Undercover Wilacre

Wilacre Park's Betty B. Dearing Trail is almost always packed. But there's an unnamed path paralleling it that feels near empty in comparison. Instead of battling the masses at the Laurel Canyon trailhead, park for free at Tree People, an environmental nonprofit off Mulholland Drive. Take one of the staircases leaving directly from the parking lot and veer right to a clearing where the Betty B. Dearing Trail leads uphill in one direction and downhill in another. Go left (uphill) and after a few hundred feet look for a spur trail that rises above the main path. This is the hiker's equivalent to a VIP entrance. Not only does this footpath have all the same great views and fewer people, it's also more exciting: rugged, rocky, and narrow. The trail soon begins to descend. Passing through hillsides green with recent rain you'll be surrounded by views of the Valley cities. The trail ends when it meets up with Betty B. Dearing again near the Laurel Canyon trailhead. Return uphill the way you came, but before leaving, take a quick detour to next-door Coldwater Canyon Park, where a secluded clearing with benches looks toward the San Gabriels, and the hazy Valley sprawls below. City hike minus the city bustle.

This hike is 3-miles (round-trip). Tree People is located at 12601 Mulholland Dr. in Beverly Hills, and the parking lot opens at 6:30 a.m. The Coldwater Canyon lookout spot, Torrey Pines Observation Point on this map, can be accessed via a trail located at the eastern side of Tree People. Dog-friendly!