I like working out. I don’t necessarily do it as often as I should nor do I enjoy the act of physically getting up and out of a comfy spot to do it, BUT once I’m participating in an athletic activity, I genuinely enjoy myself. One of my, and all of LA’s, favorite ways to sweat off the calories: HIKING. It’s fun, it’s scenic, and it gives you a killer bod. What’s not to love?

There are a TON of great places to hike in LA but a place  that I keep coming back to time and time again is Topanga State Park. The state park is located in the Santa Monica Mountains and is a whopping 11,000 acres (about 36 miles of trails!). There are more than 60 trail entrances at this park; so you don’t have to worry about ever getting bored of the same hike!

 

It rains in LA like 10 times a year and this weekend happened to be one of those days. Well, I am definitely not complaining because the cloudiness and gloominess made for some beautiful pictures. Couple that with my new toy – my iphone clip-on fisheye lens – and well, here’s this blog post!

  

Joining me on my hike was my boyfriend and fitness & nutrition support system, Alex. We came in through the Reseda Blvd entrance and trekked it all the way to Eagle Rock. Eagle Rock is a beautiful sight to see and a magnificent place to sit at and enjoy an incredible view. I mean, check out the panoramic photo I took below. Seriously? SO gorg.

 

 

From the Reseda Blvd trailhead to Eagle Rock and back, we hit about 8 ½ miles in about 2hrs45mins. Suffice to say, I took a hard nap on the way home. That was definitely the longest I’d ever hiked/worked out. BUT, when you’ve got all sorts of beers and burgers to burn off like I do, this should be your GO-TO!

 

 

I highly recommend coming here for a hike – it’s great for some serious training and also great for someone just looking to take a stroll. We saw quite a few people on mountain bikes, a bunch of adorable pups and even caught glimpses of the ocean! Get your butt off the couch and SWEAT! 😉