Two parks sit across from each other at the stoplight where Coldwater Canyon Avenue meets Mulholland Drive. TreePeople's parking grove is on the east side of the intersection, opposite the light, marked by a green sign. Franklin Canyon Drive leaves the same intersection on the other side and heads toward the Sooky Goldman Nature Center, half a mile in. They share an intersection but keep different hours, and that gap grows on Sunday, November 1.
Daylight saving time ends at 2:00 a.m. on Sunday, November 1, 2026. That evening the sun sets over Los Angeles at 4:59 p.m. From then until the new year, the sun closes one side of the intersection. The other side closes on a posted clock, and its calendar lists only two scheduled evenings that run past that clock, both ticketed.
Franklin Canyon Runs on the Sun
The Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority posts one hours rule for the parks it manages: open sunrise to sunset. Franklin Canyon is one of those parks, and it posts no clock hours of its own. So the closing time there moves every day. Here is how it moves this season, using timeanddate's Los Angeles tables:
- Sunday, November 1: sunset at 4:59 p.m., the first evening on standard time
- Friday, November 20: 4:46 p.m.
- Monday, December 7: 4:43 p.m., close to the year's earliest sunset, which timeanddate puts on December 4 or 5
- Friday, December 18: 4:46 p.m.
- Monday, December 21: 4:47 p.m.
Griffith Observatory's 2026 table is one minute off from these on several dates. Both sources give the same time for December 18. In practice, starting November 1, an afternoon walk around the reservoir has to end before 5 p.m. through the end of the year. The latest sunset in this window is the 4:59 on the first day.
In daylight, the canyon still offers everything that makes it worth the drive in. MRCA describes 605 acres of chaparral, grassland, and oak woodland, a three-acre lake, an ADA-accessible duck pond, and more than five miles of trails. The National Park Service names the three main trails, Discovery, Berman, and Hastain, and points out the stroller-friendly loop around the reservoir. It also notes that Heavenly Pond and Franklin Canyon Reservoir serve as stopovers for birds on the Pacific Flyway. The cold months are a good time to visit for that reason. MRCA calls the lake and pond a permanent and seasonal home for Pacific Flyway birds.
This Is the First Winter With the Whole Road Back
Last winter the canyon was harder to reach. The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power's construction notice said work would begin in October 2025 and close Franklin Canyon Drive between the North and South swing gates. The closure barred cars and pedestrians alike. The Upper Franklin Canyon Road Repair Project covered about 2,200 feet of road. Crews also built a retaining wall and placed large stones to stabilize the hillside and reduce runoff onto the road. LADWP's posted schedule ran from October 2025 through April 2026.
LADWP's update dated March 10, 2026 says Franklin Canyon Drive is open to all traffic. It adds that any remaining work will be done with temporary shutdowns or flaggers. MRCA's park page now states that the repairs are complete and that both the North and South Gates are open to vehicles.
That makes this the first short-day season in two years when the canyon is open end to end. You can drive from the Mulholland side through the upper canyon and down toward Lake Drive and the old Doheny ranch house, which dates to 1935. The road is open again, and the daylight to use it on a weekday afternoon is at its shortest.
Across the Light, Two Posted Closing Times
TreePeople's side of the intersection is Coldwater Canyon Park, 45 acres that began as something else. In the 1920s the site was the Los Angeles Fire Department's Mountain Patrol Station No. 1. Station crews cut many of the trails and fire roads still in use, and the tower where crews hung hoses to dry still stands next to the nursery yard and parking grove. In 1974 the City let TreePeople use the grounds as a nursery. The fire facility moved up the road in 1977, and the land became the park.
Unlike Franklin Canyon, TreePeople posts clock hours. Its Parks and Trails page gives two different answers. One FAQ entry says the park is free and open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. unless otherwise specified. A separate "Hours of Operation" entry on the same page says 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. in summer and 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. in winter. The page doesn't say which applies, so check with TreePeople before planning an early-morning or post-dusk visit. Either way, the park opens and closes on a set clock, while the gates across the street follow the sun.
The park rules are short. Dogs stay on leash. Mountain bikes are allowed and e-bikes are not. Restrooms are next to the nursery, behind the black screened fence.
Two Fridays After Dark
Between the clock change and the end of the year, TreePeople's events calendar has two scheduled evenings on the ridge, both Moonlight Hikes presented with Living Earth.
- Friday, November 20: bu.re_, the ambient project of Los Angeles-born producer and multi-instrumentalist Devin Blair, whose new album is "seasons in migration."
- Friday, December 18: Sonoda, a Los Angeles meditative pop project and four-piece live band founded by Lisa Sonoda, playing synths, guitars, singing bowls, tingshas, chimes, bass, and drums.
Both nights run on the same schedule, and on both the sun sets at 4:46 p.m.
- The venue usually opens about an hour before showtime, and picnicking is allowed in the amphitheatre itself.
- Check-in begins around 6:30 p.m.
- The music starts shortly after 7 p.m.
- Hiking groups head out promptly at 8 p.m., more than three hours after sunset.
Hikers set out at 8 p.m., the latest closing time TreePeople posts for the park, and after the 6 p.m. winter closing on the same page. Franklin Canyon has been closed since sundown by then. These two evenings are the only events on TreePeople's calendar for the rest of the year that run past both of its posted closing times, and they require a ticket.
The performances take place in the S. Mark Taper Foundation Amphitheatre. It was built in 1997 and renovated from 2020 to 2022 with permanent lighting, sound, and improved seating, funded by the S. Mark Taper Foundation. The main way in is by hillside stairways and mulched trails, so TreePeople recommends comfortable flat-soled shoes. Guests who need vehicle access should tell TreePeople in advance and arrive at least 30 minutes before the performance.
TreePeople says admission varies by show, so check each listing for the price. Tickets are nonrefundable, and TreePeople doesn't accept cash. Seats are first come, first served, either on the main bleachers facing the stage or in folding chairs around the stage and along the trail above it. Foam pads are provided, and TreePeople notes that evenings usually cool down, so bring a sweater, light jacket, or lap blanket.
Getting Up the Hill on a Show Night
The two parks' different hours matter most for parking. TreePeople's lot is small, and the organization encourages carpooling and rideshare for every event. Its general information page addresses the overflow directly:
"If the TreePeople lot is full, there is limited parking in the neighborhood surrounding. Please do not block any driveways or park in non-designated spots in Franklin Canyon Park. Please note Franklin Canyon Park closes at sundown."
By the time hikers gather on November 20 and December 18, Franklin Canyon will have been closed for hours, so the lot across the light isn't an option. TreePeople gives one alternative: Wilacre Park on Laurel Canyon Boulevard, which means a hike of about 35 minutes up to TreePeople headquarters. TreePeople also says ticket holders get parking information with their tickets.
For a neighbor who lives a short drive from the intersection, rideshare is the simplest option on those two Fridays. On ordinary winter days, plan a Franklin Canyon walk to end by about 4:45 p.m., and plan TreePeople visits around whichever of its posted closing times turns out to apply.
At John Giddins we pay attention to how the canyon's routines shift with the seasons, because those details shape what a hillside address is like day to day. If you're wondering how the Coldwater and Mulholland corridor affects the value of your own property, ask us "What's My Home Worth?" and we'll prepare a private, informed estimate.