*Upcoming Walks*

PLEASE VISIT THE FACEBOOK PAGE FOR THE CURRENT SCHEDULE OF WALKS. What’s below is outdated. Sorry to force Facebook membership on folks, but I had to unify the information.


This page is semi-deprecated; to keep things simple, I’m moving the schedule to Facebook exclusively. (I need to spend more time designing the walks – and walking – then maintaining multiple website. The rest of the site is still valid.)  Here’s the Facebook page – click the  ”Events” tab for the most recent schedule.

How to play: Please RSVP. A walk may be cancelled if less than five people RSVP. Please check back here – or on the Facebook page – the morning of the walk to make sure the walk is still on (and no, if you RSVP and you don’t show, you won’t be punished; you will simply be required to bring donuts to the next walk you attend.

START POINTS: Since we repeat walks, there’s some shorthand. These start points apply unless otherwise specified.

Silverlake 1,2,and 3 all meet at the Music Box Stairs in Silverlake. That’s adjacent to 923 N Vendome St., just south of Sunset Blvd. and just west of Silverlake Blvd (Google Maps link.)

Franklin Hills walks meet at Baller Hardware, 2505 Hyperion Ave, at the corner of Tracy St (Google Maps link.)

Echo Park walks meet at Chango Coffee House, 1559 Echo Park Avenue, Los Angeles, at intersection of Echo Park Ave. and Morton Ave (Google Maps link.)


AND, coming in January, STAIR TREK II. The Stair Trek – previously known as “The Big Walk” – is the single-day precursor to the Big Parade. This will be the fifth time we’ve done it, and it will cover 68 stairways over 24 miles. Unlike the Big Parade, there’s no fanfare, no join points, no twittering, no public nothing. Anyone is welcome to come, but this is as tough as it gets. Please contact me directly if you’re interested.


PAST WALKS (for reference)

October, 2010:

Big Parade Practice Walks return in October. A non-stairway “Blackbelt” walk – exploring an experimental pavement route, 10 miles – is scheduled for Sunday, October 17. We meet at the Chinatown Metro Gold Line station at 9AM.

On Tuesday, October 12 and Tuesday, October 19, we will do some traditional evening practice walks. We meet at Baller Hardware in the Franklin Hills (2505 Hyperion Avenue) at 6:00PM (NEW TIME!) on October 12 for a 2-mile, 14-stairway walk; and at 5:30PM (NEW TIME) at The Music Box Stairs in Silverlake (adjacent to 923 Vendome) on October 19 for a five-mile, 15 stairway walk. CANCELLED!

On Sunday, October 24,we do – for the first time in over a year – the traditional 11-Mile Echo Park route that was part of the first version of “The Big Walk,” which preceded the Big Parade. Meeting place: Chango Coffee Shop, 1559 Echo Park Avenue, Los Angeles, 9AM.

FAST AND LIGHT: On Tuesday, October 26 at 6:00, we meet at Baller Hardware for the Franklin Hills, but we run the stairs, so please come only if you’re prepared to do that.

Please check back a couple of days before the walk, just to make sure nothing has changed.

More October Walks: These will be led by Bob Inman, my Big Parade/Stairway route collaborator. You MUST RSVP for these walks, as space is limited. Do that here.

Saturday, October 23, Tales of the Arroyo: A two-part (seven miles in the morning, six in the afternoon) walk that covers some of Northeast L.A.’s most historic and beautiful spots. This is Bob Inman’s bread-and-butter walk, and you won’t find a better guide to the stairs – and everything surrounding them – of these amazing neighborhoods. Bob will email you the start points upon your RSVP.

Sunday, October 31 – Stairways and Beer, 4th Edition. A 7-mile loop through Mt. Washington, with lots of unpaved roads and trails. Meet: Verdugo Bar, 3408 Verdugo Rd., 1PM.

November 2010:

Stairway Walks to be announced, but the big event for this month is the fifth annual Great Los Angeles Walk, which this year follows Wilshire Boulevard from downtown to the sea. An amazing, huge event. Date: Saturday, November 20, 2010.