An early Sunday evening walk exploring your own neighborhood can be quite fulfilling. Here's what caught our eye while taking a walk up Alomar Drive in the hills of Sherman Oaks towards a little known piece of public open space that overlooks the San Fernando Valley (nearby, you can hike a small trail in Dixie Canyon Park). Looking for a walk that is a little more than casual? Try the Hollywoodland Staircases Walk in Beachwood......

While the heat wave has obviously curbed many local hikers' routines, it hasn't put a dent in the routine of one SoCal resident: the rattlesnake. Although it's easy to get used to signs posted at local hiking spots, stumbling upon a rattlesnake can cause the exact type of reaction you seek to avoid. The adage "Don't bother them and they won't bother you," may be all you need - what person wants to provoke......

As you drive "over the hill" from the Valley to Hollywood along Laurel Canyon Blvd., there's a sign there asking for donations to save some plots of land from development. No, it isn't a citizens' group or a non-profit for wilderness, it's a government agency. "Donated funds needed immediately to save these six acres under option by part agency," it reads. In a cash-strapped time for governments, the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority is asking......

Yesterday, two men visiting Los Angeles took a hike in Griffith Park and before they knew it, it was dark. Probably not a place for night hiking if don't know your way around, especially with the constant tease of being within sight of the city lights below, but many cliff jumps away. Eventually, they were on their cell phone with park rangers trying to find their way back to their car, but after some time,......

Location of the 'Batcave' in Bronson Canyon where two hikers are being rescued A cliff rescue operation began early this afternoon in Griffith Park shortly before 2:00 p.m. One of two hikers in need of assistance alerted the Los Angeles Fire Department that they were in need of help. A female hiker, approximately 24 years in age, was unconscious and in serious condition, according to d'Lisa Davies, LAFD Spokesperson. The male hiker was found......

Yesterday, in another timely Earth Day announcement, Governor Schwarzenegger announced California's first natural landmark in Orange County. 40,000 acres of the Irvine Ranch may be recognized with the title, but it does not mean the land is protected or open to the public. Rather, it is to help bring awareness to the land and focus on long-term public preservation. With summer coming, more people will be heading outdoors. Yes, Yosemite may be five hours away,......

Exploring Rock Pool at Malibu Creek | Photo by Zach Behrens If you open up the National Parks System Map and Guide and look over to Los Angeles, you'll see a green area denoting a National Parks Service unit within the city and into Ventura County. "There's a National Park in Los Angeles?" Why yes, yes there is. "This is still a big secret in Los Angeles; that there is a National Park in......

Photo by _ROXANNE_ via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr After heisting a rental car that was just about to be rented out, a woman led police on a wild three-county tour of SoCal which ended with her being put out by a spike strip. The chase began in Anaheim and ended near Camp Pendleton. A pot bust took place late last night in a gated community in El Monte, netting cops 1,000......

With year-round great weather, awesome beaches, and a short drive to the snow, Los Angeles is the perfect place to get sweaty. This weekend's LA Marathon inspired a lot of people to get back in shape. We're right around the corner from May (national fitness month) and summer (the season of svelte). Of course, any workout routine can leave you stuck in a rut. Tired of staring at the same person's ass in spin class?......

The end of the trail at Parker Overlook | All Photos by Zach Behrens/LAist For most of the 5.5-mile Pacific Palisades hike at the popular Paseo Miramar trail towards Parker Overlook, you can see the ocean. Located two blocks east of Pacific Coast Highway on Sunset (map found below), the hike is a popular one, often leaving the dense hillside neighborhood at the top of the street strapped for parking, which means hikers must......

I’m a sucker for natural scenery. I like a vast blue sky, a sparkling snow-capped mountain, a breezy sprawling plain. But around Hollywood where I live, I find that exercising in the outdoors often means kicking up dust and breathing in smog, only to take in the beautiful sights of dried out vegetation and dog poop. So when my boyf told me that there’s a place in Pasadena that we could hike to a......

What will Hike The Geek do?!?! In order to face up to budget-balancing woes and a state-wide financial crunch, Governor Schwartzenegger has proposed to close 48 different national park sites, as well as cut funding to many school, health care, and criminal justice programs. Parks in the L.A. area like the Will Rogers State Historic Park, Topanga State Park, and Pio Pico State Historic Park in Whittier will all be shut down, affecting many......

Love it or hate it, tonight's New Year's Eve. And while half of the city has vacated for NYE's in Vegas, there's plenty to do right here in LA to welcome '08. Fireworks Catch the midnight fireworks in Marina Del Rey. At 11:55 pm and 30-seconds, one firework will be shot into the air for each second, counting down to midnight--and then a few more into 2008. The show be seen from anywhere in the......

...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......

Five reasons I am thankful to be living in this city... 1. Urban + Nature It's truly the best of two worlds to live in Los Angeles. My native Angeleno ex-girlfriend used to ask why would anyone want to leave LA? You can surf in the morning and ski at night. She didn't do either and, well, she eventually moved away. Still, pick up a Southern California hiking book or two and you'll find......

I'm thankful for my family, even when they're "challenging." I'm thankful for my husband, who for some reason has signed on to sleep beside me, watch lots of tv, do the dishes and read every draft (even though he won't see movies more than once.) I'm thankful to be lucky enough to pursue my passion, so few people have that luxury! I'm thankful for Los Angeles, where the sky is big and the horizon......

PJ Harvey - "White Chalk" PJ Harvey @ Orpheum Rilo Kiley @ Santa Monica Civic Sarah Silverman @ Largo Black Francis, Eastern Conference Champions @ Safari Sam's Castledoor, Hearts of Palm UK, Princeton @ The Echo Limbeck, Travis Shettel, Andrew Deerin, Chris Koza @ The Hotel Cafe Metal Skool, Born as Ghosts, Immune, Glacier Hiking @ Key Club Suburban Legends, Taxi Doll, Skrotum Kiss @ The Knitting Factory Abe Lincoln Story, Doug Stewart &......

Believe it or not but there's not a lot of hiking happening with many of us here at LAist. Sure there's Zach and a few other show-offs, but even they could tell you that if you start lacing up your hiking boots and notice someone stretching with a freaking sword, things will probably not end well. Such was the case yesterday afternoon up in Mt. Baldy when three "friends" got into an argument while......

First of all, if you haven't seen the wonderful Into the Wild make plans to do so right away. It is one of the rare films that exploits the full power of cinema to transport you into another world and into the consciousness of another person (my enthusiastic review of it is here, tickets here, preview here, music here). After seeing it, I imagine you'll be ready to go on a little adventure of......

So I have this pretty fun tradition (aside from Three Rivers in the holidays), of going camping at Two Harbors on Catalina Island every Labor Day Weekend. The tradition originally began as a Jugglers' Festival, oddly enough, of which I was only a part due to my friend and her husband who are amateur jugglers, and because they are friends with some fairly accomplished ones. There was a juggling volleyball game on one of......

The California Independent System Operator (CAISO), charged with managing the electricity grid in California, has issued a Flex Alert for both tomorrow and Thursday due to the current hot weather and demand for electricity, which is approaching capacity. Flex it by turning off unnecessary lights, turn ing AC up to 78 degrees or higher and not using major appliances until after 7:00 PM Free jazz tonight at Hollywood and Highland along with a wine......

Marilyn Manson - "Tainted Love" Daniel Johnston @ Henry Fonda Slayer, Marilyn Manson @ Irvine Meadows Dios Malos, Pissed Jeans, Infauxtech @ 1269 E. 6th St. (Fuck Yeah Fest Pre Party) Clint Black @ Cerritos Center Air Supply @ The Canyon Aimee Mann @ Largo Gypsy Kings @ The Greek Wild Child @ The Whisky OneRepublic, Glacier Hiking, Northern, The Cheat @ The Roxy Big Bad Voodoo Daddy & The Hollywood Bowl Orchestra @......

Two friends enjoy the hazy view and cool breeze from the top of Runyon Canyon this morning. What were you doing at 8:15 AM?......

On a personal blog called ...yep by a guy named Glenn, the Los Angeles transit system is examined. Glenn has never taken the subway in L.A. before and he commutes one-hour by car everyday. He's not complaining though, "it’s just a way of life here in the city," he states pragmatically. He finds it to be "a fairly pleasant experience" and listening to podcasts on his iPod is a much better choice than some......

Around 4pm today a one-acre fire broke out within sight of the Griffith Park Observatory. ABC has been running indepth coverage, although there is very little news online and no photos available at this time. Hikers have been evacuated. If anyone knows anyone who may be hiking in the park, they are being asked to contact them on cell phones. Visitors to the Observatory were evacuated from the building and were being kept in......

Hell, this may be illegal, but if the LA River plan is going to crawl upstream at a snail's pace, screw it -- the time to play is now! Not when we're 75 years of age. We caught this father/son urban adventure duo in Sherman Oaks paddling downstream towards Studio City. "Is this a tradition?" we screamed down. "Nope, it's our first time," the dad yelled back. We asked how he came up with......

Next time, don't go to Yosemite and bitch about the crowds. Consider a secret little place my family's been vacationing in for years now: Three Rivers. A tiny town in the foothills of the Sequoias, Three Rivers is a pretty idyllic little spot, and home to many families, artists, and musicians. In short, it has a lot of character. Highway 198 runs right through the middle of it, up to Kings Canyon, a 462,901......

James Marshall isn't dropping the name DALEK, he says, "This just didn't feel like a DALEK kinda thing." Whatever kinda thing it is, LAist thinks it's awesome. We stopped by earlier today at the Merry Karnowski Gallery, where he will be exhibiting between August 4th through September 1st. Marshall told us that he does not have immediate plans for any new gallery showings, so come out while you can. When Marshall isn't painting he......

As Guest Day Editor, Siel, a.k.a Green LA Girl, will be joining LAist with a few posts throughout today. Read her interview here and check out her site. Going eco often automatically helps you save money, basically cuz you waste less -- gas, water, electricity, etc. But LA's a city that gives away free stuff to help you go eco. Here's 5 to take advantage of: Free energy-saving fridge! If your income's low and you......

Rush @ Hollywood Bowl Slint @ Henry Fonda Sanjaya Malakar, Melinda Doolittle, Lakisha Jones, Jordin Sparks @ Staples Center Division Day, Saint Motel, The Health Club, Moving to France @ Viper Room Buckwheat Zydeco, Doug Legacy & the Zydeco Party Band @ Safari Sam's Patton Oswalt @ Largo Snow Patrol, Hot Hot Heat @ Greek Johnny Polanco @ El Floridita Metal Skool, D’Amato, The Hammer, AL-CE-MI @ Key Club Plasticsoul, Brandon Schott, The Breakups,......