How to Take Full Advantage of L.A.'s Griffith Park

You know about Griffith Park's Greek Theater, the recently reopened Observatory, the golf course and the Los Angeles Zoo, right? Well, did you know that, at over 4200 acres, Griffith Park is also the largest urban wilderness area in the U.S.? And there's a whole lot more to explore than just your back swing...

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Sunscreen
• Water

1. Start your Griffith Park exploration by hiking the trail that starts at the Observatory parking lot and ends with a spectacular view atop Mt. Hollywood. You can see the whole park from this vantage point, not to mention both the city of L.A. and the San Fernando Valley, along with the Hollywood sign. Not too difficult a hike and the trails are wide and well-traveled.
2. A real secret spot is the off-leash Dog Park on Zoo Drive north of the Soccer Fields. It's not the swankiest or the prettiest, since it's mostly dirt and butts up against the freeway, but the people and dogs are nice and the views are quite lovely. It's rarely crowded, even on weekends and there's plenty o' parking.
3. There's another great hiking trail on the Los Feliz side of the park, called the Bird Sanctuary. It's at 2900 N. Vermont and is a wooded trail with a small stream. Bring a hat.
4. Why not take a spin on the antique merry-go-round? It's been there since 1937 and is open weekends and every day in the summer.
5. Horses are a main attraction, with the L.A. Equestrian Center just across the river wash. You can take lessons there and ride the park's trails. And for the small fry, there's a classic pony ride attraction near the Los Feliz entrance.
6. Another great spot you may not know about is the Travel Town museum, "a giant railroad petting zoo." Train-crazy kids love this place, since they get to climb in and explore real retired locomotives and train cars of all kinds. It's also the hip birthday party spot for the five and under Hollywood crowd, and best of all, admission is free! (Donations are kindly accepted.)
7. Last but not at all least, is the Gene Autry Western Heritage Museum, perched over the 5 Freeway and across the parking lot from the zoo. This is a really fun, modern, interactive museum featuring both real Western history and the Hollywood perspective. Great gift shop and traveling exhibits too. Definitely worth checking out.