Runyon Canyon Park is a real time commitment — fit it in only if it's a priority.
Allow 1-2 hours.
LA's see-and-be-seen workout hike — short, steep loops with fast payoff views of the city, the Sign, and the ocean on clear days, plus a famously social, dog-heavy crowd. The trails are dusty, shadeless, and packed, so it's more urban scene than nature escape.