Brand Park

Thirty-one acres at the base of the Verdugo Mountains, wrapped around the Brand Library. Hiking and biking trails, picnic areas, a playground, and — the reason to bring a date — a trail that climbs to the Brand family cemetery, marked by a pyramid where Leslie Brand is buried alongside his dogs, at his own request.

What to know

The Miss American Green Cross statue stands at the trailhead, a monument to the early environmental movement. The park keeps much longer hours than the library it surrounds.

Best for

A walk with a genuinely strange destination at the top of it

Avoid if

Midsummer afternoon — the trail is exposed and the Verdugos hold heat

What to wear

Real shoes. The pyramid trail is a climb, not a stroll.