Originally Posted by
mike_la_jolla
- All-time favorite is
Victoria Peak in HK. That, however, is a little silly in the LUV thread. I'll start at the FS or Upper House and go all the way to the top. Always hot/humid and beyond category steep. I'm gasping and completely incoherent by the time I get to the top. A perfect run, but an 1,800ft hill from sea level .... that tends to get your attention. Perfect to determine you max HR
Two questions: (1) is there a good running trail that takes you up to Victoria Peak? Or did you just run regular streets to get up there? I've only ridden that funicular to get up there and didn't pay attention to how you'd do it otherwise. (2) Did you ever go out and run or hike Lantau? We took the cable car out to the big Buddha one day and saw some hikers below us. Looked like you could just spend a day out there getting lost on trails in that park.
Actually, these days WN is probably my most-preferred carrier to get to SoCal. AS is the only other one I'd consider. So Catalina is definitely not a silly suggestion and is an awesome place to spend the day! (Fliers on any airline will of course need the ferry.
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Continuing on the SoCal angle, you could do a pretty long unimpeded run on the boardwalk (plus a few residential streets) from at least Huntington down to Newport and Balboa. I've both run it and taken the whole family on a leisurely bike ride. There are probably ways to go even further north and south of those points, but you could make yourself a 20-miler round trip just in this area.
SoCal is of course usually done with a rental car, but I know there is at least one north-south Amtrak line that could get you closer to your end destination and maybe some better LA transit if you're just going as far as Long Beach. (My experience with LA transit is almost nil - rode it from downtown to a Rams game once.)