Visit Us
Center for Community Forestry
At TreePeople we have the privilege to work in a beautiful natural environment. We are located in 45-acre Coldwater Canyon Park on Mulholland Drive in the Santa Monica Mountains, offering nature trails and experiential education.
We welcome you to come explore on your own, or join us for a free Drought Solutions and Native Plants Tour every Saturday at 10:00 a.m. Whether you're taking a hike and enjoying the serenity of the trees, picnicking with family or friends, or attending with your school group, we hope you'll be renewed and inspired. Of course, one of the best ways to enjoy our park is as a volunteer.
Visitor Info
Hours: Open every day of the year from 6:30 a.m. to sunset
Admission: Free
Location: 12601 Mulholland Dr., Beverly Hills, CA 90210
Parking: We have a small parking lot. Carpooling is encouraged.
Support TreePeople Center for Community Forestry
TreePeople receives no public money for Coldwater Canyon Park. We maintain the park based entirely on donations from people, like you, who love and care about this natural and educational jewel. Your support is necessary to preserve the park for all to enjoy. Give a donation today.
Does your dog love the park? Give him or her a Pet Membership!
Film and Photo Shoots
Limited film and photo shoots are allowed with the approval of our Park Operations Department and the payment of a donation appropriate to the project. Please contact jhardie@treepeople.org or call (818) 623-4845 for details.
Park Policies
Park Features
The TreePeople Conference Center
Rated as LEED-Platinum (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design), the Conference Center's sustainable features include:
- Site orientation
- Energy-efficient window glazing
- Concrete in roof and floor
- Dual-flush toilets
- Reclaimed lumber for solar shades
- Sustainably harvested siding and sheathing
- Non-toxic cotton insulation
- Recycled structural steel.
The TreePeople Conference Center is available for events, conferences and corporate retreats.
LaKretz Urban Watershed Garden
This is a special interactive demonstration area designed to show how water makes its way through the urban environment. It compares side-by-side an unsustainable urban landscape to a sustainable one. People can participate in a hands-on experience to see exactly how simple changes can carry great impact to our city. This display is engaged by more than 10,000 school children who visit us each year.
Parking Grove
TreePeople's Parking Grove demonstrates an environmentally friendly alternative to the traditional asphalt and concrete parking lots that blanket much of Los Angeles. It incorporates a number of sustainable features:
- Light colored pavement: Asphalt is painted with a light color that reflects heat, cooling the city.
- Shade trees: Shade on parked cars can decrease cabin temperatures by 40-50°F and also reduces evaporative hydrocarbon emissions.
- Permeable paving: The gravel in TreePeople's parking stalls enables rainwater to soak into the ground. Permeable surfaces like this can help replenish our region's groundwater supplies.
- Rainwater harvesting: Our Parking Grove captures and filters rainwater that we store for irrigating our gardens. We sloped the lot to make the water flow into a centralized, gravel trench drain. From there, the water seeps down into pipes that carry it to our huge underground storage tank known as a cistern.
TreePeople Cistern
Living in a city with limited rainfall, it is important to capture every drop. To do this, we at TreePeople have installed a huge water tank, called a cistern, that collects rainwater runoff from the Center's rooftop, fire lane, our parking lot and the surrounding landscape. This water is filtered and then used throughout the year to irrigate our landscape on the top level of the park. This circular 216,000 gallon tank, 70 feet in diameter and 8 feet deep, sits underground right in the middle of our facility.
W.M. Keck Foundation Nursery
In support of our restoration projects throughout the region's natural parklands, our nursery grows indigenous plants and trees. The seeds used are collected by our staff from the areas where the plants will eventually be transplanted. We also maintain several varieties of fruit trees that will be used in school and public orchards.
S. Mark Taper Foundation Amphitheatre
Dedicated in 1997, this intimate venue hosts theatrical readings, concerts, family & comedy nights, environmental presentations and classes during the summer. The amphitheatre was made possible through the generosity of the S. Mark Taper Foundation and several individuals, including Johnny Carson, Candice Bergen, Danny DeVito and Rhea Pearlman, Steve Martin and Bonnie Raitt. Actors Conservatory Ensemble, a volunteer theatre company that produces our unique summer entertainment series, "Once Upon a Canyon Night," plans to return with a full summer schedule this year "in the woods and under the stars," all in support of us and our wonderful park. For more information contact shows@treepeople.org or (818) 623-4877.
S. Mark Taper Foundation Environmental Learning Center
This classroom space, used for trainings, workshops and Eco-tours, is an environmentally sustainable structure. Rainwater is captured on the roof and directed down a "rain chain" into a gravel collection basin below. It is then directed to our underground cistern and used to irrigate the landscape. The gutter on the front portico allows water to cascade directly down into a river rock swale and percolate into the soil.
Nature Trails
Enjoy panoramic views of the San Fernando Valley from our trails in Coldwater Canyon Park. We have trails suitable for hiking, biking and pushing strollers. Our trail map helps you to plan your adventure.
- Seeking a longer hike?
Our headquarters are part of a larger cross-mountain park that encompasses three additional parks, totaling more than 1,000 acres. From our site, you can continue your trek by hiking north to Wilacre Park, east to Fryman Canyon Park or south to Franklin Canyon Park. - Want to help maintain the park?
Volunteers are absolutely critical to maintaining our park. And park work days are a fun way to get some exercise, while you help care for our beautiful landscape and keep our trails clear and safe for hiking. Check our calendar to learn about upcoming park work days and volunteer to lend a hand.
The Joyce & Lee Lipkis Garden
The Joyce & Lee Lipkis Garden is a quiet corner of TreePeople Center intended for reflection and inspiration for both park visitors and people participating in conferences and workshops at TreePeople Conference Center. The area includes lovely native plantings, inspiring views of the San Fernando Valley and is the home to the beautiful wood sculpture called "Currents" by the renowned artist Baile Oakes. "Currents" is a gift of the estate of William Alexander, and was lovingly restored to its full luster by Three Elements Studios under the guidance of the artist. Joyce and Lee Lipkis were the parents of Andy Lipkis, TreePeople's founder and president. The garden was made possible by friends and members of the Lipkis family.
Yurt Village
You will find our offices not in a regular building, but in a small village of yurts nestled amongst an orchard. The yurt is a modern adaption of the ancient structures still used by Central Asian nomads today.