Fresh air, exercise and recreation...all for a good cause: on Saturday and Sunday from 7am to 4pm, Orange County's parks are giving free parking to anyone who brings a can of food. This is a great opportunity for Orange County residents to get out and explore some of the natural areas just beyond the suburbs. Non-O.C. natives might also take this chance to come down and get a look at the huge variety of scenery in these parks. more ›

It’s easy to feel as if you’ve seen it all when you live in Los Angeles. After all, Angelenos have access to the some of the best entertainment, restaurants and recreation on the planet. But there are a few places in Southern California that can still surprise and delight, if you know where to find them. Case in point: Oak Glen. more ›

How about a trip to Aspen this weekend? Even better, you don't have to get on the plane or pack your skis or fight your way through the crowds at an overpriced hotel.In the San Gorgonio Wilderness, near Big Bear Lake, a rare grove of quaking aspens provides spectacular colors in October. It's unusual to see the trees this far south, but with a long drive and a short hike, residents of the L.A. area can do just that. more ›

Heavy rainfall may have been the culprit in the death of an 11-year-old girl who was killed yesterday after being struck by a boulder during a hike in San Bernardino, reports ABC News. The girl, whose name hasn't been released, was hit on the head by the falling rock while hiking near a waterfall at Forest Falls. She was pronounced dead at the scene. more ›

There’s an opening reception tonight for Measure for Measure, an exhibit curated by Harvard physicist Dr. Lisa Randall and artist Lia Halloran. This exhibit aims to show “how we reinvigorate our thoughts and expand our perceptions when recognizable objects and spaces in architecture and nature are viewed in from different vantage points or are shifted in scale.” See new and experimental works by artists Zig Gron, Katrina McElroy, Felicity Nove, Barbara Parmet, Susan Sironi, Elizabeth Tobias and Meeson Pae Yang. Runs through Oct. 8 at Gallery 825 on La Cienega, with the reception from 6-9 pm. Free. more ›

There’s a closing performance tonight at 8 pm for artist Will Lemon III’s exhibit Parcival Versus The Sun at the Eighth Veil gallery. Using pop culture and religious history, the body of work examines Parcival’s famed quest for the Holy Grail. “Lemon creates an elaborate setting in which the re-contextualized Parcival journeys with his audience through both physical and visceral spheres of sight, sound, and smell.” more ›

If the idea of getting out in nature is appealing, but the summer sun a deterrent, there's a walk in Griffith Park you might find a pleasant way to take a walk and escape the heat. more ›

Eaton Canyon can sometimes feel like the Runyon Canyon of the San Gabriel Valley (read: popular, busy). And if you go on a weekend Summer afternoon, you definitely won't be alone. But there's a reason for that as Eaton is one of those relatively easy hikes that any avid hiker in Southern California should do at least once and knock it off their to-hike list. more ›

Day one of The Big Parade has gone and past, but there's still a lot more ground to cover. The two-day 35-mile urban hike that began Saturday morning in downtown (and pausing last night with camping in Silver Lake) will today go from the Music Box Stairs in Silver Lake at 8 a.m. to the Hollywood Sign. That's a 17.6 miles journey over some 50 public staircases. Whew! more ›

Take a beautiful day after a rainy season to visit a local waterfall and you won't be disappointed. Of the six waterfalls in the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, Escondido Falls ("Hidden Falls") comes in at the tallest. Spanning 150 feet over multiple tiers, visiting this waterfall adds to the magic of living in the Los Angeles area. more ›

Lots of Angelenos like to hike. Here at LAist, hiking seems pretty popular too. We've covered hikes in Franklin Canyon, Limekiln Canyon, Malibu, and of course, Griffith Park, among others. more ›

Councilman Tom LaBonge hikes Griffith Park daily, inviting the community to come out in large numbers with him at each change of season. But instead of a Winter Solstice hike, he leads an annual New Year's Eve hike. The two hour hike begins at 4 p.m. in the north end of the Griffith Observatory parking. The gentle incline hike to Mount Hollywood at 1,625 feet above sea level will reveal some nice views of city with lighting provided by the last sunset and full moon of 2009. more ›

Getting a shot from this vantage point is pretty rare. That's because in recent years, the Hollywood Sign has become more highly guarded than ever before, which means casual explorers, hiking enthusiasts, tormented would-be starlets, pranksters, and enemies of the state are kept at bay from the 86-year-old icon on the hillside. more ›

Tucked at the southern end of the Franklin Canyon on a dead-end road is Franklin Ranch, home to picnicking area, a small bench area for outdoor classes and a nice 2.3-mile loop trail known as the Hastain Trail. more ›

On Saturday, Los Angeles-based pet products company Dogswell was one of the sponsors behind the Homeward Hound Hike, a benefit event held in Griffith Park to raise money for Friends of Animals. The organization is a no-kill dog and cat shelter that has been around since 1983. They are a volunteer-only group who rely on private donations for support, and who focus on helping as many animals as they possibly can. At the event were dog enthusiasts and hikers, as well as their furry four-legged friends, including several available for adoption. Although you may have missed out on the hike, you can still help Friends of the Animals; make a donation online via Dogswell or contact Friends of the Animals. more ›

You can always count on Councilmember Tom LaBonge for his quarterly hikes that mark the change in season. Tomorrow's Autumnal equinox will be celebrated with a public hike to the peak of Mount Hollywood. “It’s all about enjoying a hike in the middle of the city with friends and neighbors,” said Councilmember LaBonge. “It’s a great way to celebrate nature and the change of seasons.” more ›

Last weekend, it was over 100 hidden staircases between downtown and the Hollywood sign. This Sunday the Location Managers Guild of America will bring the second of a series of six walks along Route 66, says the blog Franklin Avenue. more ›

Nearly 75 people yesterday joined Dan Koeppel and friends on the first of two days in The Big Parade, a 40-mile walk from downtown to the Hollywood Sign up and down more one hundred neighborhood stair cases. They begin the last leg of their journey this morning after camping in a Silver Lake pocket park next to the Music Box Stairs. more ›

Whether it's walking, running, riding a bike or a horse, Limekiln Canyon is one of Porter Ranch's great secrets (and just one of the many connecting recreational trails). For over a mile and a half along and below Tampa Avenue between Rinadli and Sesnon lies the small canyon where residents enjoy one of LA's best assets--nature. Here's a little of how it looks. more ›

Councilmember Tom LaBonge, who represents Griffith Park, loves loves loves to hike and be in what he calls the greatest park in the world. Often, he holds hikes with residents and tomorrow is no exception. more ›

Undoubtedly, some of the best things about living in Los Angeles are our varied terrain, eclectic architecture, landmarks, and fascinating history. That's why when you've hit treadmill and Stairmaster burnout and can't take another day of watching Montel on closed captioning in your gym, taking things outside and into the city's beautiful hills can be a welcome respite from workout drudgery. One great workout walk combines the best of the city with some kick-ass cardio--and some stunning views to boot; it's a walk through Upper Beachwood Canyon and it includes all 6 of the neighborhood's 85-year-old staircases. more ›

...and then America pants and wheezes after half a block The state fitness data released yesterday found that LAUSD students "are less physically fit than the state average" (Daily News). There's no surprise in that. But you have to admit, it's really lame. We live in California for heaven sakes! This isn't flatland cornfield Illinois where gym class is a required five days a week, kindergarten through senior year (and that state still has... more ›

As of next Thursday, the Summer Solstice, it will be a little more than 6-weeks since the Griffith Park fire. What better way than celebrate the longest summer day by hiking into the night with city councilman Tom LaBonge through his district's treasure - Griffith Park. "I seem to be hiking Griffith Park more than ever now. Every day I see something else surprising," writes LaBonge in his weekly newsletter. "This week, there are... more ›

SoCal winter hikes have a benefit: hiking past 9 a.m. does not bring on heat stroke. And if you are doing a 5.1 mile, two and a half hour hike with a 1000 ft. elevation gain and loss, it cannot hurt to sleep in a little. Named after Darius Towsley, who discovered oil here in 1865 and later sold it to Chevron (then Pacific Coast Oil), this Santa Clarita Valley hiking spot is only... more ›

Almost three years ago, the LA Times visited the Rainforest Trail in Studio City, which lays in the Santa Monica Mountains that split the Valley from the rest of the city. They said that while you will easily see 100 people hiking the Wilacre Park/Coldwater Canyon Park basic loop, you won't see many along this hidden trail. That still holds true today. You see, to get to the Rainforest Trail, you have to hike... more ›