Griffith Park - the Heart of Los Angeles
Los Angeles > California > United States
Nestled in the sprawling city of Los Angeles just north of Hollywood and south of Burbank is a vast chunk of wilderness bordered by the Hollywood and Ventura freeways, Interstate 5, and busy Los Feliz Boulevard.
Within its 4,210 acres are —
- The Los Angeles Zoo
- The Greek Theater
- The Hollywood Sign
- Griffith Park Observatory
- Travel Town Museum
- Griffith Park Boys’ Camp
- The Autry National Center
- Fern Dell Canyon
- Toyon Canyon Landfill
- Several grassy parks, soccer and baseball fields
- Roosevelt, Harding and Wilson Golf Courses
- 53 miles of fabulous trails!
At its feet sit the celebrity-stocked Hollywood Hills Forest Lawn memorial park, and several prized Disney properties including ABC, Imagineering and Disney Parks & Resorts where I used to work. Mulholland Highway begins its fabulous journey as a mere dirt road squirreling near the summit of Mt. Hollywood.
Pretty Popular Place
Over 10 million folks visit Griffith Park every year. Any given weekend it’s swarming with people recreating: hiking, biking, walking, playing, picnicking, hula hooping, drumming, golfing, motorcycling, horseback riding, etc.
So far I’ve done all those except drumming and golfing.
With its close proximity to Hollywood, Griffith Park has provided the stage for numerous movies including Rebel Without a Cause, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Birth of a Nation, Earth Girls are Easy and Back to the Future I and II. The setting is remote yet metropolitan. It’s an oasis within the endless urban spread of Los Angeles and a great place to see panoramic views of Hollywood, Glendale and Burbank. On a clear day after a good rain even Catalina Island is visible. To the north are the Verdugo Mountains and San Fernando Valley, to the west are the Santa Monica Mountains. Vital freeways wrap around like arteries. The Los Angeles River flows lovingly along two sides.
If L.A. has a heart, it’s Griffith Park.
A Very Brief History
The area has a long and colorful history dating back thousands of years. Artifacts from a town of indigenous people have been recovered in Fern Dell Canyon. Around 1800 it became Rancho Los Feliz and passed through various hands until it was acquired by its namesake Colonel Griffith J. Griffith who bequeathed it to the City of Los Angeles.
Photos here are from various visits during the spring. Regular rains have flooded the scenery with greenery. A nasty fire in 2007 scorched thousands of trees, causing overgrown undergrowth.
Eucalyptus Grove
On one Sunday afternoon we gorged on Subway sandwiches at Mineral Wells Picnic Area and then hula hooped for a bit to aid digestion. At the top of a hill near Mineral Wells Trail we came upon a Eucalyptus grove decked out with a remarkable diversity of flowers, herbs, shrubs and succulents. This hidden treasure sported fantastic views of the golf courses and Glendale.
The next Sunday hoop guru Isaac Prado presented us with two hand-made hoops and we hiked up to the helipad high above the cityscape and hula hooped late into the afternoon.
Jennifer discovered many herbs growing along the grassy paths we trekked. I’ll have to get her to write them down. She makes an herbal salve and breast massage oil from organic and ethically wildcrafted herbs and is very knowledgeable about these things.
Me, I just like the greenery.
Fern Dell
This is certainly one of the most beautiful features of Griffith Park. This lush tropical garden resembles places on Kauai more than dry Southern California. Walkways follow a meandering stream which pours gently over several waterfalls as it feeds the hydrophilic flora. In the photo below are three of my favorite plants — prehistoric Australian Tree Ferns, delicate Maidenhair Ferns, and the leafy monstera deliciosa.
In Fern Dell you never know when an orange-clad monk will come walking down the path to Enlightenment.
Tags Hiking, Parks, Motorcycling, Walkabout
Los Angeles Series | All United States Locations
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