HIKING IN LOS ANGELES

Unlike what most of us think, hiking in LA is not limited to the Santa Monica and San Gabriel Mountains or Griffith Park. Almost every neighborhood has its own ‘trail’. Get a copy of the spectacular book  ‘The Hidden Staircases of Los Angeles’ and you’ll know what I mean and you could literally spend the next several years walking on these historic and forgotten stairs that crisscross the city and are filled with stories of a bygone era.

Last weekend we hiked in the beautiful and peaceful ‘Ernest Debs Regional Park’ which is just a few miles north of the hustle and bustle of downtown LA, but a world away from the concrete skyscrapers. Exit on Via Marisol off the I-110 and park at Hermon Park, and walk on the well-marked trails (no chance of getting lost here) to the top of the hill, past a pagoda, to a small lake with ducks and killer views of downtown.

The roundtrip hike is about 3.5 miles and should take about an hour. The day we went was cool but hazy and so I could not take a good picture of downtown. But here is a picture of the lake named: ‘Peanut Lake’.