the exposed peaks nearby, and the saddle is a junction for several summits if you want more. The upper section holds snow late into spring and the trail guide warns about a slippery stretch hikers call the waterfall. Both an Adventure Pass and a free Cucamonga Wilderness permit are required.

Switzer Falls via Bear Canyon Trail

Probably the best known waterfall hike in Los Angeles County, and an upside-down one: you descend 650 feet from the picnic area at the trailhead along a shaded creek, then climb back out at the end. The route passes the ruins of a 1930s resort camp and there are wild blackberries along the creek in summer. The picnic area at the start is a destination in its own right and gets crowded on weekends, so arrive early. The falls run best in late winter and spring; in a dry year they can be disappointing.

Hidden Valley Nature Trail

A one-mile loop through a bowl of desert ringed by boulders, entered through a gap in the rock walls, with interpretive signs identifying the plants and animals along the way. It is the easiest walk in this table and the standard first stop for anyone new to Joshua Tree, including families with young children. The real draw is off the trail: the surrounding walls are famous bouldering, and most visitors spend longer scrambling than walking. Pair it with Ryan Mountain a few minutes down Park Boulevard for a full day in the park on one entrance fee.

Trail Canyon Falls

The waterfall hike for the western San Gabriels, a part of the range with far fewer trails than the Pasadena side. The route follows Golden Creek up a canyon shaded with alders and sycamores, crosses the stream several times, then climbs the canyon wall to a granite landing above a 30-foot fall. The 2009 Station Fire burned this area, which thinned the brush and opened up the view of the waterfall from the trail. It is close to the city, free to park, and dog friendly, but it depends on winter rain: come in spring rather than autumn.