Runyon Canyon

An exerciser’s paradise in the Hollywood Hills, Runyon’s the spot for views of the toned bodies and even tonier homes endemic to this part of L.A. The packed dirt path leads hikers, runners, yoga enthusiasts and roving weightlifters on a loop around the canyon, guaranteeing countless moments to pause and utter “This is so L.A.”—particularly during the after-work rush hour, when people-watching reaches its frenzied peak.

You can catch the loop from either the east (Fuller Avenue) or west (North Vista Street) side of the canyon. Either way, it’s a mostly gradual ascent, except for a treacherously steep and narrow section near the top of the eastern canyon wall. At the top, the trail plateaus along a ridge, giving views of the architectural hodgepodge of the Hollywood Hills—solar panels, pools and decks on stilts—downtown Hollywood and the Capitol Records building, the manicured tidiness of WeHo’s grid, and the tangle of high-rises along Miracle Mile.

The southern entrance is at the end of Fuller Avenue in Hollywood; the northern 'cheat' and take a shorter hike using the entrance off the 7300 block of Mulholland Drive.