La Sierra Canyon, Santa Monica Mountains, CA

Index by area and difficulty

Use this index to find hikes near you, organized by level of difficulty.

Downtown L.A./Hollywood Hills/Verudgo Mountains

Easy

Moderate

Moderately Strenuous

Strenuous

Orange County – Coastal

Easy

Moderate

Moderately Strenuous

Orange County – Santa Ana Mountains & Foothills

Easy

Moderate

Moderately Strenuous

Strenuous

Puente Hills, Chino Hills & North Orange County

Easy

Moderate

Moderately Strenuous

Strenuous

Riverside & San Bernardino

Easy

Moderate

Moderately Strenuous

Strenuous

San Bernardino Mountains – Big Bear, Lake Arrowhead & Mojave Desert

Easy

Moderate

Moderately Strenuous

Strenuous

San Bernardino Mountains – San Gorgonio Area, Yucca Valley, Lucerne Valley

Easy

Moderate

Moderately Strenuous

Strenuous

Very Strenuous

San Diego – Coastal & Western County

Easy

Moderate

Moderately Strenuous

San Diego – Mountains & Eastern County

Easy

Moderate

Moderately Strenuous

Strenuous

San Fernando Valley

Easy

Moderate

Moderately Strenuous

San Gabriel Mountains

Easy

Moderate

Modeately Strenuous

Strenuous

Very Strenuous

San Gabriel Valley & Foothills (East)

Easy

Moderate

Moderately Strenuous

Strenuous

San Gabriel Valley & Foothills (West)

Easy

Moderate

Moderately Strenuous

Strenuous

Very Strenuous

San Jacinto Mountains, Santa Rosa Mountains, Joshua Tree & Coachella Valley

Easy

Moderate

Moderately Strenuous

Strenuous

Very Strenuous

Santa Barbara & Ventura

Easy

Moderate

Moderately Strenuous

Strenuous

Santa Clarita Valley & Desert Gateway

Easy

Moderate

Moderately Strenuous

Strenuous

Santa Monica Mountains (East)

Easy

Moderate

Moderately Strenuous

Santa Monica Mountains (West)

Easy

Moderate

Moderately Strenuous

South Bay, Long Beach & West Side (Including Catalina Island)

Easy

Moderate

Moderately Strenuous

Strenuous

Very Strenuous

Thousand Oaks/Simi Valley

Easy

Moderate

Moderately Strenuous

4 comments

  1. Hello, I am wondering if you can provide a brief description of San Gabriel Valley East vs. West. I am traveling to the area this week (West Covina and Arcadia) and figured I would do some outdoor activities (weather permitting) in lieu of just working out at the hotel gym. I read your blog on South Hills Park, but also just want a few other options. I just don’t know if the area where I will be is East/West or something else. I will have a car, so I can commute but LA traffic is pretty notorious so I don’t want to travel too far (and spend loads of time in traffic). Your help is appreciated. Thanks!

    1. Hi Lisa, thanks for reading the blog. I use the 210 Freeway as the dividing line, so hikes in areas such as Pasadena, Monrovia and La Canada are under “west” whereas Covina, Azusa, Claremont, Glendora, etc are “east.” Big Dalton Canyon and Marshall Canyon are two great parks with a variety of hiking trails and both are free, so I’d suggest those for starters. Enjoy.

  2. I’m surprised to see Stoddard canyon falls aren’t mentioned in the San Gabriel Mt. pages. There’s a small wash and turnout about a quarter mile before the forest service fire station leading up to mt. baldy village. It’s on Mountain ave. before the steel bridge that crosses the stream. You can find it on maps and see old pictures. part of the way is a little rough now, but it’s only about 2 miles round trip and looks similar to Soldier falls in Azusa canyon but larger.

    1. Interesting – wasn’t aware of a waterfall there, I’ll have to check it out. Thanks for the tip.

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