Hippie Hideaways in Los Angeles Are Alive and Still Groovy!

The Hippie culture still exists in certain parts of Los Angeles if you know where to look. Yoga pants, peace signs, and free spirits abound in nooks and crannies around the city. Some modern-day hippies are Baby Boomers who never gave up the lifestyle and others are young with an artsy bent. I traveled to several Hippie hideaways in the Los Angeles area to see what I could find.

I lived in somewhat of a Hippie conclave up in the hills in Woolsey Canyon. It’s a short jaunt over to Spahn Movie Ranch, where Charlie Manson and his “family” hid out in the late ’60s. Although we don’t want to remember with nostalgia those horrid events, it was part of our youth.

Most of the ranch buildings burned down in 1970 when a California wildfire consumed them. I visited the location a while back when I was helping a friend shoot a documentary called “Sample This” about The Incredible Bongo Band. One of the musicians had been up there with Manson while he was living there and said it was spooky.

On Woolsey Canyon is a rock formation with time capsule writings on it. “Free Manson” “Witches Den” “No More Nukes.” A mile above it is the Santa Susana Field Lab which had a nuclear meltdown in 1959. It was bigger than Three Mile Island but kept secret for years. It is controversial because it hasn’t been properly cleaned up.

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Don’t you love old bugs?

I found this old relic sitting at the bottom of Black Canyon near where I lived. It’s a time capsule of grooviness.

Hippies still frolic in Topanga Canyon

If you drive up Topanga Canyon toward the sea you’ll find one of LA’s quintessential hippie hideaways with vintage clothing shops, bohemian art galleries, ramshackle shacks, an outdoor Shakespearean theater, and organic eateries. It’s a heavenly place to let your inner flower child go free.

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Old Topanga Road is even more rustic. From the valley end, the road winds next to horse and farm properties ending at the Inn of the Seventh Ray. The restaurant, which opened in 1973, has been a bastion for foodies who favor organic California cuisine as well as vegetarian/vegan meals for decades.

Meditate and renew yourself at the SRF Lake Shrine in Pacific Palisades

If you drive south on Sunset Blvd almost to the sea you will find the Self-Realization Fellowship Lake Shrine in Pacific Palisades. The organization was founded by Swami Paramahansa Yogananda who opened the Lake Shrine in 1950.

It’s a serene environment to relax, meditate, and commune with nature and is set on a glistening lake surrounded by tall trees, colorful foliage, and waterfalls. Swans, ducks, giant carp, and tortoises play happily in the water. The Court of Religions near the entrance recognizes and reveres all religious preferences.

As you walk around the lake you’ll see the Windmill Chapel, Golden Lotus Archway, Houseboat and Landing, Sunken Gardens, and Gandhi World Peace Memorial. It’s an ideal setting to spend a few hours getting away from it all to regroup and de-stress.

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For those who are serious about meditation, the Self Realization Center Temple holds lectures and meditation services for adults and children. There’s also a retreat center that offers classes and weekend programs led by monks and nuns of the SRF monastic order.

The Self-Realization Fellowship came into being in 1920 to “introduce truth-seekers of all races, cultures, and creeds scientific techniques of meditation for attaining a direct and personal experience of God.”

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Visit The Mother Center at the top of Mount Washington

Mt. Washington is an old neighborhood located about 5 miles from Downtown Los Angeles. By 1909 it had become a conclave for artists, free thinkers, other bohemian types, and a few hunters. When you drive through its steep hillsides you will see amazing old Victorian and Craftsman homes. But, if you drive up to the top of Ave 43 to 3880 San Rafael Drive, 90065 you will find the Self Realization Fellowship International Headquarters called The Mother Center.

It’s smaller than The Lake Shrine but still beautiful and a lovely place to meditate and enjoy nature.

Rock and roll hippie hangouts

The Sunset Strip is still rocking although not quite as crazy as it did in the 70s. Still, some of our favorite rock and roll hangouts are still there.

The Rainbow Bar and Grill is where rockers and their groupies came to be seen and get munchies. It’s still open and thriving.

Bands are still playing at full volume at the Whisky a Go Go. Often, hard rock tribute bands play there. Gazzari’s is gone, though.

The Roxy is where I saw a live stage performance of Rocky Horror Picture Show with Tim Curry before the movie came out in 1974. It’s still being used for special events and performances.

Read more about the Sunset Strip on my Los Angeles Travel Blog BoominginLA.com.

Laurel Canyon was the quintessential hippie hideaway back then

I don’t want to negate Laurel Canyon which was the biggest enclave of musicians we loved and adored during the 60s and 70s. Everyone you could think of lived up there at one time including The Doors, Jim Morrison, Mickey Dolenz, Joanie Mitchell, Linda Ronstadt, Jimi Hendrix, Mama Cass, Frank Zappa, Jackson Brown, John Mayal, Crosby Stills, and Nash, and more. It is near the Sunset Strip but also has a forest atmosphere.

Today there is traffic, and parking is difficult, so there are not many landmarks marking that era other than The Country Store, and the Houdini Estate which has been there since then. I have a friend who lives in a geodesic dome up there but Laurel Canyon it’s still a cool place to drive past in LA.

This page was last updated 4/2024.

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What hippie hideaways do you know about? Please leave a comment.