40 million woke up in a Friday morning (March 20) lockdown due to the novel Coronavirus.   During this unprecedented times , many businesses and restaurants have been chained closed.  Come weekend, California residents have flocked in different state parks and not far from the Florida beach spring break Covid-19 fail episode.   Due to this, many parks and beaches were shutdown as well.

One of them is my everyday hike location Runyon Canyon.  I do not abuse this usage because I was in and out of it and then I go home.  Might as well, do a blog about it to cherish some hiking moments while I think of an alternative for this.  I live right beside it so the commute is 15 seconds away from me.   (Note: I’ve changed location while you are reading this. )

There are several trails in Runyon Canyon.  The hike that is a bit challenging but kid friendly can be done in an hour and some.  This could also be dog friendly but would depend on the breed of a dog.  The cutest corgi might be having a hard time to climb this trail due to their short legs.  Nonetheless, there is a paved road for all kinds of dogs and humans in Runyon Canyon.

West Trail Ridge is a fun hike to do since it’s a bit challenging but not death defying.    Obviously, as it is on the West side, the trail is the left side of this inverted heart shape guideline.  

While it is possible to get lost in these trails, the odds are low.    The path is numbered W1-W9.  Let’s identify each of them and some expectations.

W1-W2 is an easy ascend.  It is an enticing welcome for the newly entered hikers.  At W2, there is a bench where you can already see an awesome view of the city of Los Angeles.  There’s also some love locks displayed here too if you care to add some.

W3-W6 is a little bit harder uphill but goes fast and manageable.  From W2, you will feel the ascend until W6.  W6 is a good stop since the floor is flat and you can take pictures here of the vast city.  The houses at the hills are also nice to view.

Once you start hiking again from W6 to W8.  The path gets a little bit tricky going up.  Don’t be intimidated at the sight.  You will soon get there.  There will be a little hazard like asking yourself where you should step next.  Once it’s figured out, it will be smooth sailing.

On this trail, you will also start to see the Hollywood sign and it’s time to bust out the camera for sure.  The 360 view of Los Angeles is just amazing.  Don’t be shy to take a panoramic shot.

From W8, you start descending.  It’s a bit tricky to descend and could be the hardest part of the trail.  Fret not.  You will see a lot of people do it in front of you and just copy their style.  If no one is there, just take it slow and careful.  The height is pretty intimidating.

When you reach W9, you are about to end the trail.  It’s pretty much easy starting here.  There are guided wooden stairs which is a nice part of the hike that is easy on your legs and balance.    There is a nice garden pathway which is beautiful during spring.  The flowers look lovely.  There are houses too that you will see up close and are just lovely to see.

The end of the trail is the end of the wooden stairs.  It could also be a start if you are coming from another direction.  It is possible to do combine the East trail but it’s preferable for me to use the paved road going down.  They call it Fire Paved Road and it starts with F6 all the way down to the entrance of Runyon Canyon in Fuller street.  Here you will see a lot of dog walkers.  My favorite part is seeing the dogs play and be free like this corgi.