Kid-friendly hikes and nature walks around Los Angeles
These hikes are measured in toddler steps: short loops, flat or gently graded, with something good (turtles, a waterfall, boulders, whales) before anyone needs carrying. Each place says whether a stroller works or a carrier is better. The Los Angeles mountains are a winter-and-spring thing: November through May the falls run and the hills are green; in summer stick to the coast and the shade.
For a first hike, the classics are the flat loop around Legg Lake, the boardwalk loop at Franklin Canyon, or the fern canyon of Fern Dell in Griffith Park. For a waterfall, Monrovia Canyon is under 1.5 miles round trip; Eaton Canyon, Chantry Flat to Sturtevant Falls and Switzer Falls suit kids who can walk three or four miles. The El Dorado Nature Center and Placerita Canyon have live animals, and the Bolsa Chica wetlands hold thousands of migrating birds in winter. For spectacle, the Rock Pool at Malibu Creek and the boulders of Vasquez Rocks are big-kid favorites.
- 15 places
- 13 free
- 8 stroller-friendly
- closest is 10 min away
15 places
Drive times from Arcadia
Legg Lake (Whittier Narrows)
5.0South El Monte · 15 min drive
2 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free lots on both Santa Anita Ave and Rosemead Blvd, plenty of room on weekend mornings
Fern Dell Trail (Griffith Park)
5.0Los Angeles · 30 min drive
1.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free street parking on Fern Dell Dr, hard to find after 10am on weekends
El Dorado Nature Center
5.0Long Beach · 35 min drive
1.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Nature center lot, about $5 per car on weekdays and $8 on weekends
Franklin Canyon Park Lake
5.0Beverly Hills · 45 min drive
1.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free lots by the lake and at the Sooky Goldman Nature Center
Arcadia Wilderness Park
4.0Arcadia · 10 min drive
1.5 h · carrier recommended
Free · Parking: Free inside the park; check hours on weekend open days
Schabarum Regional Park
4.0Rowland Heights · 25 min drive
2 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Lot inside the park, about $6 per car on weekends and holidays
Kenneth Hahn State Recreation Area
4.0Los Angeles · 40 min drive
2.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: La Cienega Blvd entrance, free on weekdays, about $7 per car on weekends and holidays
Placerita Canyon Nature Center
4.0Newhall · 45 min drive
2 h · carrier recommended
Free · Parking: Free lot at the nature center
Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve
4.0Huntington Beach · 50 min drive
1.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free lot along PCH (footbridge entrance), beach across the street
Monrovia Canyon Park Falls
3.0Monrovia · 10 min drive
2 h · carrier recommended
Free · Parking: Lot inside the park, about $5 per car on weekends and holidays, cash or check the website
Eaton Canyon Natural Area
3.0Pasadena · 15 min drive
2.5 h · carrier recommended
Free · Parking: Free lot at the Altadena Dr entrance, very full after 9am on weekends; street parking on Altadena Dr
Malibu Creek State Park
3.0Calabasas · 65 min drive
3 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: State park lot about $12 per car; free along Las Virgenes Rd with a longer walk
Chantry Flat to Sturtevant Falls
2.0Arcadia · 15 min drive
3 h · carrier recommended
$ · Parking: Chantry Flat lot requires an Adventure Pass ($5/day), full by 7:30am on weekends, after that only the roadside
Switzer Falls (Angeles Crest)
2.0La Cañada Flintridge · 35 min drive
3 h · carrier recommended
$ · Parking: Switzer Picnic Area lot requires an Adventure Pass ($5/day), full after 8am on weekends; park along Angeles Crest Hwy and walk down
Vasquez Rocks Natural Area
2.0Agua Dulce · 50 min drive
2 h · carrier recommended
Free · Parking: Free inside the park, one lot at the base of the rocks and one at the nature center
💡 Good to know
- Mountain trailheads fill by 8 on weekends, so leave early; Angeles National Forest lots need an Adventure Pass ($5/day), and county parks charge for parking on weekends.
- The early-2025 Eaton Fire affected Eaton Canyon and the Angeles Crest area, and some areas are reopening in stages; check before you go. The trails have little shade, so water and hats live in the car.