JOGGING PATHS : Some of the well-trod and scenic routes for runners in Los Angeles County.

1. HESSE PARK, 29201 Hawthorne Blvd., Rancho Palos Verdes

From the west edge of Hesse Park, the land drops away sharply to the Pacific Ocean. The wind off the ocean provides the best air found in Greater Los Angeles. The park features various exercise stations for stretching and warming up. One drawback is the park’s relatively small size. The quarter-mile loop around the perimeter can become monotonous, but the expansive view of mountains, sea and clouds makes it worthwhile.

2. SAN VICENTE BOULEVARD, Santa Monica

The grassy median of San Vicente Boulevard is a four-mile run from Ocean Avenue to the Los Angeles city limits and back. The route is well known in the entertainment industry because many film and music-business types commute along the corridor between Hollywood and Pacific Palisades and Malibu. Unemployed actors, screenwriters and technical directors would do well to mix their business and cardiovascular conditioning here.

3. EXPOSITION PARK AREA, Exposition Boulevard and Figueroa Street, Los Angeles

This is a popular green space used by joggers in South Los Angeles. Although this busy neighborhood is also home to the Coliseum, the Sports Arena and two large museums, a jog along the rows of old, stately trees and around the park’s 7.5-acre rose garden can be an escape from the sounds of the city. Street parking is easier to find on weekends.

4. SEPULVEDA BASIN RECREATION AREA, San Fernando Valley, northwest of the junction of the San Diego and Ventura freeways.

The San Fernando Valley is hot. The Santa Monica Mountains cut off most of the onshore airflow. Valley joggers know that if the temperature forecast for downtown Los Angeles is 80 degrees, the Valley usually tops 90. Many runners go out in the early morning, and a favorite spot is the Sepulveda Basin, which features long pedestrian and bike routes, both paved and unpaved, running parallel to Burbank Boulevard. Curving past the cluster of golf courses, parks and wildlife areas, the paths are a nice change of pace from the old neighborhood loop.

5. HOLLYWOOD RESERVOIR, Hollywood Hills, off Barham Boulevard

Behind 188-foot-high Mulholland Dam lies Hollywood Reservoir, encircled by pine and sycamore-covered slopes. The facility, completed in 1924, is operated by the Department of Water and Power. Use of the 3.2-mile asphalt path along the lake’s perimeter brings out the poetry in some joggers. They speak of “an otherworldly atmosphere” and “Zen-like tranquillity.” It is open to public from 6:30 to 10 a.m. and from 2 to 6:30 p.m. daily, and 6:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. weekends. (After Oct. 1, closing time will be 6 p.m.) No dogs allowed.

6. ARROYO SECO, Pasadena

Pasadena’s Arroyo Seco offers many options for runners. Lower Arroyo Park (enter from the 300 block of South Arroyo Boulevard) is about a mile south of the Rose Bowl. Its trails are closed to motorcycles and bicycles. The right of way belongs to joggers, walkers (dogs must be on leashes) and equestrians. From sunset to sunrise the traffic consists mostly of coyotes, skunks and raccoons. Another popular location is the loop around the Rose Bowl and Brookside Golf Course--about three miles. Unless there is a sporting event or flea market in progress at the Rose Bowl, there is usually plenty of parking.

7. CAL STATE L.A., 5151 State University Drive, Los Angeles

The Cal State L.A. campus is near the intersection of the San Bernardino and Long Beach freeways, high on a hill. The elevation provides a steady breeze. The eight-lane track at the athletic field is composed of a slightly spongy synthetic material that appears to resemble reddish-orange cottage cheese. It is easier on the feet than pavement. Cal State L.A. is convenient to most of East Los Angeles. Parking meters charge 25 cents an hour. The track is open from 6 a.m. to dusk.

8. WHITTIER NARROWS RECREATION AREA, 823 Lexington-Gallatin Road, South El Monte

There is nothing in the San Gabriel Valley quite like Whittier Narrows. It is county land straddling the junction of Rosemead Boulevard and the Pomona Freeway. Including undeveloped areas, this sprawling matrix of softball fields, picnic areas, tree-strewn parkland, interconnecting man-made lakes and wildlife sanctuary covers 1.7 square miles (1,092 acres). Runners can go for miles on dirt roads and paths without backtracking.