Exploring Los Angeles
Sports and Recreation
Beaches
For a guide to local beaches, see beaches.co.la.ca.us.
Cabrillo Beach
3720 Stephen M. White Dr.
San Pedro, CA 90731
Popular for swimming, surfing, scuba diving and volleyball. Watch grunions bury eggs in sand March – August. Bonfires permitted in fire rings only. Open 5 a.m. – 10 p.m.
Malibu Beach
23050 Pacific Coast Hwy.
Malibu, CA 90265
Sandy beach near beach resorts. Open 6 a.m. to dusk.
Venice Beach
3100 to 2700 Ocean Front Walk
Venice, CA 90291
laparks.org/venice/venice.htm
Three-mile sandy beach, street performers, people watching and funky shops. Bike or rollerblade along bike path. Open 6 a.m. – 10 p.m.
Zuma Beach
30000 Pacific Coast Hwy.
Malibu, CA 90265
Sandy beach with volleyball nets and playgrounds. Open 6 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Biking
Paths and Trails
There are bike paths in parks, along rivers, beaches and lakesides. For more information, visit labikepaths.com or mountainbikebill.com.
Bowling
Lucky Strike Lanes and Lounge
See Pico Station.
Midtown Lanes
4645 Venice Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90019
(323) 933-7171
amf.com/midtownlanes
Bowling alley. Games are $4.45 to $5.70 per person; shoe rentals $4.85.
Pickwick Bowl
1001 W. Riverside Dr.
Burbank, CA 91506
(818) 845-5300
pickwickgardens.com
Bowling costs $3 to $6 per game; shoe rentals $3 to $4.
Camping
Visit socalcamping.com for information about camping in Southern California. The site includes campground locations, maps, weather forecasts and road conditions, hiking trails and outdoor recreation opportunities.
To reserve a campsite or purchase a day pass for recreation venues, visit recreation.gov.
For information about California State Parks, visit parks.ca.gov or gorp.com.
Angeles National Forest
Provides a wealth of recreation opportunities, over 110 camping and picnicking sites and more than 500 miles of hiking trails.
San Bernardino National Forest
Forest provides mountain lakes, challenging trails and beautiful views of the valley below.
Santa Monica Mountains
National Park Service Visitor Center
401 W. Hillcrest Dr.
Thousand Oaks, CA 91360
(805) 370-2301
nps.gov/samo
The 153,075-acre national park runs for 46 miles from the Hollywood Bowl to Point Mugu and from the Santa Monica Pier past Malibu.
Sierra National Forest
Provides abundant fish and wildlife, varied mountain flora and fauna and numerous recreational opportunities. For campground reservations (recommended from Memorial Day through Labor Day) call (559) 297-0706 or visit recreation.gov.
Golf
Griffith Park
4730 Crystal Springs Dr.
Los Angeles, CA 90027
(323) 913-4688
laparks.org/dos/parks/griffithPK
Golf courses include Harding Municipal Golf Course, 18-hole, (323) 663-2555; Los Feliz Municipal Golf Course, special course, (323) 663-7758; Roosevelt Municipal Golf Course, nine-hole,
(323) 665-2011; and Wilson Municipal Golf Course, 18-hole, (323) 663-2555.
Hiking
Visit latrails.com for a list of hiking trails. Some popular areas include Griffith Park, the San Gabriel Mountains and the Angeles National Forest (fs.usda.gov/angeles), the Malibu coast and Santa Monica Mountains (santamonicamountains.areaparks.com), Arroyo Seco Park (arroyoseco.org) and the Pacific Crest Trail (pcta.org).
Information about organized group hikes is available at lamountains.com.
Horseback Riding
Griffith Park Horse Rentals
480 W. Riverside Dr.
Burbank, CA 91506
(818) 840-8401
griffithparkhorserental.com
Horseback riding $25 per hour (cash only). Riders over 220 lbs. pay extra. Dinner ride for $75 to a Mexican restaurant and cantina available every night. Call for reservations.
Sunset Ranch Hollywood
3400 N. Beachwood Dr.
Hollywood, CA 90068
(323) 469-5450
sunsetranchhollywood.com
Horseback riding accompanied by an experienced wrangler – $40 for one hour or $60 for two hours. Visit the Website for information on special evening and lunch rides.
Ice Skating
Culver Ice Arena
4545 Sepulveda Blvd.
Culver City, CA 90230
(310) 398-5719
culvericearena.com
Ice skating admission $10.50; figure skate rentals $3 and hockey skate rentals $4.
Pasadena Ice Skating Center
300 E. Green St.
Pasadena, CA 91101
(626) 578-0800
skatepasadena.com
Ice skating admission $9; skate rentals $4.
Special Deal
Free skate rental on Sunday from 9:30-11:45 a.m. and Thursday from 7:30-9:30 p.m.
Parks
Barnsdall Art Park
Griffith Park
Mar Vista Recreation Center
11430 Woodbine Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90066
(310) 398-5982
laparks.org/dos/reccenter/facility/marVistaRC.htm
Features picnic areas, tennis courts, a soccer field, a hockey rink, baseball diamonds, basketball courts, volleyball courts, an auditorium and barbecue pits.
Temescal Canyon Park
15900 Pacific Coast Hwy.
Pacific Palisades, CA 90272
(310) 840-2187
laparks.org/dos/parks/facility/temescalCynPk.htm
Landscaped park in the Santa Monica Mountains, picnic area with barbecues and many hikes, including one to a waterfall.
Will Rogers State Historic Park
1501 Will Rogers Park Rd.
Pacific Palisades, CA 90272
(310) 454-8212
parks.ca.gov/willrogers
Tours of ranch house, broad lawns, picnic areas, polo fields and equestrian trails. Hike to Inspiration Point for view of city.
Skiing and Snowboarding
Big Bear Mountain Resorts
880 Summit Blvd.
Big Bear Lake, CA 92315
(909) 866-5766
(909) 866-5841 (reservations, lift tickets and lessons)
bigbearmountainresorts.com
Bear Mountain
(800) BEARMTN (snow report)
bearmountain.com
Lift tickets are interchangeable between Snow Summit and Bear Mountain every day.
Snow Summit Mountain Resort
(888) SUMMIT-1 (snow report)
snowsummit.com
Includes 14 lifts with beginner through advanced terrain for skiers and snowboarders. Reservations are recommended on weekends and holidays.
Lake Tahoe
There are 15 ski resorts to choose from in the Lake Tahoe area. A few of the most popular are Kirkwood (kirkwood.com), Heavenly Ski Resort (skiheavenly.com) and Northstar-at-Tahoe (northstarattahoe.com). For more information on these and other Lake Tahoe ski resorts, visit laketahoeskiing.com.
Mammoth Mountain
10001 Minaret Rd.
Mammoth Lakes, CA 93546
(800) MAMMOTH (reservations)
(888) SNOWRPT (snow report)
mammothmountain.com
Mammoth’s 11,053-foot elevation is the highest of any California ski resort in California. There are 28 lifts with beginner through advanced terrain. Snowboarding also available at seven terrain parks and three pipes.
Surfing
CampSurf
2120 Circle Drive
Hermosa Beach, CA 90254
(424) 237-2994
campsurf.com
Offers private and group surfing lessons for all skill levels. Surfing equipment is included in the lesson fees.
July 30th, 2010 at 4:55 pm
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