Secret Walks
A Walking Guide to the Hidden Trails of Los Angeles (Revised January 2026)
Published on 9. July 2015
Book
Paperback/Softback
240 pages
978-1-59580-082-4 (ISBN)
Description
Revised and Updated in January 2026!
Secret Walks: A Walking Guide to the Hidden Trails of Los Angeles is a sequel to the popular Secret Stairs: A Walking Guide to the Historic Staircases of Los Angeles, and features another collection of exciting urban walks through parks, canyons, and neighborhoods unknown and unseen by most Angelinos. Each walk is rated for duration, distance, and difficulty, and is accompanied by a map.
The walks, like those in Secret Stairs, are filled with fascinating factoids about historical landmarks-the original Bat Cave from Batman, the lake where Opie learned to fish on The Andy Griffith Show, or the storage barn for one of L.A.'s oldest wineries. The book also highlights the people who made the landmarks famous: the infamous water engineer William Mulholland; the convicted murderer and philanthropist Colonel Griffith J. Griffith; Charles Lummis, who walked from Cincinnati to Los Angeles to take a job on the L.A. Times; and tobacco millionaire Abbot Kinney, who dug canals to drain the marshes south of Santa Monica and create his American "Venice."
Written in the entertainingly informed style that has made Secret Stairs a Los Angeles Times best-seller, Secret Walks is the perfect book for the walker eager to explore but tired of the crowds at Runyon Canyon or Temescal Park.
Secret Walks: A Walking Guide to the Hidden Trails of Los Angeles is a sequel to the popular Secret Stairs: A Walking Guide to the Historic Staircases of Los Angeles, and features another collection of exciting urban walks through parks, canyons, and neighborhoods unknown and unseen by most Angelinos. Each walk is rated for duration, distance, and difficulty, and is accompanied by a map.
The walks, like those in Secret Stairs, are filled with fascinating factoids about historical landmarks-the original Bat Cave from Batman, the lake where Opie learned to fish on The Andy Griffith Show, or the storage barn for one of L.A.'s oldest wineries. The book also highlights the people who made the landmarks famous: the infamous water engineer William Mulholland; the convicted murderer and philanthropist Colonel Griffith J. Griffith; Charles Lummis, who walked from Cincinnati to Los Angeles to take a job on the L.A. Times; and tobacco millionaire Abbot Kinney, who dug canals to drain the marshes south of Santa Monica and create his American "Venice."
Written in the entertainingly informed style that has made Secret Stairs a Los Angeles Times best-seller, Secret Walks is the perfect book for the walker eager to explore but tired of the crowds at Runyon Canyon or Temescal Park.
Reviews / Votes
"Those who think no one walks in L.A. probably just need to know where to look. From the author of the popular guide Secret Stairs comes Secret Walks, a follow-up that introduces adventurous hikers to the best hidden walks and trails of the city."-Larry Mantle, KPCC AirTalk"A delightful weekend companion for exploring our city; this guidebook not only presents innovative walks in L.A. but also describes the colorful characters behind the landmarks."-Leticia Marie Sanchez, CulturalCocktailHour.com
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Santa Monica
United States
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Illustrations
B&W photos, 50 maps
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 152 mm
Thickness: 13 mm
Weight
357 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-59580-082-4 (9781595800824)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Charles Fleming
Secret Walks
A Walking Guide to the Hidden Trails of Los Angeles (Revised September 2020)
E-Book
05/2015
Santa Monica Press
€11.49
Available for download
Person
Charles Fleming is the author of the Los Angeles Times bestseller Secret Stairs: A Walking Guide to the Historic Staircases of Los Angeles, Secret Stairs East Bay: A Walking Guide to the Historic Staircases of Berkeley and Oakland, the national bestseller High Concept: Don Simpson and the Hollywood Culture of Excess, and co-author of the New York Times bestsellers My Lobotomy, Three Weeks in October: The Manhunt for the Serial Sniper, and A Goomba's Guide to Life. A former staff writer for Newsweek, Variety, and the Los Angeles Herald-Examiner, and a frequent contributor to Vanity Fair, the New York Times, Los Angeles, and LA Weekly, he is currently a staff writer for the Los Angeles Times. Fleming lives in Los Angeles.
Content
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Downtown Los Angeles
Downtown LA, Los Angeles
River Walk North, Los Angeles
River Walk South, Los Angeles
Griffith Park
Griffith Park, Ferndell, Los Angeles
Griffith Park, Amir's Garden, Los Angeles
Griffith Park, Hollywood Sign, Los Angeles
Griffith Park, Lake Hollywood, Los Angeles
Griffith Park, The Zoo
Griffith Park, Equestrian Trail
Hollywood Hills
Bronson Canyon and the Bat Cave, Los Angeles
Fryman Canyon, Studio City
Franklin Canyon, Hollywood
Echo Park/Silver Lake
Echo Park Lake, Echo Park
Silver Lake Meadow, Silver Lake
Elysian Park and Portola Trail, Los Angeles
Elysian Park and Radio Hill, Los Angeles
Elysian Park Police Academy Loop, Los Angeles
East Los Angeles
Hollenbeck Park, Boyle Heights
Peanut Lake and Debs Park, Hermon
Elephant Hill, El Sereno
Legg Lake and Whittier Narrows, Pico Rivera
Pasadena and Environs
Arroyo Seco River Walk, Pasadena
Old Town Pasadena, Pasadena
Deukmejian Wilderness Park, Glendale
Southwest Museum, Highland Park
Little Santa Anita Canyon, Sierra Madre
Eaton Canyon, Sierra Madre
Eaton Canyon, Altadena
Chantry Flat, Altadena
Beaudry Motorway, La Crescenta
Cherry Canyon, La Canada-Flintridge
Hahamonga Watershed Park, La Canada
West Los Angeles and Beaches
Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook, Baldwin Hills
Ballona Creek, Culver City
Beach and Bluffs Walk, Santa Monica
Will Rogers State Park, Pacific Palisades
Castellammare, Pacific Palisades
The Venice Canals, Venice
Marina Del Rey Canals, Marina Del Rey
Sandstone Peak, Malibu
San Fernando Valley and Environs
Woodley Park, Lake Balboa
Sepulveda Basin Wildlife Preserve, Lake Balboa
Hansen Dam, Lake View Terrace
La Tuna Canyon, Verdugo Hills
Paradise Falls, Thousand Oaks
King Gillette Ranch, Calabasas
Rim of the Valley and LA Aqueduct, Sylmar
South Bay
The Naples Canals, Long Beach
Del Cerro Park, Palos Verdes
Pelican Cove and Terranea, Palos Verdes
Huntington Beach (TK)
Redondo Beach (TK)
Downtown Los Angeles
Downtown LA, Los Angeles
River Walk North, Los Angeles
River Walk South, Los Angeles
Griffith Park
Griffith Park, Ferndell, Los Angeles
Griffith Park, Amir's Garden, Los Angeles
Griffith Park, Hollywood Sign, Los Angeles
Griffith Park, Lake Hollywood, Los Angeles
Griffith Park, The Zoo
Griffith Park, Equestrian Trail
Hollywood Hills
Bronson Canyon and the Bat Cave, Los Angeles
Fryman Canyon, Studio City
Franklin Canyon, Hollywood
Echo Park/Silver Lake
Echo Park Lake, Echo Park
Silver Lake Meadow, Silver Lake
Elysian Park and Portola Trail, Los Angeles
Elysian Park and Radio Hill, Los Angeles
Elysian Park Police Academy Loop, Los Angeles
East Los Angeles
Hollenbeck Park, Boyle Heights
Peanut Lake and Debs Park, Hermon
Elephant Hill, El Sereno
Legg Lake and Whittier Narrows, Pico Rivera
Pasadena and Environs
Arroyo Seco River Walk, Pasadena
Old Town Pasadena, Pasadena
Deukmejian Wilderness Park, Glendale
Southwest Museum, Highland Park
Little Santa Anita Canyon, Sierra Madre
Eaton Canyon, Sierra Madre
Eaton Canyon, Altadena
Chantry Flat, Altadena
Beaudry Motorway, La Crescenta
Cherry Canyon, La Canada-Flintridge
Hahamonga Watershed Park, La Canada
West Los Angeles and Beaches
Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook, Baldwin Hills
Ballona Creek, Culver City
Beach and Bluffs Walk, Santa Monica
Will Rogers State Park, Pacific Palisades
Castellammare, Pacific Palisades
The Venice Canals, Venice
Marina Del Rey Canals, Marina Del Rey
Sandstone Peak, Malibu
San Fernando Valley and Environs
Woodley Park, Lake Balboa
Sepulveda Basin Wildlife Preserve, Lake Balboa
Hansen Dam, Lake View Terrace
La Tuna Canyon, Verdugo Hills
Paradise Falls, Thousand Oaks
King Gillette Ranch, Calabasas
Rim of the Valley and LA Aqueduct, Sylmar
South Bay
The Naples Canals, Long Beach
Del Cerro Park, Palos Verdes
Pelican Cove and Terranea, Palos Verdes
Huntington Beach (TK)
Redondo Beach (TK)