Do you know any hikes in Los Angeles that showcase two (I’d say three) distinct seasons of Southern California?
Last updated: January 22, 2025
Los Angeles Hikes for All Seasons
“Recommend us some good hiking places in Los Angeles”, I hesitated for a split of a second when my friend asked me for advice. The truth is we hardly explore new trails in our city.
From time to time, we do stumble upon a new park or hiking path in the areas of Los Angeles farthest from our home. But for the most part, we keep returning to the same trails. Simply because these hiking areas look completely transformed depending on the season Los Angeles abides to or refuses to comply with.
You don’t really hear people talking about different seasons in LA or even Southern California. For outsiders, the Golden State has two seasons: scorching hot beach season in the summer and still warm, but wet winters. It leaves you with two short windows in between when hiking in Los Angeles is not only good for your body, but is also pleasing to your eye and soul.
If you are completely honest with yourself, wrapped up in the busy city lifestyle, you can easily skip through the seasons. Only the calendar on your phone still reminds you of the constant change.
Get outside for a short hike and you will see that even Los Angeles with its seemingly consistent appearance changes two-three times a year. From brownish-yellow most of the time to grey and brown during the rainy season (October through March) and invigorating green (some years with a sea of blooming wildflowers), the city’s surroundings showcase a wide gamut of natural colors.
Let’s explore some of the best hikes to witness seasonal change and admire resplendent views of Los Angeles.
3 OF LOS ANGELES HIKES YOU SHOULD DO EVERY SEASON
1. Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook
The Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook or simply the Culver City or Baldwin Stairs is one of LA’s hidden hikes guarded by locals and those who they trust to. Towering over Baldwin Hills, a neighborhood often referred to as the “Black Beverly Hills”, the Culver City Stairs combine elements of hiking and climbing. No special equipment is needed, though. Except for lots of water and endurance to climb some 282 concrete steps.
The stairs are spaced irregularly. Some sit next to each other, letting you quickly skip through the short sections of the hiking trail toward the sweeping vistas of Los Angeles. The majority, however, remind of massive outcroppings that will make your leg muscles burn.
In other words, the Baldwin Stairs hike is not the easiest hike in Los Angeles. Yet it’s one of the most rewarding. From the promontory at the top of the stairs you get to see panoramic city vistas from the Pacific Ocean to downtown LA and the surrounding mountains.
Seasonal Lure: The views of Los Angeles don’t change drastically from season to season, making the hike an alluring activity throughout the year. The trail itself gets merrier during the spring season when bush sunflowers along the both sides of the stairs bloom.
Two Hiking Options: The stairs are a preferred poison for many LA locals. We, too, climb them every time we hike in the area. While descending, however, we almost always stick to a longer path, a road wide enough for two vehicles to pass, that loops around the hill and takes you to its bottom.
TIP
A word of advice. Whether you come to the Baldwin Stairs for hiking or city views, remember it’s still a part of the Los Angeles area. Parking is usually an issue. If you can, carpool, especially on weekends. Otherwise, hit the trail early in the morning or late in the afternoon. It’s also an ideal time to take photos of LA with the rising or descending sun in the background.
2. Point Dume State Beach and Natural Preserve
What’s not to like about Point Dume? A sandy beach guarded by a rugged cliff that offers protection from gusty winds in the winter and shady shelter from the scorching summer heat. One of the most beautiful and easiest hiking trails in the Los Angeles area. Wildflowers that transform this oceanfront preserve into a yellow sea after the rainy season.
Seasonal Lure: Yet even during the wettest months that are quite up to par during one year, but lack any precipitation the next one, this secluded hiking spot in Los Angeles bestows on winter visitors incredible opportunities to get up close and personal with marine life.
From black mussels clinging to large boulders for their dear life so they don’t get swept back into the ocean with the next crashing wave to bellowing sea lions that soak up the afternoon sun in between their ocean swims, this short and easy Los Angeles (technically Malibu) hike quickly turns into a marine biology lesson with all the “interactive exhibits” provided.
Winter Hike in LA: Point Dume may be really cold and windy during the winter season. Not many Los Angeles hikers venture to the top of the promontory during this time. Yet brave the elements, and walk to the top of the trail. If you are lucky, you can see dolphins and grey whales breaching right off the shore. The latter pass by the site during their bi-annual migration from Alaska to Baja California in Mexico and then back to their summer feeding grounds near the coast of the Last Frontier.
3. O’Melveny Park
The second largest park in Los Angeles, O’Melveny Park is an exceptional hiking location for all seasons. The scenery remains the same most of the year. The hills dress themselves in yellow-brownish gowns sometime in mid-April and keep them on for the next 8-9 months.
Seasonal Lure: In March, assuming it was a wet winter, a dense green duvet blankets the mountains from the bottoms to the tops. When the rainy season fails to arrive, hiking trails in the northernmost section of Los Angeles keep their signature brownish-yellow colors the entire year.
Summer Hikes in LA: During the summer months, you should explore this hiking arena of Greater Los Angeles in the morning or late afternoon. Stay away from the barren mountain trails in the middle of the day when the sun is at its highest point and at night when coyotes and bobcats come out from their hideouts.
Other Seasonal Hikes in Los Angeles
- Eaton Canyon Falls Trail (for a seasonal waterfall)
- Balboa Park (for cherry blossom)
- Paramount Ranch (for seasonal wildflowers)
Seasonal Hikes near Los Angeles
- Red Rock Canyon State Park (for seasonal desert wildflowers)
- Lake Elsinore (for seasonal California poppy blooms)
- Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve (for blooming wildflowers)
