Runyon Canyon
Soaring above the Los Angeles cityscape towers the rocky ridges of Runyon Canyon Park that peaks above the eastern end of the Santa Monica Mountains. Its highest point is known as Indian Rock, with views that stretch 360 degrees encompassing the San Gabriel Mountains, Downtown LA, surrounding skyline, hillside homes, and a horizon framed with the sapphire blue Pacific Ocean.
The namesake comes from coal baron Carman Runyon who coined the name of the gorge that lies above Franklin and Fuller as ‘No Man’s Canyon.’ Appropriately so, as it is a public park today where no one impedes the access to the many people who visit the trails to hike, exercise, socialize, dogwalk, meditate, photograph, and interact with nature.
The environment of Runyon is the epitome of West Coast California lifestyle surrounded with fresh air, vegetation, wildlife, and rocky terrain with a captivating character. The vibe resonates differently with a freeing vitality that stems from the subconscious connection with the Earth’s frequency, an escape from the urban intricacies and exhaust of the city.
Every visitor is fortunate to have the opportunity to experience the beauty of the canyon. It is a fountain of eternal youth that exudes voracious energy uplifting the spirit.
Before the area was purchased by the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy in 1984, Frank Lloyd Wright had plans to build a country club and structures throughout the area. He completed a pool house that was subsequently combusted in 1972. As one enters the grounds from the city, the gate’s masonry reads ‘The Pines.’ A stoic sense of history frames the pathways as a sacrifice for the super-ego that comprises the cultural essence of Los Angeles. Facing several different routes, an explorer may take a paved trail that winds up the canyon or two rustic dirt trails that climb exponentially on each side flanking the main developed concrete path.
The site marks a shared conscious experience that is an eyelet for the breathtaking landscape of Los Angeles. The homes surrounding the area share added value in proximity to the park. The vast vacant lands make for an easy escape to jog for miles free from industrial constraints.
In the middle of the park there are homes off of Runyon Canyon Rd. These private abodes are carefully respectful of the look and feel of the park and its visitors. However, in recent years the owners have sought to add to their compounds. The sought after hills above Hollywood are ever increasing in value as the ridgeline has limited space. The canyon nestles each home like a countryside retreat with adjacent neighborhood lights that gleam like stars in a twilight backdrop.