Los Angeles, CA

Echo Lake Park, Silver Lake Reservoir, Stairs & Hills (Downtown L.A.)

This is a nice escape amidst the bustle and traffic of L.A.’s downtown core. The run combines the paths around Echo Lake Park and Silver Lake Reservoir, which are 1.5 miles apart. Of the two, Echo Lake is prettier, in a park with nice landscaping and a  ~1 mile perimeter path. Silver Lake Reservoir is a bit gritter, with a fence around part of its perimeter. There’s more of a path on the east side, and decent views of the water from most of Silver Lake Dr. on the west end. There’s no beautiful way to connect the two parks. Rather than super-busy Glendale Blvd., from Echo Lake we recommend N. Alvarado St. to Berkeley Ave. to N. Benton Way/Effie St./Fanning St. For the return, Sunset Blvd.
Add-On: Stairs and Hills. At the east end of Silver Lake Reservoir, get your heart rate with the Mattachine Steps, where your reward for climbing the 163 stairs are views of the reservoir and Hollywood Sign. Also, there are some seriously steep hilly streets east of Silver Lake Reservoir, especially Baxter St. — one of steepest paved roads in the United States. Use Glendale Blvd. to cross the freeway to continue east on Baxter Ave., where you can connect to the Baxter Stairs and Elysian Park.
Essentials
  • 6.5 mile (10.5 km) loop
  • 327 feet. Also, 163 steps at Mattachine Steps and Baxter St. -- one of the hilliest streets in the USA!
  • Echo Lake Park, off Echo Lake Rd.
  • Parking in area

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Essentials
  • 6.5 mile (10.5 km) loop
  • 327 feet. Also, 163 steps at Mattachine Steps and Baxter St. -- one of the hilliest streets in the USA!
  • Echo Lake Park, off Echo Lake Rd.
  • Parking in area