How Did That Get In LA? The Culver City Scenic Outlook

Over the holiday break, Dan and I decided it was time to stop lounging around so much and enjoy the sunny, warm weather we had.

We decided to go on a hike and I mentioned how I wanted to check out the hill in Culver City that we can see on our neighborhood walk.

I looked on a map and figured out it was most likely Kenneth Hahn State Recreation Area that we were seeing and decided to see what the little spot of nature was doing in the middle of Los Angeles, well off to the side at least.

So, we set off on our adventure.

Dan saw what he thought was Kenneth Hahn and pulled over. I stubbornly said, "No! Keep going it's further out!" But alas, he parked and I reluctantly got out of the car.

We had stopped not at Kenneth Hahn, I knew it, but at Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook. A blip on the map compared to Kenneth Hahn, which maps on my phone didn't even recognize as a green patch of not concrete.

We preceded up the hill a bit to be welcomed by a flight of stairs, the Culver City Stairs to be exact. Hell no I ain't going up all those stairs! (Inside joke). Anyway, 282 irregular and crowded stairs later, we made it to the top!

The view was rather spectacular, granted ever time I see the skyline of Los Angeles I'm reminded of the looming smog. Regardless, we were able to see everything from the Hollywood sign, the beach, to the peaks of Angeles National Forest. Not bad.

I was impressed that something this beautiful was located within the city limits of Los Angeles. I decided this was one of the closest to home, best kept secrets of LA.

Apparently, this was part of the Baldwin Hills Reservoir which had failed in 1963 spilling 250 million gallons of water onto nearby homes. In 2000 the state bought the land and built the outlook point. They cleverly built the stairs using the recycled concrete from the park. It opened in 2009, which may explain its easy to miss aspect.

With the amount of people that crowded up the stair during a weekday, I can only image how crowded it can/does get on weekends, especially in summer. Ah, LA.

I recommend next time you have a day off (during the week) and find yourself in Culver City, take an hour of your time and take in the view.

I really do think it is worth it. Smog and all.