Head for Hollywood's Hills

Length: Five miles

Rating: Moderate

The hike: On a clear day, you can see as far as downtown Los Angeles from this trail near Malibu -- but the Pacific Ocean is the real star of this hike. The trail begins in a dense Pacific Palisades neighborhood, disappears into chaparral and coastal sage scrub, then emerges into wide-open views of Santa Monica's crescent-shaped coastline. The trail can get crowded with mountain bikers and runners on weekends, but the path is wide and seems quieter than other coastal hikes in the area. In the spring and early summer, the weblike orange California dodder, purple lupine and other wildflowers blanket either side of the path. After a series of moderate uphill climbs, the trail gives way to a grassy meadow and Parker Mesa Overlook, a wide clearing with two large wooden benches and front-row views of the deep blue Pacific.

Getting there: From Santa Monica, take Pacific Coast Highway north to Sunset Boulevard and turn right. Make a left onto Paseo Miramar and follow it uphill until it dead-ends at the trailhead.

4. Reagan Ranch Loop (Malibu Creek State Park)

Length: Three miles

Rating: Easy

The hike: Ronald Reagan used this 305-acre ranch, known as Yearling Row, as a weekend retreat in the 1950s and 1960s before he was elected governor. Now part of the state park system, it has several little-used trails that meander past rolling meadowland, oak and eucalyptus forest and a couple of seasonal duck ponds. To do the loop, walk past an old barn and horse stables that have been converted into park offices. After a quarter-mile, continue straight on the Yearling Trail and follow it for a mile across a meadow that in the spring is covered in hummingbird sage, white milkmaids and other native wildflowers. If the chaparral-blanketed hills surrounding the property look familiar, that's because the site that doubled for North Korea in TV's "M*A*S*H" is less than a mile away. Return to the trailhead via the single-track Deer Leg Trail, which branches off to the right and winds under a canopy of oak trees and a shaded clearing that looks like the perfect spot to throw a political fundraiser. When I told a park ranger I planned to hike this trail on a weekday in early spring, he said I'd likely have the property all to myself. He was right.

Getting there: From U.S. 101 in Agoura, exit on Kanan Road and head south. Turn left on Cornell Road and follow to the intersection with Mulholland Highway. Park in the small lot on Cornell Road. The trailhead begins at the southeast corner of the intersection near a cluster of park office buildings.

5. Walnut Forest Trail (Ernest E. Debs Regional Park)

Length: Three miles

Rating: Easy

The hike: Tucked between the Pasadena Freeway and the east L.A. neighborhoods of Highland Park and Boyle Heights, this 300-acre hillside is home to California black walnut trees, more than 130 species of birds, and pristine trails that are rarely crowded. The Walnut Forest Trail begins at the fire road gate near the park entrance and meanders up a gradual incline past coastal sage scrub, walnut and eucalyptus trees, and views of the hillside neighborhoods that surround the park. When the trail reaches a paved fire road, hang a right and walk a half-mile to your reward -- a bucolic pond overlooking the city to the south. Framed by pine trees and a few large rocks that invite sitting, it makes a great place to rest and regroup before heading back down the hill. I've seen people with fishing poles here on weekends, but fishing isn't allowed, according to park officials.

Getting there: Exit the 110 Freeway at Avenue 52. Head east and follow the road until it turns into Griffin Avenue. Park entrance is on the left across from a baseball field.

For general information on travel to Los Angeles: Los Angeles Convention and Visitors Bureau, 800-228-2452, http://www.lacvb.com.

Laura Randall, a frequent contributor to Travel, is the author of "60 Hikes within 60 Miles: Los Angeles" (Menasha Ridge Press, 2006).