Griffith Park

Los Angeles, California

Covering over 4,300 acres, Griffith Park is one of the largest urban parks in the entire country and the second largest City park in California.  The park is full of attractions - an observatory that's free to the public, the batman cave from the original series, the Greek Theater, and of course, the Hollywood Sign. The best time to visit the park is at night - you’ll have spectacular views of the City and this is when the wildlife comes out to play (we’ve seen rabbits, deer, coyotes, skunk and a number of owls). This guide provides general travel tips for visiting Griffith Park as well as directions to the two most beautiful views in the park.

General Travel Tips

• Download the Griffith Park map to your phone and bring the descriptions below with you - it's a huge park to navigate through.

• If you hike during the day, bring some snacks and plenty of water. If you hike at night, be sure to also bring a headlamp. When hiking at night, you might also want to bring a small blacklight - there’s the possibility of seeing some scorpions glowing bright green from their reaction to the blacklight.

• Keep an eye and ear out for rattlesnakes. If it’s warm enough, they can even come out at night, so be sure to hike with a light if you’re hiking at night.

• If you bring your dog, keep them on a leash. Griffith Park is an active Coyote area and they’ve been known to hunt dogs.

• Check the online schedule for the Greek Theater as its located in Griffith Park - if there’s an event, go to the park on a different day. If you’re driving route to/from the park involves the 110 freeway or driving near Dodger Stadium, you’ll also want to check the Dodger’s schedule and avoid days when there’s a home game. Traffic in Los Angeles during either of these events is NOT worth it.

Directions to Most Beautiful Views

• Shorter/easier hike, best view of downtown Los Angeles: Park in the lot that’s right after the Greek Theater, cross the street and look for the one trailhead there - this is the Riverside Trail. Take this trail to Vista View Point - the perfect place for a picnic and an even better spot for a date (see the very first photo on this page for the view here). This view is the closest and best view of downtown Los Angeles in the entire park. If you hike at night, be sure to listen for owls - they like to sit at the very top of dead trees and you'll be able to see their silhouettes against the City lights. If it’s wildflower season, explore some of the small trails on your right, along the way to/not far from Vista View Point - you can find a small hill that’s normally full of flowers. The trail to Vista View Point is approximately 2.5 miles roundtrip.

• Longer/moderate hike, best view of the Griffith Observatory: This trail involves some steep sections with uneven ground and loose gravel - you’ll want to have sneakers with good tread on the bottom for this hike. Park at the same location as described above, hike to the end of the Riverside Trail, but this time, take the Hogback Trail all the way to Dante’s View. Continue along the Hogback Trail past Dante’s View (it will be on your left), and head straight past the first fork in the trail you see immediately after Dante’s View. At the very next fork in the trail, take a sharp left and follow the very short trail to the summit of Mt. Hollywood where you’ll find plenty of park benches to take a break. This is one of the highest vista’s in Griffith Park where you can take in views of the Griffith Observatory, the Hollywood Sign, and downtown Los Angeles. This trail is approximately 5.5 miles roundtrip.