Jungle Bells

Urban hike in downtown los angeles

Spotting bling on the red carpet? So cliché. Spotting bling in the urban sprawl of downtown LA? Haute damn! There’s no shortage of holiday spirit on a 4-mile urban loop hike. Get off the metro at Union Station (or pay to park somewhere) and start your holiday hike at El Pueblo de Los Angeles. Grab a champurrado (hot chocolate atole) and begin strolling around Olvera Street, host of Las Posadas, a 600-year-old traditional Christmas procession. Head south on Main Street, passing City Hall and Little Tokyo, reaching the Old Bank District after nearly a mile, where classic icicle sheets drape over this historic street.

One block south, take a right onto 5th and walk half a mile to reach Pershing Square—the tour de force of holiday lights in downtown with its variety of colorful artistic light displays. It wouldn’t be LA without decorated palm trees and an ice skating rink surrounded by the city skyline. To get an amazing view of this winter wonderland, head next door to the rooftop bar Perch before continuing one more block on 5th to turn north on Grand Avenue. At Grand and 4th you’ll reach California Plaza, home to Nutcracker Village—filled with Christmas and Chanukah symbols. Continue north, passing The Broad and Walt Disney Concert Hall before running into Grand Park. Walk east through the green space, admiring both traditional and modern tree-lighting displays, as well as the beautifully illuminated fountain offering brief holiday light shows. At the end of the park, take Spring Street north to Paseo Luis Olivares, leading you back to El Pueblo de Los Angeles.

TIP: Head to Clifton’s Cafeteria just southeast of Pershing Square, an elaborately decorated three-story restaurant/bar with a massive redwood replica as its centerpiece. Grab a holiday drink here.

To get to Union Station, take US 101 to the Alameda St./Union Station exit north. Follow signs for parking on your immediate right after exiting. Consider taking the metro! Dog-friendly!

Trending Stories NorCal

View all Stories
  1. Serene Las Gallinas

    A serene stroll alongside marshland, passing ponds and grasses frilled in seasonal wildflowers, with Mount Tam a beacon in the background … how nice. As part of the esteemed Bay Trail, San Rafael’s Las Gallinas Valley Birding Loop and Wildlife Ponds comprises about 3.5 miles of wide-open trail.

    View
  2. Paint Brushy

    This time of year you’ll have good reason to head for the hills—the electric-green rolling hills of Brushy Peak Regional Preserve in Livermore. This 4.5-mile loop hike is like stepping into a plein air painting.

    View
  3. Sponsored

    2025 POST Wildflower Walks

    Get flower empowered! POST’s complimentary 2025 Wildflower Walks guide blooms with the best places to see a variety of florals across the Peninsula and South Bay this spring.

    View
  4. All right, Almaden!

    Take a trip through time on this 5-mile loop in Almaden Quicksilver County Park. Explore the ruins of an old cinnabar mine and enjoy the first hints of wildflower season.

    View

Trending Stories SoCal

View all Stories
  1. Sponsored

    Weekend in Reno Tahoe

    Weekend plans? Reno Tahoe! Just a few hours by car or a short flight away, Reno Tahoe springs to the moment with great ways to combine adventure and relaxation in its beautiful mountains-meets-desert setting.

    View
  2. Hiker walking along the North Bluff Trail on Santa Cruz Island, Channel Islands National Park

    Purely Wild

    Channel Islands National Park lives up to its nickname as “North America’s Galapagos.” This less-traveled national park is an undeveloped and isolated series of five dramatic and distinct islands reached by boat. Hike the largest of the islands, Santa Cruz.

    View
  3. Woman hiking the South Kaibab Trail in the Grand Canyon

    Truly Grand Day Hike

    One of the best spring day hikes in the Grand Canyon? See layer upon layer of the park’s grandeur—including the river—on this 3-mile (one-way) journey to Skeleton Point via the South Kaibab Trail.

    View
  4. A woman stands amid an array of yellow and purple flowers at Descanso Gardens in Los Angeles

    Petal Paradise

    Tulips, lilacs, and daffodils—flower power is in full bloom at Descanso Gardens in La Cañada Flintridge. Sprawling across 150 acres surrounded by mountains, the gardens are putting on their best show right now.

    View