Culver City Stairs, A Local Gem

HikesHikingLos AngelesOutdoorsParksTrailsHiking GuideTrail Guide

Jan 4

In This Post

I am an avid Culver City Stairs (aka Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook) fan and pre-covid times, went every weekend for several years! Just not getting back into the groove, as it can be crowded.

Why go to the Culver City Stairs?

Get a top-notch aerobic and anaerobic workout focused on your quads, butt and a little cardio as if you do it enough times your heart rate gets going!
Enjoy the outdoors with a view, and a good breeze at the top. 300+ feet elevation view of the city! Panoramic views of the Los Angeles Basin, the Pacific Ocean and surrounding mountains (all on a clear day of course).
Options Galore - go up the traditional stairs way, or walk up the paved sidewalk (along Hetzler Rd), or walk up/down the sloped dirt paths. Pick your flavor; no need to kill your knees!
Accessible - It’s in the city! Centrally located in Culver City, close to the center of the city. There are bathrooms, a water fountain, and outdoor amphitheater at the top, meander along and look at the outdoor sculpture, and landmarks.
Local - Are you even a local before doing this epic stair workout? The Santa Monica stairs have nothing on this mini-mountain.
Landmark - out-of-towners see it from afar and want to climb the LA “mountain” - especially when they’re from parts of the country with less elevation
Sense of Accomplishment - even after doing this trail 4+ years, I still feel a sense of accomplishment from climbing this hill! Great views and weather are always rewarding.
Both FREE and PAID parking available - for penny-pinchers such as myself, I park a few blocks away and walk in. For those who hate hunting for parking, paid parking in the lot is always available and easy.
More Than One Trail - with 54 acres - you have options! You can do the switchback trails or go straight up the stairs several times to get a burner. If you want to go beyond Baldwin Hills - checkout my La Cienega Pedestrian Bridge Hike guide which connects through the Jim Webb trail in the parking lot! From there you can go to Kenneth Hahn Park and get lost in another hilly greenscape!

The view from the Culver City stairs, looking east. Downtown LA in the distance.

Top of Culver Stairs platform, overlook and potential workout area after a morning shower

Culver Stairs view at the top looking down towards Jefferson Blvd

Parking for the Culver Stairs (take your valuables with you)

Find free street parking on Jefferson Rd (of course read the signs, there are some meters so pay as needed). When Jefferson is packed (as it often is on the weekend), I recommend parking on Holdrege Rd and enjoying the 5 min stroll to the trailhead!
Paid parking ($2/hour) is available on top of the hill up Hetzler Rd (use the automated machine)
Small paid lot on the South side of Jefferson here; altho I’ve never ever seen an open spot there!
Beware: there’s a history of smash and grab car robberies along Jefferson as they target avid hikers’s parked cars. DO NO LEAVE ANYTHING IN YOUR CAR. Do not put your bag/wallet/purse in your trunk (they are watching). Take everything with you! It’s a familiar sight to find broken glass along Jefferson. This type of robbery is common. Don’t be left vulnerable.

Safety on the Stairs

Stay to the right
If you need to “pull over” stay to the right and others will safely pass when possible
There’s no delicate way to say this - pay attention when you’re going down the stairs. I badly sprained my ankle on the Stairs a few years ago (ouch!); it ended with me on crutches for 3 weeks with an ankle the size of a baseball. Super debilitating! In my case, I was exhausted and let my guard down. Thus, stop and rest as needed; stay sharp. Ever since the sprained ankle incident, I am super vigilant on taking breaks and not letting myself get exhausted to the point I make a careless error.

See more info about the Culver Stairs at Hikespeak

Culver Stairs (aka Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook) at 6300 Hetzler Rd, Culver City, CA 90232