Runyon Canyon: Walking with the stars (and their dogs)
For those who would prefer to hike with the stars, Runyon Canyon “peaking” out above the Hollywood neon should be the path of choice for nature shows and the latest in exercise chic. The three-mile roundtrip hike ascends about 400 feet to views that can see all the way to Catalina Island on a clear day.
The paths in this 160-acre park once belonged to Errol Flynn and meandered past the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed poolhouse, where his celebrity friends frolicked until it all burned up in 1978. Pieces of the house, garden, pool and tennis courts are still there and make entertaining diversion from the natural landscape.
In true Hollywood fashion, the walk starts out as an amble under towering palm trees. A grassy meadow gated off from the walkers serves as a comely place to relax, read or do yoga in a dog-free zone.
But the rest of the canyon and trails up the mountain have all literally gone to the dogs. This place is THE place for loosening your hamstrings and unleashing Rover. Dogs are allowed to run off leash on most of the trails and find their place in the sun in what could be described as doggy heaven. A water fountain at the base of the trail works for water bottles and bowls.
The lower trail is an easy hike, maybe a half-mile, that passes picnic tables (usually populated with dogs and people) and places where structures might have been and ends up on a wide-open plateau with a close-up view of the rooftops of Hollywood. A higher trail makes a tough ascent that can be accessed from the plateau or from the entrance to the park and winds up on a dusty look-out that offers stunning views of Hollywood, the hidden hills, the Griffith Park Observatory, the Downtown skyline, Santa Monica and Palos Verdes.
Sit on one of two benches and drink in the view while Spot plays with the dozen other dogs that have accumulated there. The way down on the dirt path is workable but slippery -- even with hiking shoes -- so it needs focus and balance. The other way down is via the broken asphalt path that leads up from the bottom.
Another path leading to Mulholland Drive winds around some attractive residential properties there and through shady stands of pine. From there, another path to a third, much higher, peak beckons the active and agile hiker. The views at the top are not much better than those to be found at the middle tier but the company will likely be a lot skimpier.
Finally, bored of the flora, skip to the fauna -- the male and female eye candy airing out their flesh. It is easy to discern the working actors from the wannabes along the path by the showy costumes, exposed thongs and general lack of attire worn by those trying to get noticed, versus those trying to have an anonymous workout. Recent sightings: Wynona Ryder, Ellen DeGeneres, Elaine Boosler, Adam Arkin, Meredith Vieira, stars from The L Word, Six feet Under and countless unnamable-unless-you-read-the-Enquirer other personalities.
Posted by Lark Ellen Gould
