Griffith Park

LoginSave

A gift to the city in 1896 by mining mogul Griffith J Griffith, and five times the size of New York’s Central Park, Griffith Park is one of the country’s largest urban green spaces. It contains a major outdoor theater, the city zoo, an observatory, two museums, golf courses, playgrounds, 53 miles of hiking trails, Batman’s caves and the Hollywood sign.

Access to the park is easiest via the Griffith Park Dr or Zoo Dr exits off I-5 (Golden State Fwy). Parking is plentiful and free. For information and maps stop by the Griffith Park Ranger Station.

Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

  • People entering Knott's Scary Farm at Knott's Berry Farm, celebrating a Southern California Halloween tradition, on October 14, 2013.

    Knott’s Berry Farm

    25.63 MILES

    What started as a simple berry farm is now a sprawling 160-acre operation with rides, live shows and lovable Peanuts characters roaming the grounds. Knott…

  • Griffith in Blue

    Griffith Observatory

    1.53 MILES

    With eyes on both the galaxy above and palm-flanked boulevards below, the Griffith Observatory hovers above LA like a hulking spacecraft. This is one of…

  • VENICE BEACH, USA - SEPTEMBER 29, 2016: The crowded Venice Beach Boardwalk. Lots of people are strolling down the boardwalk. On the sides there are several shops and palm trees.

    Venice Boardwalk

    14.97 MILES

    Prepare for a sensory overload on Venice's Boardwalk, a one-of-a-kind experience. Buff bodybuilders brush elbows with street performers and sellers of…

  • Santa Monica Pier

    Santa Monica Pier

    15.25 MILES

    Once the very end of the legendary Route 66 and still the object of a tourist love affair, this much-photographed pier dates back to 1908 and is the city…

  • OUE Skyspace LA

    OUE Skyspace LA

    5.82 MILES

    Perched atop the city's tallest building to roof level, this is LA's loftiest observation deck, offering knockout views of LA, its hills, ocean and…

  • Universal Studios Hollywood

    Universal Studios Hollywood

    4.21 MILES

    Dodge dinosaurs, hang with Homer Simpson and morph into a Minion on the sometimes hair-raising, always entertaining attractions at Universal Studios…

  • Woman holding LP Los Angeles, San Diego and Southern California guidebook with Hollywood sign in background.

    Hollywood Sign

    2.35 MILES

    If you go to Los Angeles and don’t catch a glimpse of those nine letters looming large on a Hollywood hillside, did you really even visit Tinseltown? Just…

  • Interior of the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles, California.

    Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels

    5.52 MILES

    LA is unlike any other city, and this cathedral is unlike any other cathedral. Seat of the US's largest Roman Catholic archdiocese (some five million…

View more attractions

Nearby attractions

1. Griffith Park Merry-Go-Round

0.23 MILES

This richly festooned 1926 merry-go-round was brought to its current home in 1937, where Walt Disney would bring his young daughters and find inspiration…

2. Old Los Angeles Zoo

0.51 MILES

What look like Aztec ruins in a picnic-friendly park are actually the abandoned remnants of the city's original zoo. The site opened in 1912 with a modest…

3. Autry Museum of the American West

1.1 MILES

Established by singing cowboy Gene Autry, this expansive, underrated museum offers contemporary perspectives on the history and people of the American…

4. Los Angeles Zoo & Botanical Gardens

1.17 MILES

Home to 1100 finned, feathered and furry friends from more than 250 species, the LA Zoo rarely fails to enthrall the little ones. Adults who have been to…

5. Griffith Observatory

1.53 MILES

With eyes on both the galaxy above and palm-flanked boulevards below, the Griffith Observatory hovers above LA like a hulking spacecraft. This is one of…

6. Museum of Neon Art

1.63 MILES

Neon signage is a defining element of LA's cityscape, and the collection at this museum in the heart of Glendale's commercial district includes signage…

8. Los Angeles Live Steamers

1.91 MILES

Just east of Travel Town is this group of local folks with a passion for scale-model locomotives. On Sunday afternoons they offer rides on their one…

  • placement: superzone
  • path: Destinations/POIs/superzone
  • possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [1, 1],
  • targeting: 
    {
  "url": "usa/los-angeles/griffith-park-silver-lake-and-los-feliz/attractions/griffith-park/a/poi-sig/1038479/1324610",
  "position": "superzone"
}