This 8,000-acre mountainous park looks unlike anything else in L.A. With dramatic gorges, open pastures, lush forests, hidden pools and jagged peaks, Malibu Creek is simply stunning. You’ll find a bit of silver screen history, too, with remnants of the M*A*S*H set and the rock pool that was featured in Planet of the Apes. Parking costs $3 an hour, up to $12 for the full day.

The Santa Monica Mountains provide some of the best opportunities for local leaf-peeping, and at Malibu Creek Park (or what the locals call the “Yosemite of Southern California”) you’ll discover some lovely old-growth trees that turn all shades of fall as cooler air comes to town (keep your eyes peeled for the beautiful yellow-leaf Sycamore varieties!). A great place for beginning hikers, Malibu Creek lives up to its name with a gurgling stream and low elevation trails.