Kid-Friendly Hiking Trails & Nature Walks
Explore the best kid-friendly hiking trails & nature walks options for kids and families in Santa Monica
Ballona Wetlands Ecological Reserve
Natural area with a salt marsh. Reserve made up of about 600 acres of wetlands & uplands, including a salt marsh.
Bluff Creek Trail
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Santa Ynez Canyon Trailhead - Topanga State Park
Forested hiking trail with a waterfall. Scenic wooded trail with a steep incline, a seasonal waterfall & valley views at the top.
Stoneview Nature Center
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Tuna Canyon Park
Mountainous park with ocean & bay views. Hiking trails lead to panoramic ocean & bay views in this 1,255-acre parkland area in the mountains.
Topanga State Park
Wilderness area with canyon trails. This 13,150-acre wilderness area features hiking trails winding through nearby canyons & mountains.
Trippet Ranch
State-park ranch with hiking trails. This ranch in Topanga State Park serves as a starting point for a number of hiking trails.
Tuna Canyon Trail Head
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Reuben Ingold Park
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Franklin Canyon Park, Mountains Recreation & Conservation Authority
Park with hiking trails & picnic spots. 605-acre park featuring many picnic areas, over 5 miles of trails, a duck pond & a nature center.
Marvin Braude Mulholland Gateway Park
Wilderness area with many trails & views. This sizable tract of urban wildland features a large network of trails & dramatic views.
Stocker Corridor Trail
Serene neighborhood walking/cycling path. This short city trail draws hikers, joggers & cyclists & is known for its tranquil atmosphere.
Park to Playa Trailhead
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Caballero Canyon Trail
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Coldwater Canyon Park
Ranging canyon trails with scenic views. Peaceful canyon park offering hillside hiking trails with panoramic views of the city & mountains.
Nancy Hoover Pohl Overlook at Fryman Canyon
Valley viewpoint with canyon trails. Parkway viewpoint with valley vistas, canyon trail access, an information board & parking lot.
Summit Valley Edmund D. Edelman Park
Sizable park with multi-use trails. This 652-acre park has trails for hiking, mountain biking & horseback riding, plus picnic benches.
Topanga Lookout Trailhead
Hiking to rugged mountain & ocean views. Observation point & stop-off for hikers & mountain bikers with 360º mountain & ocean views.
Viewridge Trail in the Santa Monica Mountains
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Wilacre Park, Mountains Recreation & Conservation Authority
Natural site for trails & hilltop views. This park provides hiking paths through wooded areas & coastal sage scrub & expansive valley views.
Harper Monkey Trail
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Red Rock Canyon Park, Mountains Recreation & Conservation Authority
Colorful rock canyon with trailheads. Unique, colorful rock formations bordering hiking trails through a canyon & offering mountain views.
Briar Summit Open Space Preserve
Mountain wildlife refuge with trails. Mule deer, fox & bobcat are among the wildlife in this 52-acre mountain ridge with a few trails.
Glasgow Park
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Stunt Ranch
Nature reserve with educational programs. Educational programs are offered to students at this reserve with a creek & varied plant life.
Sepulveda Basin Wildlife Reserve
Nature reserve with trails & a lake. Wildlife reserve, trails & a lake teeming with birds, butterflies & lizards, plus an amphitheater.
Hollywood Reservoir Trailhead
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Cerrillos Lookout
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Fern Dell Nature Trail
Sycamore-shaded walking path by a stream. Quarter-mile footpath along a man-made stream, shaded by tropical foliage & sycamore trees.
Fern Dell Nature Preserve
Outdoor space with lush foliage & trails. Serene enclave at Griffith Park featuring walking paths amid tropical foliage & a man-made brook.
Firebreak Trail to Griffith Observatory
Uphill 1.3-mile trail with LA views. Steep 1.3-mile-long unmade trail leading to the domed Art Deco observatory with views across LA.
The Brush Canyon Trail
Trail with a view of the Hollywood sign. Hiking area featuring a rock quarry tunnel & striking views of the city & the iconic Hollywood sign.
Charlie Turner Trailhead
Visit this great place for kids and families!
King Gillette Ranch, Mountains Recreation & Conservation Authority
588-acre park in Santa Monica mountains. Sprawling ranch in the heart of Malibu Creek Watershed offers 1920s architecture, views & hiking.
Captain's Roost
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Glendale Peak Trail Head
Hiking path to a panoramic summit. 3.1-mi. roundtrip hiking trail leading to a peak with sweeping views of the mountains, city & ocean.
Griffith Park Trails
Scenic hiking area with elevated vistas. Outdoor natural trail offering hills, picnic tables & views of surrounding neighborhoods.
Grasslands Trail Head
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Vista Hermosa Natural Park, Mountains Recreation & Conservation Authority
Green spaces, a playground & city views. Trails lead to picnic areas, grassy fields, a pond/waterfall, city view overlooks & a playground.
Glendale Peak
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Augustus F. Hawkins Nature Park
Tranquil green space with nature center. Calm, 8.5-acre retreat featuring native flora & wetlands, plus a small museum with nature exhibits.
Fern Canyon Trail
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Malibu Creek State Park
Mountainous outdoor spot with rock pool. Rugged state park in the Santa Monica Mountains with hiking trails & a rock pool swimming hole.
Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area
Numerous hiking trails & picnic stops. 500+ miles of flat & mountainous hiking trails through coastal chaparral, with views & picnic stops.
Elysian Park Trail
Hiking & biking trail with city views. Easy-going hiking & cycling trail in a pretty neighborhood park with mature trees & open spaces.
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