Cycling in Los Angeles. That sounds almost the same as skiing in the Sahara, or a Dutch Elfstedentocht nowadays. When I crashed in this million-dollar city 14 years ago, cycling was something for people with suicidal tendencies. Not surprisingly, I was part of a bicycle safety program for elementary school children. Oh how things have changed. Since 2010, the city has been working on building bike paths. In my street, West 7th Street, there are now beautiful paths and you can cycle more safely. Additionally, there is something else: the city of glitter and glamour is actually perfectly positioned in relation to the surrounding hills. As icing on the cake, there is the opportunity to take a ride on an iconic spot, the ‘Hollywood Sign’. Who wouldn’t want that? Cycling in California: Los Angeles is a wonderful base.
Movie set in your backyard
If you live in Los Angeles, you can’t ignore it. This is the city of the film industry. In fact, you can see the Hollywood Sign in the hills in all places. Sometimes you just have to turn around at the corner in ‘DTLA’ (the downtown area) and you’re literally in a movie set. Spoiler alert: CSI:NY isn’t filmed in New York, but just on 7th street in LA. Many scenes from the popular series 24, starring Kiefer Sutherland, were also shot here. That makes a ride through the city really cool! Now, it’s not advisable to ride a race bike during the day, but every last Friday of the month you can take part in the Criticial Mass bike ride. You see people driving everywhere in the city and it’s an absolute happening. A nice introduction to LA’s ‘bike culture’.
Griffith Park and the Hollywood Sign
Even north of the city lies an immense park with an observatory that bears the same name: Griffith Park. Not only can you get a great view from all over the city, the road to get there is a challenging climb and it’s also the entrance to the Hollywood Sign! To be able to drive this route properly, you’d best start in the neighborhood of Los Feliz. On Hillhurst Avenue you’ll find a number of nice coffee shops. We usually started at Blue Bottle Coffee. A nice starting point, then. From here, you can drive up Hillhurst Avenue. You climb up here in several stages over seven kilometers to an elevation of 420 meters, having started at 140m. The first stretch to the Griffith Observatory is very steep! But the reward after about a kilometer or four is amazing. Looking down you see the major traffic arteries, Vermont Avenue and Western Avenue, and you can follow them all the way to Long Beach (especially at night). Bizarre.
Mount Hollywood
You actually drive up Mount Hollywood, known for the Hollywood Sign. Many people know that you can walk behind it via a good hike, but it also offers that option for cyclists! From the Griffith Observatory you can go there directly, but it’s more fun to drive first to the ‘backside’ of Mount Hollywood, then westwards to drive back towards the famous sign. The view? Priceless. Just be careful, you have to go through the white fence at the end of the road (get off and then walk through the pedestrian gate) to get to the sign. In the US, not everything is closed either.
Route to the Hollywood sign from Los Feliz
Hit the beach
Along the beaches of Los Angeles (and all the neighboring municipalities) beautiful bike paths have been laid out. Just a disclaimer: you should be careful about tourists and other traffic, but if you drive on the outskirts of the day (in the morning or later in the afternoon/evening), then you have plenty of space there. Great for a day trip and you can stop along the way for lunch or a coffee. You won’t see real beach tents from here, so that’s a minus. Coming from the south of LA (Long Beach), you can follow the entire coastline, over the Palos Verdes Peninsula up via Redondo Beach, Santa Monica, and on to Malibu. Initially, you’ll encounter some hills, but otherwise it’s beautiful and flat. You’re already a few miles into the journey after just one ride. That was a bit much for me, in my opinion.
Around Malibu
The fact that you can be outside the city limits for a better biking experience doesn’t even need an explanation for the uninitiated biker. Fortunately, there’s plenty to choose from. Around Malibu, a short distance outside the city limits, you’ll find amazing routes where you can have fun for days. One of the highlights is the Piuma Road. It winds like a snake through Topanga State Park near Calabasas. You can ride there beautifully around Saddle peak, and with venomous climbs of 15 to even 17%, it’s actually a must ride.
Steeply up: Mount Baldy
About 25 kilometers east of LA, you can actually get into the mountains. Mount Baldy eventually climbs to a height of just over 1500 meters. It is truly a blast of a climb. In the winter there is sometimes snow. In the summer it is a welcome relief in the often hot California. Make sure you have the right equipment, because this climb really gets you all fired up towards the end. The ascent gets steeper and there are sections above 10% meters. You can compare it in terms of difficulty to Alpe D’Huez. And you can take some beautiful pictures there.
Route Topanga – Mount Baldy
In short: Are you going cycling in California? Los Angeles has a lot to offer, much more than just Hollywood Boulevard, Beverly Hills and the beach. Want to know more? Los Angeles offers a lot of info. And also check out some of the routes on our KOMOOT page! And well, it's a bit different from usual too Dolomites.
Tips
Because Los Angeles is so big, it’s sometimes difficult to capture all the tips in one go. Therefore, here are some tips for ‘on and off the bike’.
- Our starting point for route 1 is in Los Feliz, a typically quieter neighborhood. Next to Blue Bottle you will also find Maru Coffee.
- A place that many people miss is Downtown LA. We recommend that you drive that way after your ride. The most beautiful (and nowadays safest) route is through Sunset Boulevard. Then you drive into the city center on the north side.
- Philippes The Original. You haven’t been to LA without a Philippes sandwich. Grab a ‘double dip’ sandwich. Just make sure to lock your bike properly. Also ‘Cole’s French Dip‘ is a tip, especially if you want to visit the speakeasy bar in the evening. Gotta know the password ;).
- If you’re in ‘downtown’ anyway. Go to City Hall and ask how to get to the viewpoint (the observatory). You can get on there for free (!) You then take the beautiful lifts in the town hall and above you have a beautiful view over the city.
- LA River. Cycling along this river is wonderful. A beautiful network of trails offers plenty of variety here. If the river is very dry, you can also cycle ‘IN’ it.
- Renting a bike? You can do that in various places, including: Bikes & Hikes LA or if you’d like to have it delivered to your home Synaptic Cycles a good option.
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This article does a great job of challenging the common perception that Los Angeles is purely a car-dominated city by revealing its surprisingly diverse and evolving cycling culture, from scenic coastal rides to demanding climbs like those around Griffith Park and Mount Baldy. I especially appreciated how it balances practical insights—like timing rides to avoid traffic and starting points such as Los Feliz—with the sense of adventure that comes from exploring iconic landmarks like the Hollywood Sign by bike. It really highlights how the city’s geography, with its mix of beaches, hills, and mountains, creates a unique playground for cyclists of all levels, even if navigating urban traffic still requires caution. Overall, it’s an inspiring piece that makes you reconsider LA not just as a destination, but as an experience best discovered on two wheels.