One of the largest municipal parks with urban wilderness areas in the United States, Griffith Park has over 50 miles of trails near the middle of Los Angeles. Some of the more challenging trails are at the eastern edge in the Santa Monica Mountains, including the Wonder View Trail up to Mount Lee. Today’s semi-urban Griffith Park hike is a more sedate loop up to Mount Hollywood and past some of the scenic viewpoints and attractions of the park.
There are many entry points to Giffith Park: I’m starting near the Griffith Park Visitor Center at Merry Go Round Lot One, the lower of two large carparks. From here the Fern Canyon Trail ascends continuously but fairly gently past the Fern Canyon Trail Amphitheatre (there is not much to see here, after a 2007 fire devastated the Fern Canyon area).
After about a kilometre I leave the Fern Canyon Trail, taking a very rough trail that climbs up a valley to Vista del Valle Drive. (While most of the trails in Griffith are more like roads than hiking trails, there are a number of more interesting and challenging minor tracks.)
There are expansive views from the Vista View Point as I (very) briefly continue my journey along Vista del Valle Drive, which hugs the side of Mount Hollywood.
Keen to avoid the major trails, I soon turn left onto the Hogback Trail.
The undulating Hogback Trail passes under Glendale Peak, before traversing another small, unnamed peak as it follows the ridge.
There are nice views of the Griffith Observatory to the south-west and the Verdugo Mountains to the north.
The Hogback Trail finishes at Dante’s View, originally called Dante´s Garden, which offers a great view of sprawling Los Angeles, the Pacific Ocean and Catalina Island in the far distance. Dante´s Garden stemmed from the efforts of 60-year-old Dante Orgolini, of Brazillian and Italian descent, who over the course of over a decade created a verdant garden from cuttings of shrubs and saplings. Dante become a Los Angeles celebrity after Art Seidenbaum, a feature writer for the Los Angeles Times, wrote several articles about him. A few years later Lady Bird Johnson, wife of then-President Lyndon Baines Johnson, recognised his efforts to beautify a part of Los Angeles.
From Dante’s View, it’s a short (0.3 mile / 0.5km) walk up to the top of Mount Hollywood.
One of the most popular vantage points in Griffith Park, Mount Hollywood (492m above sea level) is the highest point on this Griffith Park loop.
Also known as the Tom LaBonge Panorama (after an American politician and member of the Democratic Party who served on the Los Angeles City Council from 2001 to 2015), the summit of Mount Hollywood offers stunning 360-degree views, including the famous Hollywood sign to the north-west.
To the north-east are the peaks of the Angeles National Forest and San Gabriel Mountains.
I continue my loop, now taking the North Trail, which descends the northern side of Mount Hollywood.
The North Trail descends to the Vista del Valle Drive, which I again follow only very briefly.
Near a large water tank, I turn sharply left onto the Bill Eckert Trail, named after a maintenance supervisor with the Los Angeles city parks system and an expert horticulturalist, who was appointed as one of the first park rangers. The Bill Eckert Trail continues to descend, providing a view of Glendale (the fourth largest city within Los Angeles County) with the San Gabriel Mountains and Verdugo Mountains in the background.
I follow the full length of the 1.2 mile (2km) Bill Eckert Trail, as it does a long loop around Bee Rock.
From the end of the Bill Eckert Trail I take the Bee Rock Trail – which initially ascends quite gradually as it makes its way up to this rocky outcrop – before it becomes much steeper and rougher.
Ranger Bill Eckert explains why this rocky lookout has a somewhat unusual name:
Eckert said that Bee Rock, a nearby promontory, got its name because bees were attracted to the sweets at the old zoo’s refreshment stands and made their homes in the rock’s crevices. The summit of Bee Rock is now fenced off. That was unfortunate, but understandable, Eckert said, remarking: “When I was a kid, and we’re talking about history now, we didn’t have any idea about dope and people wanting to commit suicide.”
Los Angeles Times
Even with the ugly fence in the way, Bee Rock offers fantastic views over Glendale and the San Gabriels to the east.
This is the only part of my Griffith Park loop where I return the same way, heading back down the Bee Rock Trail to junction of the Bill Eckert Trail and the Upper Old Zoo Trail.
The “old zoo” that Eckert referred to when he spoke about Bee Rock was the original Los Angeles Zoo, which was situated here from 1912 to 1966. Multiple paths traverse the site of the zoo, and most of the original animal enclosures were left here when the zoo moved to its new location about a mile to the north. It makes this part of the hike quite unique, with the Lower Old Zoo Trail passing many disused large and small animal exhibits.
It’s also the end to my very enjoyable loop hike through Griffith Park, with the Lower Old Zoo Trail taking me back to the main parking lot.
There are a myriad of trails in Griffith Patk and even more ways you can can combine them; this early-morning three hour loop visited many of the park’s attractions – including the popular Mount Hollywood.
Getting to Griffith Park and Mount Hollywood
The most popular starting point for many hikes through Griffith Park is the Merry Go Round Lot One and Lot Two, off Crystal Springs Drive, where parking is free. While both carparks are large, they do fill up so an early start on weekends is recommended. This is very close to the old Zoo, and the closest trailhead for Bee Rock. If you just want to visit Mount Hollywood, the Mount Hollywood Trail from the Griffith Observatory is a bit quicker – but parking here is difficult on weekend and fairly expensive – and you’ll encounter a lot more people.
More information
- Friends of Griffith Park – Griffith Park Explorer (GP-eX)
- Los Angeles Times – HIKE: Urban Cares Left Not Far Behind
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