Where can I buy women's size 5 hiking boots in LA today?

Good news: I ended up getting a child's size 4 at Big 5 for $20.00. Bad news: I took them on their first hike yesterday and they're STILL TOO BIG. Result: Hiking is going to be a thing I'll be doing, so I'm going to stick a crowbar into my wallet and go to REI for a proper fitting. Thanks!

I'd say A-16 or REI, but at least in my neck of the woods (corporate HQ store in San Diego), A-16 is generally regarded as being far superior for making sure you get the right boot, if getting the right boot is somewhat of an important thing for you. If you're getting hiking boots and time is of the essence (like, you're going hiking tomorrow), I'd suspect that you won't have time to properly break in a pair of full-grain leather boots, so A-16 might be overkill anyway. If you're just planning on doing dayhikes for the most part, that's perfectly fine, and a suede/nylon mesh boot will be ok, but mention to the salesperson that you won't have much break-in time so that they can steer you away from boots that will be more likely to hurt your feet without the break-in.

Yes REI, but with additional guidance that you can buy the Keen brand of hiking shoes there, but in children's sizes (I wear a 6 and I do this- their kid sizes extend pretty high), and they will be half the price of the women's.

Seems like the hiking shoes are covered! For fancier shoe needs, I shop at Nordstrom/Rack. Size 4-5.

Sport Chalet.

I wear a size four, so I definitely feel your pain. I've actually been veering away from wearing kids shoes because they do not offer the support or quality I need. However, my hiking boots solution is a pair of kids hiking shoes (mine are from LL Bean but REI will have great options) with a set of Superfeet insoles inside. It works pretty well, and an REI employee can help you choose the right insoles for your feet.

Bring some tennies along on your hike. You don't want to be an hour along and discover your new boots are destroying your feet and you don't have any alternatives. Also bring moleskin and hiking-type liner socks (or the ends of pantyhose). Check your feet for "hot spots' frequently while you hike. Spend a minute reading about blister http://sectionhiker.com/blisters_and_hiking/.

I would go with a quality kids shoe. I am slightly smaller than a 5. I would say go to REI or check online for kids sizes. LL bean might have something, or land's end.

Yeah, pretty much the answer to this is REI (Santa Monica, Manhattan Beach, Arcadia), or the (original?) Sports Chalet in La Canada, which is awesome (Or was when I was a kid which was awesome-long ago; they had a really short ski slope in the parking lot so you could test your boots and fittings!). (Bought boots, tents, assorted camping gear from there back in the day. But my foot size is pretty standard.) Call ahead is probably the best advice. *Santa Monica, Manhattan Beach, Arcadia. We do not mess around when it comes to marketable suburban town names in SoCal.