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I felt frustrated as I hiked through the canyon.

Seemingly at every single turn, a hiker blazed past me, ignoring any semblance of trail etiquette.

A house party near the mouth of the canyon blared music that reverberated throughout the hillsides, blocking any chance to hear birdsong. Although I’m nonbinary, I felt my gender rapidly evolving into grumpy old man.

“The privilege of living here,” I grumbled to myself. “Never hiking on Memorial Day ever again.”

Then, I realized just how much my own attitude was ruining what could otherwise be a beautiful day outdoors. I paused, took a few deep breaths and made myself look at the flowers, take in the smile of a passing hiker, and say a few things I felt grateful for. This gentle reframing saved the day.

It was my first time hiking around Santa Ynez Canyon, and I laughed at myself for expecting serenity on Memorial Day, when seemingly half of L.A. heads to the beach and mountains for a quick escape. I had high expectations for the canyon’s Los Leones Trail. Several friends and colleagues had told me how beautiful it was. But those expectations were what put me in such a bad head space at the start of my hike.

I share this experience because I want to remind us all how lucky we are to live in a place where we can hike near the Pacific Ocean and then go swim and bounce in its waves.

In this edition of The Wild, our weekly outdoors newsletter, I will share three great hikes near some of the best (and cleanest!) beaches in Los Angeles County.

I chose trails near beaches that made our “15 best beaches in L.A. County” list this year, including two that feature tide pools. (Don’t know what a tide pool is? Check out my guide on how to explore them!)

A few quick things to remember:

• Plan for hotter temperatures as summer creeps up: 🥵 Make sure to pack more water than you typically need, especially on hikes with minimal shade.
• Bring your sun protection: Lately, I’ve been using my hiking umbrella that I reviewed for last year’s holiday gift guide. Its silver top deflects heat while its black underside traps harmful UV rays.
• Leave no trace: Please refresh your memory of the seven “Leave No Trace” principles, including being mindful of how loud you’re talking and not playing music audibly from your phone or a speaker.
• Tell someone where you’re going: Complete this form (or something like it) and leave a copy with a friend or family member, and another on your car’s dash. This will better ensure rescuers can find you, should an emergency occur.

OK, now that we’ve covered some essential safety measures, let’s dive into this week’s hikes. Soon, you could gaze upon a stretch of coastline from one of these hikes, only to go swimming later in the day at the same spot!

A popular lookout spot near the Los Leones Trail in the Santa Monica Mountains.

(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)

1. Los Leones Trail to Parker Mesa Overlook

Distance: About 7.4 miles out and back
Elevation gain: About 1,500 feet
Difficulty: Moderately challenging
Dogs allowed? No
Accessible alternative: Will Rogers State Park’s Inspiration Loop Trail
Beach to visit nearby: Will Rogers State Beach at Temescal Canyon

This 7.4-mile out-and-back journey in the Santa Monica Mountains starts with taking the Los Leones Trail about 1.3 miles up before joining with East Topanga Fire Road for a steep 2.4-mile trek to the Parker Mesa Overlook.

To begin your hike, you’ll park in or around the Los Leones trailhead near Topanga State Park. Hopefully, you’ll snag a spot in the small lot near the trailhead. This reporter did not get that lucky, but I did find there was plenty of street parking, although it adds a little mileage to the trip.

There are flush toilets and water fountains near the trailhead, which always feels like a luxury. And even just from the restrooms, you can already see the deep blue ocean, a visual hint of what’s to come.

A large swath of the L.A. County coastline is visible from the East Topanga Fire Road.

(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)

You’ll find the trailhead marked by a wood and rock archway with a “Los Leones Canyon” sign. From here, you’ll hike north along steep rocky stretches. Poles and shoes with good traction are essential. I saw multiple hikers fall without them.

Immediately upon entering, it’s easy to see where last year’s Palisades fire charred several trees along the hillside. There is a little bit of mustard popping up, but it’s not overtaking the California sagebrush and other native plants just yet. I was pleased to see wildflowers still blooming in this canyon, including bush monkey flower, cardinal catchfly and just a bit of canyon sunflower. There were also several sumac and Southern California black walnut trees.

Watch out for roots and rocks along the Los Leones Trail, as I noticed several that could easily catch the feet of tired hikers headed down.

From left: Douglas nightshade, bush monkey flower, and canyon sunflower.

(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)

As mentioned, there was a loud house party at one of the houses down the canyon. Once I turned a corner about half a mile in, I could finally hear nature’s music over the All-American Rejects.

At just under 1.3 miles, you’ll find the Los Leones Trail meeting with East Topanga Fire Road (called the Paseo Miramar Trail on some maps). There’s an optional side quest here where you can take the fire road south to an overlook spot with a tree prominent on its bare hilltop.

Otherwise, you’ll take the East Topanga Fire Road northwest for about 1.8 miles before turning south to walk just over half a mile to the Parker Mesa Overlook. Along the way, you’ll find several spots to pause and take in the views.

To the east, you will see the wood frames of dozens of houses being rebuilt after the Palisades fire. It offers a sobering perspective on the long journey to getting one’s house back after wildfire.

I could also see downtown L.A., the Santa Monica Pier, the Palos Verdes Peninsula, sailboats and maybe some dolphins. (If you want to learn how to spot whales and dolphins from the trail, check out my tips on how to do just that!)

As hikers ascend the East Topanga Fire Road, the views of the Pacific Ocean grow only more expansive and panoramic.

(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)

As I left the trail, I noticed the house party had ended, as had my bad mood.

The short trails around White Point Preserve meander through coastal prairie and coast sage scrub.

(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)

2. Vista Trail & Grasslands Loop Trail

Distance: From 1.6 to 2.2 miles
Elevation gain: About 250 feet
Difficulty: Easy, but does include hills
Dogs allowed? Yes, but not on beach
Accessible alternative: Paths around the White Point Nature Education Center and some portions of the Grassland Loop
Beach to visit nearby: White Point/Royal Palms Beach

This gentle 1.6-mile trek through White Point Nature Preserve in San Pedro combines two trails: Grasslands Loop Trail (0.8 miles) and the Vista Trail (0.8 miles). You’ll experience a coastal prairie, a rare habitat that used to cover an estimated 36 square miles, “extending north-south from the crest of the Ballona Bluffs to Palos Verdes and inland from the lee of the El Segundo sand dunes for three to six miles,” according to research compiled by the Urban Wildlands Group.

The White Point Nature Preserve, a 102-acre expanse, also houses a nature education center that’s open weekends from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The preserve’s trails are open daily from dawn to dusk.

Maggie May, canine hiking companion of Wild writer Jaclyn Cosgrove, trots along the trail past native plants in the White Point Preserve.

(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)

The preserve was previously owned by the U.S. military and was a Nike missile site, a Cold War-era missile defense system. The Palos Verdes Peninsula Land Conservancy now manages the L.A. city-owned property, regularly hosting volunteer opportunities to continue the conservancy’s efforts to restore the preserve’s native plant system that was destroyed by human activities.

After your hike, you can head just west of the preserve to White Point/Royal Palms Beach, which Times contributor Jenna Belhumeur wrote in our beach guide offers “some of the most diverse tide pools in Southern California.”

To begin your hike, you’ll park either in a large dirt lot at the preserve or along the street. Then, it’s choose your own adventure. If you’d like to do both loops (see map), you could head west from the parking lot, briefly walking on the Grassland Loop before joining the Vista Trail. Take the Vista Trail clockwise as it wraps around the preserve.

Catalina Island is often visible from White Point Preserve.

(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)

At the top of Vista Trail, the conservancy notes that: “Catalina Island is often visible less than 20 miles away. On the northeast portion of the trail are two gun emplacements built in 1942 as part of the US coastal defense system, each housing a 16-inch gun.” It was a clear enough day when I hiked the trail that I thought I saw a dolphin jump in the nearby water!

You can head from the Vista Trail and join back up with the Grasslands Trail to take its full loop around, too. There is also a nice path around the nature center with several educational signs about the local culture, flora and fauna.

The White Point Nature Education Center in San Pedro.

(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)

I visited the preserve on a weekday and found it to be somewhat meditative, especially when I realized there was a labyrinth near the nature center. The loudest sound was the crunching of my feet as I headed down the path, my trusted hiking dog Maggie May at my side.

The Nicholas Flat Trail in the Santa Monica Mountains, as seen last May.

(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)

3. The Willow Creek Trail to Nicholas Flat Loop

Distance: 1.8 miles (with an option to extend)
Elevation gain: About 575 feet (more if you extend)
Difficulty: Moderate
Dogs allowed? No
Accessible alternative: Nicholas Flat ADA Trail
Beach to visit nearby: Leo Carrillo State Beach

The Willow Creek Trail to Nicholas Flat Loop is a 1.8-mile jaunt through coastal sage scrub at Leo Carrillo State Park that quickly rewards hikers with breathtaking ocean views.

You start near the park’s campground and take the Willow Creek Trail about 0.7 miles northeast before it jags to the west. There, you will find a sign for an ocean vista lookout point, which I recommend as long as body and spirit allow. It’s steep but does provide panoramic views of the mountains and coastline.

From here, you can either take the Nicholas Flat Trail back down to the parking lot, or you can continue on another section of the Nicholas Flat trail that takes you north and eventually to a quaint stock pond in the Nicholas Flat Natural Preserve.

The hike to the stock pond is about 2.3 miles with about 1,100 feet of elevation gained. Round trip, it will add up to 4.6 miles to your hike, depending on whether you incorporate other trails in the preserve into your hike. I’ve found this stretch of the hike to be uncrowded and serene, albeit challenging on the way up.

What I love about this hike is, it’s a buffet serving up some of the best features of the Santa Monica Mountains hikes: great views of the ocean, gorgeous wildflowers and lots of lizards and birds skirting here and there along the trail.

Over the past two weeks, users on iNaturalist have documented golden yarrow, cliff aster, Blochman’s dudleya, Plummer’s mariposa lily and other native plants still with blooms. You might be able to catch wildflowers, too, if you hike it soon!

3 things to do

Volunteers are needed to help at one of the native plant nurseries that the Santa Monica Mountains Fund manages.

(Christina Jimenez, SAMO Fund)

1. Free plants of weeds in Thousand Oaks
The Santa Monica Mountains Fund needs volunteers from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at its Rancho Sierra Vista nursery to process cuttings, transplant seeds and tend to more than 50,000 plants being grown for local restoration. Volunteers who give at least two hours of their time will be thanked with three native plants. Participants should wear outdoor working attire and bring a reusable water bottle and sun protection. Register at eventbrite.com.

2. Learn about mobility justice in L.A.
BikeLA, Los Angeles Walks and the Willowbrook Inclusion Network will host a soft launch gathering of a new community space from 3 to 5 p.m. Sunday at the Willowbrook/Rosa Parks Station. Guests can visit local vendors, including artists and small businesses, and see a portrait exhibit honoring mobility justice leaders. Learn more at the groups’ Instagram pages.

3. Celebrate the planet in Santa Ana
OC Habitats, a Santa Ana-based conservation nonprofit, will host the “Earth for Everyone” festival from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. Saturday at 1505 E. 17th Street in Santa Ana. Several local groups, including Bolsa Chica Conservancy, California Native Plants Society’s Orange County chapter and Orange County Coastkeeper, will be in attendance. Guests can play games, listen to live music, win prizes and more. Register at eventbrite.com.

The must-read

A view of the “Texas Dip” on Borrego Springs Road, near where San Diego Gas and Electric has proposed running miles of high voltage power lines and structures through a long stretch of the Anza-Borrego State Park.

(Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)

One of my favorite sounds while I’m out hiking is the strange, discomforting buzz that comes from large transmission towers often found in our mountains. Just kidding! That’s one of many reasons that environmentalists are puzzled as to why San Diego Gas & Electric has proposed a 140-mile transmission line that would cut right through Anza-Borrego Desert State Park — again. As Times staff writer Hayley Smith reported, experts say the project would disrupt habitat for the park’s 1,500 plant and animal species, including bighorn sheep who already face the U.S. border wall as a migratory barrier. In 2008, a project was proposed along a similar route through the park, “but it was rejected by the California Public Utilities Commission as ‘environmentally unacceptable and infeasible’ because it would result in more than 50 significant and unavoidable impacts to the park,’” Smith wrote. It remains unclear what, if anything, has changed since then.

Happy adventuring,

P.S.

The Santa Rosa Island Fire has been devastating for many of us in the outdoors community to witness. The fire started May 15 and burned more than 18,000 acres of the island’s southeastern end. Santa Rosa is the second largest island in California at about 53,000 acres. It is a special place for many reasons, including its Torrey pines, island foxes, lizards, spotted skunks and several rare birds. Do you have any memories from hiking or camping on Santa Rosa Island that you’d like to share? Please either reply to this newsletter if you received it in your inbox, or if reading from the Times website, email me at jaclyn.cosgrove@latimes.com. We might use your responses in an upcoming article or newsletter. Thank you for sharing what makes this place special!

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.

I stood last week in the middle of a highway, marveling as construction workers used large excavators to repair the collapsed roadway.

I was walking a segment of Angeles Crest Highway that closed about five months ago when winter storms pummeled the roadway, ripping off hunks of pavement and collapsing large sections of the road. I wanted to survey the damage and also enjoy a car-free highway in the beautiful backcountry.

In this edition of The Wild, The Times’ weekly outdoors newsletter, I will share what I observed and include details about how you can repeat my trip. I’d say it is a rare opportunity, but it’s starting to feel, especially as human-caused climate change worsens, like Angeles Crest Highway is closed more often than it’s open.

Angeles Crest Highway, completed in 1956 (in part by prison labor), is a 66-mile curvy road that climbs from around 1,300 feet to nearly 8,000 feet, taking travelers from La Cañada Flintridge to the mountain town of Wrightwood. A large segment, 55 miles, received federal distinction in 1990 as a National Scenic Byway.

In case, like me, you’ve lost the plot of the many recent closures and reopenings of Angeles Crest Highway, here’s a brief refresher.

• Winter 2022/spring 2023: Winter and early spring storms, including atmospheric rivers, blow out multiple sections of the roadway, prompting several closures, including: from near Mt. Wilson Red Box Road to Upper Big Tujunga Road; from Upper Big Tujunga Road to Islip Saddle; and from Islip Saddle to Vincent Gap.
• October 2023: A 20-mile stretch from Upper Big Tujunga to Islip Saddle reopens; road remains closed from Mt. Wilson Red Box Road to Upper Big Tujunga, requiring drivers to take a detour to reach a newly open section; segment from Islip Saddle to Vincent Gap remains closed.
• July 2024: Mt. Wilson Red Box Road to Upper Big Tujunga reopens, ending the need for a detour.
• August 2025: Islip Saddle to Vincent Gap reopens.

A portion of Angeles Crest Highway where the curved shoulder broke off.

(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)

The hiking community celebrated when that final 10-mile stretch from Islip Saddle to Vincent Gulch reopened. The closure blocked access to Dawson Saddle and made the drive to Vincent Gulch to hike the Mt. Baden-Powell trail much longer, as you had to take multiple freeways to maneuver from L.A. around the San Gabriels.

For the first time in three years, all of Angeles Crest Highway was open — for about five months.

Grape soda lupine, left, Grinnell’s beardtongue, snow plant and western wallflower.

(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)

Last December, Southern California experienced another round of a damaging atmospheric river. “More than 10 inches of rain fell in parts of the San Gabriel Mountains in Los Angeles County during a 48-hour period,” The Times reported.

Soon, photos emerged of washed-out segments of Angeles Crest Highway, and the California Department of Transportation announced that, yet again, the highway was closed, this time from 3.3 miles east of Newcomb’s Ranch to State Route 138.

Curious to see the damage for myself, I headed up the highway last week to walk a segment of the closure. My plan was to park at the large lot at the 6,000-foot snow play area and then walk along Angeles Crest Highway for about 4½ miles to Buckhorn Campground, a forested enclave where I’ve spent many nights staring up at the stars.

After having lunch at Buckhorn, I planned to backtrack to Cloudburst Summit where I would take the Pacific Crest Trail back to where I parked. The total trip is just shy of nine miles and gains about 1,200 feet in elevation.

The closed gate near the 6,000-foot snow play area in Angeles National Forest.

(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)

I walked from the lot past the closed gate, appreciating several grape soda lupine, one of my favorite native wildflowers, blooming along the hillside.

I was alone on the empty highway, a scene that was stunningly gorgeous and eerily dystopian. For the first three-fourths of a mile, the road appeared to be in good condition. But then, I trudged around a bend and observed the first segment of collapsed roadway on my trip.

For anyone considering cycling this route, I am happy to report that CalTrans and its contractors have done a nice job creating dirt and rock berms around the damaged portions of road that I observed. I mention that in case, like me, you watched the 1991 TV series “Land of the Lost” and developed an illogical fear of dropping through a crack in the road and unknowingly discovering a time portal to the Jurassic period.

I continued past this first damaged section, listening to the dark-eyed junco and mountain chickadee, laughing as the chipmunks scampered to and fro.

An excavator works to repair a segment of Angeles Crest Highway.

(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)

Soon, at 1.2 miles, I encountered construction workers driving excavators to move earth and repair a drainage area where it appeared water had rushed down the steep mountains and blasted the road away. As you hike or bike, please respect instructions from construction workers and also make sure they see you before you try to pass them.

Just a fifth of a mile farther, and I saw more portions of the roadway that had collapsed, although these sections were smaller than the area the heavy machine operators were trying to repair.

As you hike along, you’ll likely realize that the pavement warms up quickly. It’s important to either start this journey early in the day or on a cooler day — and pack plenty of water.

At about 1.75 miles in, you will reach a junction where the Pacific Crest Trail, a 2,650-mile route that spans from Mexico to Canada, intersects with the roadway. You can turn and head back to your car here if you’d like by taking the PCT. You’ll initially walk west before the trail starts moving southward.

I continued eastward on the highway, pausing at times to appreciate the vista points that you can only observe for a few seconds in a car. At one turnout, I paused to smell the delicious bark of a Jeffrey pine, which has an aroma similar to butterscotch or vanilla.

A view of the San Gabriel Mountains and desert beyond.

(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)

For about a mile-and-a-half, there’s minimal damage, enough of a break to briefly forget why the road is closed. But as you near the Buckhorn Campground entrance, you’ll find serious damage, including where the Mt. Waterman ski lifts used to take travelers up the mountain.

I turned off the highway onto the Buckhorn Campground road, finding it to be in fairly good condition — until you get to the creek crossing. A massive chunk of the road is just gone, washed away presumably by water charging down the steep hillsides. This is the only technically tricky part of the hike, and you’ll want to take good care to discern the best path here. There are a lot of branches and boulders that aren’t stable and could be napping spots for rattlesnakes.

Past here, you’ll find rocks and other debris scattered along the roadway. As I neared the campground, I noticed a Stellar’s jay observing me. Maybe it misses the days when all it had to do for food was wait for clumsy campers to drop bits of sandwiches and trail mix that it could swoop down and enjoy.

A washed-out segment of the road that leads to Buckhorn Campground in Angeles National Forest.

(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)

I sat atop a picnic table at Buckhorn, comforted that the campsites and tall old pines that I’ve camped under multiple times were still there. Although much of the campground remains intact, some campsites near the creek were washed away. I’ve always wanted to camp there. This is why you shouldn’t put off adventure!

After enjoying lunch and chatting with a few PCT hikers, including one who was lost and grateful for my map, I headed back down the highway. Just over a mile in, you’ll turn left near Cloudburst Summit onto the PCT. Your feet will thank you from this break from pavement.

As I trudged along, the quiet monotony of the day allowed me to make oh-so-brilliant observations to myself, like, “Wildflowers are like spring’s Christmas lights,” a note I left for my future self to remember. I bet you’re glad I wrote that down.

Grape soda lupine blooms along the Pacific Crest Trail in Angeles National Forest.

(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)

I was pleased to see so many wildflowers still in bloom along the trail, including several grape soda lupine plants, the alienlike snow plants and a bit of Grinnell’s beardtongue.

Returning to my car, I thought about how much I enjoyed the walk but also how special Highway 2 is, regardless of how you traverse it.

There is no timeline of when the road will reopen. The analysis from CalTrans of what it will take to repair Highway 2 is grim.

“To date, Caltrans crews have identified approximately 40 locations requiring repair, though this number may increase as assessments continue. In several areas, portions of the highway were washed out and remain temporarily inaccessible,” according to the CalTrans website.

A damaged segment of Angeles Crest Highway near the Buckhorn Campground entrance.

(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)

It’s becoming increasingly difficult to remain optimistic that we won’t see a growing number of closures along Angeles Crest Highway.

Highway 2 seems to face similar challenges to its coastal cousin, California’s Highway 1, which is increasingly plagued by storms exacerbated by human-caused climate change.

My colleague Grace Toohey spoke to an expert about Highway 1, who made a point that’s unfortunately equally applicable to the plight of Highway 2.

“If our storm and other conditions were normal, we would expect closures and losses at some points,” said Michael Beck, director of UC Santa Cruz’s Center for Coastal Climate Resilience. “The challenge is that we’re now clear that the events that are going to cause impacts — these particularly extreme events — are getting more common. … Climate change is here and now, it’s no longer a problem of the future.”

3 things to do

Hikers head up Icehouse Canyon Trail.

(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

Editor’s note: Because of recent wildfires, events might be canceled on short notice. Check event pages before heading out.

1. Eliminate trail obstacles near Mt. Baldy
The San Gabriel Mountains Trailbuilders need volunteers on Sunday to help clear fallen trees and remove overgrown brush along the Chapman Trail in Icehouse Canyon near the Mt. Baldy community. Volunteers will meet at 7:30 a.m. at the Glendora Park and Ride before heading to the worksite. Volunteers will hike between four miles and seven miles with an elevation gain of up to 2,000 feet. Register at meetup.com.

2. Mosey past movie scenes near Calabasas
Retired park ranger Mike Malone will guide a three-mile moderate hike from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Sunday through Malibu Creek State Park, highlighting locations where the park served as a backdrop for film and TV productions. Malone will also share history about when the park was owned by 20th Century Fox from 1946 to 1974. Hikers should meet at 10 a.m. at the park’s main trailhead by the restrooms. Learn more at parks.ca.gov.

3. Hike along historical routes in Chatsworth
A docent at Santa Susana Pass State Historic Park will host a 3½-mile hike from 8 to 11 a.m. Monday through the Santa Susana Mountains. Hikers will learn about the park’s ancient quarry, Indigenous culture and the Butterfield Overland Stagecoach route. Hikers will meet at the Andora trailhead in Chatsworth. Learn more and register at meetup.com.

The must-read

A trash interceptor made by the Dutch nonprofit the Ocean Cleanup grabs trash from Ballona Creek that could otherwise end up in the Pacific Ocean. Since its installation in 2022, the interceptor has collected more than 200 tons of trash.

(Christina House / Los Angeles Times)

It can be peaceful to take a stroll along the San Gabriel or Los Angeles rivers amid the cottonwood trees, willows and herons. But it’d be impossible not to notice the garbage too. For years, our local rivers have suffered at the hands of humans and the heaps of waste we produce. That could change. “By the 2028 Olympics, a coalition of city, county, state and private partners hopes to change that by deploying trash-intercepting devices in the Los Angeles and San Gabriel rivers, officials announced [last] Wednesday,” Times staff writer Lila Seidman wrote. “The plan is to prevent hundreds of tons of garbage from getting to the ocean.” Could our rivers be clean that soon?

Happy adventuring,

P.S.

Will Southern California’s roving wolf ever find a mate? I can’t be the only one stressing about this. BEY03F, affectionately called “bae” or “Valentine” by some, has been making headlines since early this year when she became the first wolf to enter L.A. County in more than 100 years. She has since traversed hundreds of miles and through multiple counties, with her latest travels bringing her to Sequoia National Park. This again marks the first time in a century that a wolf was documented there. BEY03F keeps making history because humans wiped out her canine kin. Will she ever find a connection that helps her repair some of the harm done?

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.

Netflix is dropping a three-part docuseries that revisits Michael Jackson’s 2005 trial in which he was acquitted on charges of child molestation.

“Michael Jackson: The Verdict” drops June 3 and features archival footage and interviews with key players involved in the trial including jurors, figures from both the defense and the prosecution, journalists who were inside the courtroom and other eyewitnesses who saw the events unfold firsthand.

“It has been 20 years since the trial of Michael Jackson in which he was found not guilty. Yet, to this day, controversy still rages,” the filmmakers said. “No cameras were allowed in court, and so the public’s view of the facts at the time were filtered by commentators and presented piecemeal. It was time to take a forensic look at the trial as a whole.

“Anyone interested in the Michael Jackson story should feel this documentary gives them a window into what was largely a closed event and a chance to feel closer to what happened.”

The Santa Barbara Superior Court trial lasted 14 weeks, and the jury, which included eight women and four men, deliberated for more than 30 hours across seven days.

Jackson was acquitted on 10 felony charges: four counts of child molestation, four counts of plying a minor with alcohol in order to molest him, one count of attempted child molestation and one count of conspiracy to hold the boy and his family captive at the Neverland Ranch. He faced more than 20 years in prison.

Produced by Candle True Stories, the production company behind Netflix’s “Untold: The Liver King,” and directed by Nick Green, “Michael Jackson: The Verdict,” comes at a time of renewed interest in the “King of Pop.”

The Jackson-estate-approved biopic “Michael” hit theaters last month, and depicts the origin story of the hitmaker from childhood through his upward trajectory to superstar status in the 1980s. Notably, the movie omitted the slew of allegations that followed Jackson from the ’90s until his death in 2009.

Burnley interim manager Mike Jackson is pleased with the way his side kept themselves in the game in their 1-0 defeat at Arsenal and is unhappy Kai Havertz was not sent off in the second half.

MATCH REPORT: Arsenal 1-0 Burnley

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