Editor’s Note: The Wild is going on holiday. We’ll be taking a break beginning Dec. 26 and will return to our regularly scheduled programming Jan. 9. We at the Wild hope you and yours have a wonderful holiday season!

The Friday before Thanksgiving, I found myself in a seasonal parking lot in the unhappiest place on Earth.

It was 10:30 p.m., and I was creeping closer to Los Angeles International Airport to pick up my best friend Emma, who was flying from Oklahoma to visit for two weeks. We thought we were being clever, booking her budget flight to arrive later. There I was, though, among thousands of other “clever” people.

As everyone around me honked and raged, I retreated to my happy place and started thinking about nature. That led to this week’s Wild topic.

If your loved one’s flight is delayed, or if you pick someone up and traffic is exceptionally horrible, I wondered, where could you kill an hour in nature near LAX? Below you’ll find the answer.

A hawk flies from a palm tree near the LAX Dunes Preserve.

(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)

1. LAX Dunes Preserve

Distance: Just under a mile
Elevation gained: Less than 50 feet
Difficulty: Moderately easy

The LAX Dunes Preserve is a 302-acre habitat for a growing list of protected and endangered species, including the El Segundo Blue Butterfly, legless lizards, burrowing owls and Blainville’s horned lizards. They formed an estimated 20,000 to 70,000 years ago during the Pleistocene era and are now the largest remaining coastal dune community in Southern California, part of a dune system that used to stretch from near Santa Barbara along the coast to Mexico.

Although the preserve is closed to the public, there’s a nice trail on its northern side that features native plants, ocean views and opportunities to peek into the dunes.

You can park at either end — at Waterview Street and Pershing Drive, or at Vista Del Mar and Napoleon Street — to start the path. Along the way, you can read educational signs about life on the dunes. The trail is just under half a mile one way, so you could easily get a mile or more in by taking it back and forth.

Even on a rainy day, I spotted several birds, including house wren, mourning doves and two red-tailed hawks flying to and from palm trees, hunting for their next meal in the dunes. And thanks to the short hills along the trail, I had a nice vantage point to see the ocean.

Despite the frequent planes flying overhead, it was a pleasant jaunt where I learned a lot, including how life varies from the foredune, the upward sloping region that faces the ocean, to the backdune, the side facing away from the ocean that gets less sun.

Want to continue your journey? Cross Vista Del Mar and keep walking on the beach path. I rented a bike from the L.A. Metro Bike share program and peddled to the next location.

The Tongva memorial, or monument, in Ballona Discovery Park, which honors the Tongva people from the village of Guashna, land now known as Playa Vista.

(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)

2. Ballona Discovery Park

Distance: Up to 4 miles
Elevation gained: Minimal
Difficulty: Easy

Ballona Discovery Park is a two-acre oasis that features native plants and a riparian corridor where you might spot coots or other waterfowl. It has gentle dirt paths throughout. Without trying, I easily walked half a mile around the park.

Left: The path at Ballona Discovery Park features several native plants and offers a nice escape from the world around you; Right: A tunnel of plants near the model of a kiiy, a traditional dome-shaped home of the Gabrieleno-Tongva.

(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)

Take the self-guided tour, and you’ll discover the medicinal garden and a memorial to the Gabrielino-Tongva people, Ballona’s original inhabitants. There’s also a “kiiy” that you can sit inside and learn more about local Indigenous culture.

Want a longer jaunt? You could take the nearby mostly flat Bluff Creek Trail, a 4(ish)-mile trail that goes through the park and will take you northeast and mostly parallel to Bluff Creek Drive before wrapping around the creek.

An aerial view from the top of the Culver Stairs.

(Michael McKnight)

3. Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook

Distance: 1.5 miles
Elevation gained: Just over 300 feet
Difficulty: Moderately hard

OK, this would take a bit of planning, as it’s the farthest from LAX.

But let’s say you and your guest are on your way back from the airport, and traffic is wretched. Because you’re such a brilliant host, you know if you kill an hour somewhere, traffic will subside.

Lace up your sneakers and head over to the Culver City Stairs, officially known as the Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook. The staircase is a straight shot to the top. After climbing the 282 stairs, you’ll be treated to a panoramic view from this 500-foot peak of L.A., and on a clear December day, the ocean and nearby islands. For those who find stairs challenging, there’s a winding dirt path that will also take you to the top. There are restrooms, water fountains and a nice visitor center with educational panels about local fauna and flora.

And, if you work up an appetite, there are usually food trucks near the park entrance. Tacos and a trek! There’s no better way to show your guest the Angeleno way of life. If they still haven’t tired of the outdoors after that, feel free to consult my guide to the 17 best L.A. hikes for every type of out-of-towner.

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In the rest of the world, there are five love languages. In L.A., there’s a sixth. You really know someone loves you when they’ll drive to LAX for you.

May you feel most loved this holiday season!

3 things to do

Griffith Observatory against the downtown skyline as seen from the hiking trail at Griffith Park on Friday, Dec. 6, 2024.

(Myung J. Chun/Los Angeles Times)

1. Ease your anxiety on a stroll through Griffith Park
Nature advocate Samantha Feinerman and naturalist Jason Wise will host a guided nature walk with yoga and meditation from 2 to 4:30 p.m. Saturday in Griffith Park. The goal of the event is to ease participants anxiety and connect with Earth and one another on the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year. The exact location will be released to participants. The cost to attend is $33.85. Register at eventbrite.com.

2. Count birds in Ventura County
The Ventura Audubon Society will hold its annual Christmas Bird Count from 6 to 11 a.m. Saturday on Ventura Land Trust area preserves. This will be the Audubon’s 125th annual survey and the 45th in Ventura County. The data collected help researchers and agencies assess the long-term health and well-being of bird populations across the U.S. Some birding experience is required. Participants will need binoculars and to download the Merlin bird identification app on their cellphone. Sign up at venturalandtrust.org/volunteer.

3. Plant native species in L.A.
Citizens for Los Angeles Wildlife will host its last re-wilding event of the year from 9 to 11 a.m. Saturday in the Mulholland Corridor. Volunteers will learn about and plant native species, helping to restore the land. Volunteers should wear long pants and closed-toe shoes. Space is limited. Sign up at clawonline.org.

The must-read

(Illustration by Ryan Johnson/For The Times)

Being lost is any hiker’s nightmare. Being lost in the snow adds a whole other layer of fear. In our latest “Between a Rock,” our outdoors survival series, hiker Tom Setterlund shares how a simple day hike to Lukens Lake in Yosemite National Park took a turn for the worse. Setterlund and his wife were experienced hikers and had been to Yosemite several times. A ranger suggested they check out the short hike to Lukens Lake because Setterlund wanted to get photos of trees reflecting on water. But while they were there, it snowed about 5 inches in less than an hour. The snow covered the path they’d taken. They tried and tried to leave but couldn’t find the way back. Read about what happened next here.

If you’ve had a close call with nature yourself, we’d love to hear about it here.

Happy adventuring,

P.S.

California State Parks will host its annual First Day Hikes event on New Year’s Day. You can hike with a seasoned guide at any of the 86 hikes planned at 67 state parks. There are more than a dozen events planned near L.A. What a great opportunity to start 2025 out with joy!

For more insider tips on Southern California’s beaches, trails and parks, check out past editions of The Wild. And to view this newsletter in your browser, click here.