Re: Hiking/backpacking around Los Angeles

Closest areas to LA with good hicking are:

Sespe wilderness

Sespe's 220,000 acres are beautiful ...a  lot of it isn't well-traveled.

Get the Tom Harrison map before you go.  Check to see which trailheads are
dirt road high clearance and which are dirt roads, conventional auto.

You might try  Manzania Creek   near Ojai, watch out for car break ins at
trailhead.

Check out these on internet.

http://www.tomharrisonmaps.com/

Information on Sespe and the other nearby wilderness areas is a
little hard to come by.  There's a little info in this book:

California's Wilderness Areas - Mountains and Coastal Ranges: The
Complete Guide by George Wuerthner