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There are only so many sun-bleached stucco apartment buildings a person can take before their animal brain demands the presence of leaves and shade. It's hard-wired biology.

If you long for the smell of dirt—and the possibility of getting bitten by something other than an Internet date—head to Malibu Creek State Park, just a few miles off PCH near Pepperdine University. A gurgling creek, green grasses and canopies of oak trees could make anyone with even the mildest capacity for self-deception believe they've left the state. And if all you've seen are Echo Park cockroaches lately, rekindle your childhood wonder of bugs while watching stink beetles lumber through the dust and butterflies doing their straight-off-a-Hallmark-card fluttery thing in the meadows. Miles of trails wind all through the park, delivering eye candy in the form of mountains, wildflowers, jack rabbits munching in the grass, red-tailed hawks, and—as one Events editor spotted on her “research trip”—a 3-foot rattler skulking about. Note: Be careful of those, and don’t go lurking on the trails after dark.

After an afternoon of hiking, weary city dwellers can opt to rough it, pitching a tent on a rocky plot of Malibu Creek State Park’s community campground. Twenty-five bucks a night gives you a patch of land with a fire pit and a picnic bench, plus the opportunity to swig red wine from a bottle around a campfire, listening to crickets and ignoring the incessant chirp of your BlackBerry. (Again, field research sadly revealed that a Metromix BlackBerry received a robust signal out there.)

Staking out the grounds also revealed that some spots are better than others: Site No. 24 is leafy and shady, with plenty of room for a few tents, while No. 27 has a tree stretching right smack in the center of it, enabling you to live like a wood elf for a night. Reservations on the weekends book up fast, so if you’re on the verge of an urban-induced breakdown, take a weekday off and head over when the place is close to empty. Your psyche will thank you.

Another word to the wise: Whether you’re going for just a day or staying the night, make sure to bring small bills, as the ranger isn't always at the station to give change or accept a payment. You might have to grab an envelope at the park's entrance to stuff $8 for parking or $25 for campsite rental into the drop box.

Finally, when you're ready to head back to the big city but aren't ready to say a tearful goodbye to trees, head up Mulholland to the Tree People's headquarters, housed in a ring of yurts in Coldwater Canyon Park. Learn about the organization’s tree-planting missions, sign up for a full-moon night hike, volunteer to help them plant a few leafy babies, or get directions on growing one yourself. Plant it on the lawn when you're landlord's not looking. Come on, everyone loves trees.

Alie Ward is Events editor for Metromix Los Angeles... and likes trees.

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