This weekend, author and urban hiker Dan Koeppel is leading his annual Big Parade L.A., a two day (with a one-day prologue) trek starting at Angel’s Landing in downtown and snaking its way through the public staircases of Echo Park and Silver Lake before ending at the Hollywood Sign.

As always, the Big Parade is a low-key affair – you can enter or leave the parade whenever and wherever you like, and the speed should be fairly low as the group will be stopping at interesting cultural sites along the way. The routes are also divided into several loops, so you can just hike a section of the parade route if you wanted to.

Head to BigParadeLA.com for more info, including detailed descriptions and general timetables for the routes for Day One and Day Two. KCET also has a good write-up of the experience.

Much in the same way that walking slowly through the woods gives you a greater appreciation for our natural surroundings, the Big Parade L.A. is a wonderful way to get to know your city up-close and personal. It sure beats driving through it!

Tags: beachwood canyon, big parade l.a., dan koeppel, echo park, Hiking, Hollywood, Los Angeles, silver lake, urban hiking