The hook
There's a quiet lake and six hundred acres of oak woodland hidden in the hills dead center in Los Angeles, and you've almost certainly seen it without knowing where it was.
01Why it's worth it
Franklin Canyon sits tucked in the pass between Beverly Hills and the Valley, close to the geographic center of the city and yet somehow overlooked: six hundred acres of chaparral and oak with a three-acre reservoir at the bottom, a duck pond, a nature center, and five miles of trail. The reservoir is one of the most filmed bodies of water in the world; the fishing hole in the opening credits of the Andy Griffith Show is right here, which is why locals call it Andy Griffith Lake. Countless other shows and movies used it as their generic pond or forest. What it feels like on the ground, though, is a genuine escape, birds and turtles and shade a five-minute drive from Sunset, free and almost always calm.
02How to experience it
It's off Franklin Canyon Drive between Beverly Hills and Sherman Oaks, about six hours from the Bay. Free, no permit. The flat lake loop is easy and good for kids; the Hastain Trail climbs for the workout and the view. Come in the morning for the quiet, and stop in the Sooky Goldman Nature Center.