Best Running Trail in Los Angeles: Betty Dearing Mountain Trail

Betty Dearing Mountain Trail

8401 Mulholland Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90046

This beautifully wild, seemingly remote pocket of nature, the Betty B. Dearing Mountain Trail via Mulholland, runs in a 3.3-mile loop from the Nancy Hoover Pohl Overlook off Mulholland Drive in the Studio City/Laurel Canyon area. However, some people approach the narrow dirt track from TreePeople's site, via Iredell Street, a 7-mile-plus round trip. As you fly through the native chaparral, hummingbirds and bumblebees feast on flowering shrubs by your side. Be warned that the descent at the beginning of the hike is a long, burly ascent on the return. Linger at the "rainforest" at the bottom, or even end your walk there. If you're looking to tear up the trail and burn serious calories, though, continue to Iredell Street, then turn back and hustle up all the hills that seemed much less sloped on the way down. Enjoy the water fountain and the view of the San Fernando Valley at the end of a rewarding workout. 8401 Mulholland Drive. lamountains.com/parks.asp?parkid=15. —Jacky Surber

Source: LA Weekly