Santa Monica Stairs

On our list of the best activities in Los Angeles.

Two stairways drop from Adelaide Drive into Santa Monica Canyon: one runs wood over its upper flight for a total of 170 steps and about 110 feet of climb, the other entirely concrete with 189 steps nearby. Both fill most mornings with people doing repeat laps, jumping rope, or stretching on the grass at the top, and residents along Adelaide have complained the stairs draw too many exercisers to the block. From the top the canyon opens toward the ocean, with the Santa Monica Mountains visible on a clear day.