Urban Stair Hike in Santa Monica/Rustic Canyon, Level: Moderate+

Come join us for a good workout, exploring unique parts of town and for meeting new people to do an urban stair hike in beautiful Santa Monica. The weather will be much cooler than in our usual NELA areas and weekend morning traffic is light!

This new route is planned by Michel and he will be leading the hike.

We'll meet in the northern part of Santa Monica in a spot where there is lots of free, unlimited, street parking spots and streets are lined with beautiful, expensive homes. From there we'll head down and do some exploring around the Santa Monica creek then trek back up the hill and head towards shady Palisades park. Following that we'll take in the ocean breeze at the pedestrians-only beach strand and make our way towards the Rustic canyon area for more stairs and gorgeous greenery. Finally, we'll take on the long 4th st. stairs where, according to rumors, one can occasionally spot celebrities with their trainers before heading back to the cars.

LEVEL: Intermediate Plus for speed and some of the staircases. The overall elevation gain is moderate. We are a friendly group that encourages newcomers, but please note that moderate+ cardio fitness level and walking speed are required.

LENGTH: 6.5 miles, 6 long staircases up and 6 down. 700ft elevation gain, which is at a low end of my stair hikes, but this is still a good workout. +/- 2 1/2 hours.

SPEED: Workout speed, faster than most moderate hikes, but slower than advanced. We'll take a a short pause to re-group at the top of the stairs. There will be no sweep; bring a phone for navigation just in case you want to leave early.

BRING: Exercise outfit, workout shoes (no hiking shoes needed), sunscreen (the route is mostly exposed) and water.

RESTROOMS: Public restrooms around mile 3.

PLEASE NO CRASHING: Urban hikes do not work well with large groups, so, unfortunately, I have to limit the group size. I "overbook" events some in anticipation of some last minute dropouts, so you cannot count on those spots being available. Waitlist, if needed, generally clears in order, but priority may be given to good attendance records and a posted picture (LA Hiking Group rule).

LOCATION: We meet at 8:30am for introductions and take off sharply at 8:35am. (If you are up to 20 minutes late you can catch us at the bottom of the Santa Monica stairs on Entrada St.)

PARKING: We meet at the street corner of 4th St. and Marguerita Ave. Street parking is free, unlimited and easily available.

LIABILITY: The organizer is an uncompensated and untrained volunteer. By joining this event each member accepts full responsibility for knowing their limits, for all injuries, medical issues, assessing safety concerns, material losses and for getting lost. Each member shall release the organizer from all liability and have their guests accept these policies, also.