weekend morning hiking club

This summer, a few friends and I have decided to get back to working out outside, so we started a weekend morning hiking club (#wmhc :p) and have spent the last few Sunday mornings hiking two spots that were new to me, but still close to home.

If you have any recommendations for new trails to try, please leave them in the comments! 

Griffith Park / The Old LA Zoo

What I Like About This Hike: 

- Easy parking up the hill from the Griffith Park Carousel

- Not a lot of people, especially once you get past the Old Zoo/picnic area

- A good workout: We went two miles up to a "landing" area at the top of one of the fire roads which had some tough inclines along the way, reminiscent of the not-evil side of Runyon. So the total hike was four miles-ish (we walked in some big circles at the top and bottom to get to that nice number. LOL ;)

- Great views of both the Burbank/Glendale area as you ascend ...

...and the Silver Lake Reservoir and Downtown LA once you get to the top:

What I Don't Like About This Hike: 

- Not much shade at all once you leave the Old Zoo area.

- The Old Zoo is creepy.

Studio City/Fryman Canyon*

(*unofficial name.. the Betty B. Dearing trail in Wilacre Park is the official name.. I think)

What I Like About This Hike: 

- Easy parking either in the pay lot at the corner of Laurel Canyon and Fryman Road OR free in the neighborhoods around Laurel Terrace Dr. 

- Not a ton of people It's a busy trail, but nothing like Runyon.. and while dogs are allowed, this trail doesn't have the eternal odor of dog poo that Runyon has.

- The incline is right at the beginning, so you get your heart rate up first thing and can then chat, chill and enjoy the views the rest of the way.

- Lots of shade so you don't feel like the sun is trying to personally defeat you like I sometimes do after a few hills at Runyon. And the end of the trail dumps you out on a residential cul-de-sac where you can do your cool down on paved, shady streets while admiring lovely houses and picking up new landscaping ideas ;) 

What I Don't Like About This Hike: 

- It's only 3 miles. I love everything else about this hike, so I wish it was longer... although that is about the same length of the Runyon loop on the stairs side. (I don't think I will be fighting the parking and dog poo at Runyon again anytime soon... can you tell? ;)