Outdoor clubs in Los Angeles.
15 clubs, and when they meet. Most meet on weekday evenings, around Santa Monica, South Bay, Long Beach. Most are free to join. The ones without a fixed day are listed below, linked to where they announce. Subscribe to this calendar →
What to expect.
Hiking groups, climbing meetups, cycling clubs, paddling and skating around Los Angeles. Outdoor groups are the least likely to meet at the same spot every week, because the route changes, so many are listed with their day and a link to where the week's meet is announced.
Read the week's plan on their page before you go. It will tell you the distance, the pace and what to bring, and it is the only place a weather call is made.
All 15 outdoor clubs in Los Angeles.
A to Z, in each club's own words. Every one links to the club, and every day and time is the one the club publishes.
Friday 9pm night skate starting outside Santa Monica City Hall on Main St and rolling through Santa Monica and Venice. Same organisers as the downtown Tuesday skate.
Fridays, 9pm · Santa Monica · Free · meetup.com →Long Beach road club since 1988 with Saturday morning rides in five pace groups from the Studebaker & Barrios library lot; visitors can ride a few times via Meetup before paying the small membership.
Saturdays, 7:30am · Long Beach · $20 · meetup.com →Casual Wednesday night social ride around Long Beach from the Windsurf Center on Ocean Blvd, 60-90 minutes toward Seal Beach or the Queen Mary, usually ending with drinks. Any bike.
Wednesdays, 7pm · Long Beach · Free · meetup.com →Very large nonprofit Meetup running several hikes and urban walks a week all over LA County, from Griffith Park evening loops to San Gabriel trail-work days. Pick a hike and RSVP.
Several hikes a week, posted on Meetup · Free · meetup.com →Old LA road club that rides every Sunday morning from a rotating start (Westside, South Bay, sometimes further), with easy, moderate and long options, plus a Thursday morning South Bay ride from the Ballona Creek bridge. Guests welcome; bring a signed waiver.
Sundays and Thursdays, time varies · Rides free · lawheelmen.org →Sunday-morning open-ocean paddles out of King Harbor from the dock by Polly's on the Pier, 3-4 hours along the kelp beds. Bring your own kayak; nearby rentals exist.
Sundays, 8am · South Bay · $10 · meetup.com →Twice-weekly evening conditioning hikes in Griffith Park, several pace groups leaving together from the Merry-Go-Round Lot 2. Led by trained Sierra Club leaders; no membership needed.
Tuesdays and Thursdays, time varies · Griffith Park · Free · meetup.com →Long-running Thursday night conditioning hike that recently moved from Eaton Canyon to La Canada Flintridge, meeting at Palm Crest Elementary. Sierra Club membership not required.
Thursdays, time varies · Free · meetup.com →Big Meetup group whose fixed weekly session is a beginner-level Tuesday evening suburban hike in Hermosa Beach; the rest of the calendar is evening hikes around Glendale, Echo Mountain potluck hikes and camping.
Tuesdays, 7pm · South Bay · Free · meetup.com →Large climbing Meetup with standing gym nights: Mondays and Fridays 7pm in the top-rope area at Cliffs of Id in Culver City and Wednesdays 6:30pm at The Post in Pasadena, plus outdoor trips. All levels; you pay the gym's day pass.
Mondays and Fridays, time varies · Culver City · $30-35 · meetup.com →Young-professionals hiking group (20s-40s) doing a weekend peak or canyon hike most weeks across LA and the San Gabriels, usually followed by brunch or lunch together.
Most weekends, dated hikes posted on Heylo and Meetup · Free · heylo.com →Weekday-morning 4-6 mile walks and hikes around the Palos Verdes Peninsula, San Pedro and the South Bay at a moderate pace, aimed mainly at people 55 and over but open to anyone.
Several weekday mornings a week (around 8:15am), posted on Meetup · South Bay · Free · meetup.com →Weekly Tuesday night roller and inline skate through downtown LA, meeting at Weller Court in Little Tokyo at 8pm. Organised through the Southern California Urban Inline/Roller Skating Meetup.
Tuesdays, time varies · Downtown · Free · meetup.com →Westside road club with a 6:30am group ride every weekday morning from 26th and San Vicente in Santa Monica (Marina, Mandeville, gravel, Amalfi, recovery) and a harder Sunday 8am ride from Westwood. All rides open to non-members.
Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays, time varies · Santa Monica · Rides free · lagrange.org →Free Tuesday sunset group skate from Lot 4S by Bicknell Ave through Santa Monica and Venice, about 4 easy miles with music, an opening circle and a no-rider-left-behind pace. Skateboards, roller skates, inlines and scooters all welcome; run by the nonprofit Beyond the Board.
Tuesdays, 6:30pm · Santa Monica · Free · heylo.com →
Questions people actually ask.
How hard are the outings?
Each group grades its own, and the grade is on the week's post, not here. Most hiking and cycling groups run an easy option alongside the main one. Start with the easy one.
Do I need gear?
For hiking, proper footwear, water and layers. For climbing, most meetups are at a gym that rents shoes and a harness. Cycling clubs expect a working bike and a helmet. Anything unusual is on the group's page.
Are they free?
Mostly. Some clubs charge an annual membership that covers insurance, which is normal for cycling and paddling. Gym meetups cost whatever the gym charges for entry.
Every listing links straight to the club. Know a outdoor club in Los Angeles we don’t? Add it.