Strength & Flexibility Expert
There’s an awesome parking structure with a helicopter pad with a remarkable view in the middle of Van Nuys. It’s on Sepulveda Blvd.
View: 10 out of 10. Extremely nice place. The 405 and 101 can be easily seen with the Sepulveda Basin Wildlife Lake and mountains surrounding the entire valley.
Accessibility: Very easy. Enter from the parking lot entrance pictured below (google how to get to five eight oh five sepulveda blvd) and go up the stairs.
View: 9 out of 10. It’s an expansive view of the city from the ocean to downtown LA and you’re smack dab in the middle. I recommend going up there on a clear day (the day after a storm or on a windy day) otherwise you’re going to see tons of smog.
Parking: Listen up, you’re not going to find a parking spot close to the entrance of the park so don’t waste your time trying. Trust me, just look for someplace to park on the streets that’s “far.” Even if you park south of Hollywood Blvd, it’s just like 5–10 minutes of walking to get up to entrance. The amount of time you will waste trying to find a “nearby” parking spot will be ridiculous. Park “far” and walk.
Accessibility: The entrance to the park is at the end of Fuller Ave. When you get to your first right turn on the trail, it’s more like a u-turn, so take it and just keep going up. It’s just like a 15 minute walk up the hill until you get to your first epic view point. You’ll know you’re going the right way if you’re going uphill. If you’re confused about which way to go, just ask one of the hundreds of other people on this trail.
Other features of this trail: If you’re scared of dogs, then this isn’t the place for you. There’s dozens of them running around. Most of the trail is an off-leash dog permitted area, so bring your dog ONLY if s/he’s socialized/friendly with other dogs. Also, there’s donation-based yoga class every weekday morning that I highly recommend. 😉
I discovered this spot during a Midnight Ridazz group bike ride as it was one of the rest stops.
View: 10 out of 10. Epic and beautiful view of downtown. This above picture is from the parking lots roof.
Accessibility: Very easy. Enter from the parking lot entrance pictured below (Google how to get to 800 S Olive St, Los Angeles) and go up 10 floors or so.
When you get to the roof of the parking lot, you have the option of going up five more floors and to the rooftop of the adjacent building (known as the Commercial Exchange building built in 1904). You could easily jump onto the short wall and go through the windows. They don’t have any glass on them. You need some sort of light, though, like a flash light or cell phone light. Then walk to the back and you’ll find stairs. It’s five floors to the roof and an even more all encompassing view than the panoramic picture above.
If you step out onto the fire escape just in front of the main street, you’ll see this massive COMMERCIAL EXCHANGE sign.
View: Considering there is no other view in this area that even comes close, this is easily a 10 out of 10. A unique view that shows LAX to the west, the Palos Verdes Hills to the south, and the snow-capped San Bernardino mountains toward the east on a clear day.
Accessibility: Overall very easy, but it requires you to follow the instructions below. This spot is accessible 24/7 and nobody will bother you. There are security cameras but nothing to worry about, you are not venturing any place where you are not allowed.
1. Here is the Google Maps link of the Hollywood Park Racetrack. You’ll be going to point (D) below.
2. A: Enter from Century Blvd
B: Park anywhere in this area.
C: Walk up to the entrance here. When you enter the casino doors, turn LEFT and walk past all the gaming tables all the way until you see these elevators:
3. Go to the last floor, the 6th floor. When you get out, walk all the way to the end of the hallway. Go outside the glass doors and you’ll be standing on top of this (D) spiral structure and that’s your view.
View: 9 out of 10. A very unique view of downtown LA. You could see the cityspace and the east end of the Santa Monica mountain range (aka the hollywood hills or griffith park) on the right side.
Accessibility: Somewhat easy, you might have to jump over a metal fence which is pretty easy.
Google maps guide: Just drive to the end of the road. The approximate address would be 2198 Rimcrest Drive, Glendale, CA. Just jump over the metal fence if you can’t find an opening for it. Afterwards you could drive around the rest of the mountain and maybe find some other viewpoints.
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View: 10 out of 10. This is a super nice view.
Accessibility: Easy. You should definitely combine your trip and go to the Stunt Road and Saddle Peak Road viewpoint before or after this spot since they are close to each other.
Google maps guide: 21628 Saddle Peak Road, Topanga, CA. You could park on this dirt area on the side of the road located just around this very sharp turn. You’ll know you are at the right spot cause the view will be pretty epic.
In Panorama City, there is a Kaiser Permanente hospital with a 10-story tower that allows you to catch some awesome views.
View Rating: 10 out of 10. If you go up there, you’ll understand why Panorama City got its name, because 360° around, you’ll be equidistantly surrounded by the mountains that make up the San Fernando Valley.
Here’s a video of the place right when the sun was setting (and here’s another one just AFTER it set, with more of me talking, and the camera sensor going crazy from the colors):
First of all, you can’t enter the tower if it’s past 8pm so go well before sunset time. Don’t do anything stupid while up there to burn the spot and ruin it for the rest of us. There are cameras all over the place, including the stair wells to get up there.
1. Park in one of the parking structures of the hospital and then walk on Cantara St.
2. Walk up this driveway below and enter the doors:
3. Walk straight ahead. Continue straight until you get to the end where there are working elevators and you’ll find the door to the stairs right next to them. Climb those flight of stairs all the way up.
When you first enter the building, you will have to pass by these eery elevators that read “Permanently Out of Order” on them. Also, you will notice that despite how massive the tower is, the building seems like it’s mostly empty and unused. I recommend you just don’t make eye contact with employees and just walk straight ahead to the elevators with confidence that you know where you are going even if it is your first time. Enjoy!
View: 10 out of 10. Not only is the view pretty nice up here, it is also very tranquil. Getting to the park requires you to drive into the wilderness and within a few minutes you go from being in the population-dense valley to a very isolated area in the Santa Susana mountain range.
Accessibility: Somewhat easy… somewhat because it requires driving through a mountain for 15-20 minutes then walking up a very steep road. When you enter the gates to the park, you’ll see a sign that says you have to pay $5 to park. You have to put $5 in the envelope provided by the box and write down your license # on there and slip it in the box. If a ranger comes and sees you might get ticketed for $50.
Also, the place closes after sunset. Then you have to walk up this steep road and pass this old abandoned (it’s used for movies nowadays) ranch and keep going up until you get to the helicopter pad. That’s where the above picture was taken from. If you were to keep walking up, you could technically get all the way up to the satellite towers and then behind that mountain would be the Santa Clarita mountains and valley, which has to be one incredible view.
Google maps guide: Look at the map below as a guide.
Drive to A and park there.
Walk to B. B is where the above picture was taken and the view is even more expansive than this.
If you continue up and want to go to C, you will have to walk almost 2 miles up a very steep road and you will get to some communication towers that are at the PEAK of the Santa Susana Mountains. You’ll be able to see both the Santa Clarita and San Fernando Valley and the mountains surrounding it, and also the Topatopa mountain range. Have water (and sunblock) with you if you are going to go all the way up to the peak!!!
View: 6 out of 10. This picture is looking at the VERY northeast corner of the San Fernando Valley and it was while we were in between storms. The 5 and 210 could be seen in real life from here as well.
Accessibility: Easy except the gates close sometime around sunset time. This is from a top of a cemetery called Eden Memorial Park that’s way high up on a hill. I discovered it with a friend while we were cycling and had decided to make the top of the hill the end-point of our ride before turning back. The gates to the park close around sunset time. The address to enter the park is: 11500 Sepulveda Boulevard Mission Hills, CA 91345. Drive all the way to the top of the hill and and walk to the east end and you’ll see this view.
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View: 10 out of 10. On one side you could see the Pacific Ocean and the curvature of the LA coastline all the way until Palos Verdes. You could see the planes landing/taking off from LAX if it’s clear enough as well.
On the other side of the road you could see the San Fernando Valley and everything to the west of it (Calabasas, Thousand Oaks, Westlake). On a very clear day, on the valley side, you could see endless transverse mountain ranges stacked behind each other. Not only do you see the Santa Susana Mountains but far behind them the peaks of the Topatopa Mountains near Ojai and the Sierra Pelona mountains north of Santa Clarita.
Accessibility: Easy with a car. No parking allowed at night though.
Park at Stunt Road and Saddle Peak Road, Malibu, CA.
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