Griffith Park Los Angeles: Observatory, Hiking Trails & City Views

Griffith Park is Los Angeles's crown jewel — 4,300 acres of wild urban parkland in the Santa Monica Mountains, containing the Griffith Observatory, the Los Angeles Zoo, Travel Town Museum, a Greek Theatre, and some of the finest hiking in any American city. The Griffith Observatory, perched at 1,100 feet with a sweeping view of the LA basin, the Hollywood Sign, and the Pacific on clear days, is one of LA's most iconic sights and completely free to visit. The observatory's public planetarium shows and rooftop telescopes are open evenings — the best free science experience in the city. The park's hiking trails range from the gentle Burma Road nature walk to the challenging Mount Hollywood summit trail. The Griffith Park merry-go-round (operating since 1926) and Travel Town's vintage steam engines make weekend visits with kids genuinely excellent. Sunrise and sunset at the Observatory are the peak experiences — worth any alarm clock setting. Arrive on weekday mornings to avoid the parking gridlock that descends on weekends.