It has been compared to Central Park in New York City and Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, but it is much larger, less tamed, and more rugged than either of those parks.[2] The Los Angeles Recreation and Parks Commission adopted the characterization of the park as an "urban wilderness" on January 8, 2014.[3][4] The park covers 4,310 acres (1,740 ha) of land, making it one of the largest urban parks in North America.[5] It is the second-largest city park in California, after Mission Trails Preserve in San Diego, and the 11th-largest municipally-owned park in the United States.[6]
- closed in 1966 and now used as a hiking and picnicking area
Griffith Park Zoo
: a pine tree in memory of Beatle George Harrison was planted in 2004 near the observatory. It died after a beetle infestation, and as of 2014, plans have been made to replace it.[28][29]
Heritage tree
The site of the on the southern side of Mount Lee is located on rough, steep terrain, and is encompassed by barriers to prevent unauthorized access. Local groups have campaigned to make tourist access to the sign difficult on grounds of safety, as the curving hillside roads in the area were not designed for so many cars and pedestrians.[30][31] The Hollywood Sign Trust convinced Google and other mapping services to stop providing directions to the location of the sign, instead directing visitors to two viewing platforms, Griffith Observatory and the Hollywood and Highland Center. Another, less remote area from which the sign can be viewed is Lake Hollywood Park on Canyon Lake Drive.[32]
An adult mountain lion, named P-22,[note 1] inhabited the park from 2012 to 2022.[46] An image of the cougar was captured on an automatic camera.[47][48][49] P-22 is likely not the first mountain lion to have taken up residence in Griffith Park, although the duration of his stay was remarkably long. A mountain lion's body was found in Griffith Park sometime in 1996 or 1997, after being hit by a vehicle. Another mountain lion was sighted several times in Griffith Park in 2004 and rangers found evidence (including deer remains) to support its presence there.[50]
An urban ecologist monitors wildlife within the park.[51] The ecologist has also been conducting a raptor study in the communities surrounding the park through volunteers since 2017.[52] Permanent signs on the Griffith Park Observatory deck warn of rattlesnakes in the surrounding area.[53]
Coyotes abound in Griffith Park and are generally active at night. Park visitors report frequent sightings during the day and have had their dogs attacked by coyotes.[54] Visitors are strongly discouraged from feeding Griffith Park coyotes including near "the base of Fern Canyon, where up to eight coyotes per day are present more or less continuously."[55]
also called Bronson Caves, is a popular location for motion picture and television filming, especially of western and science fiction low-budget films, including Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956). The site was also used as the location for the climactic scene in John Ford's classic western, The Searchers (1956). The scene includes Ethan Edwards (John Wayne) cornering his niece Debbie (Natalie Wood) in one of the caves with the apparent intent of killing her. The craggy site of an old quarry, a tunnel in this canyon was also used as the entrance to the Batcave in the 1960s Batman television series, and in numerous other shows. The natural "cave" walls are preserved by the many layers of paint used to make them look like rock.
Bronson Canyon
Views from Griffith Park The Griffith Observatory, which sits atop the southern slope of Mount Hollywood, was featured prominently in the classic Rebel Without a Cause (1955). A bronze bust of the film's star James Dean is on the grounds just outside the dome. Other movies filmed here include The Terminator (1984), Disney's The Rocketeer (1991), Stephen Sommer's film Van Helsing (2004), Yes Man (2008), and La La Land (2016). The area of the park around the Observatory also appears as a location in the role-playing video gameVampire: The Masquerade Bloodlines (2004), which is set in Los Angeles. Griffith Park and Griffith Observatory are significant in the Star Trek: Voyager episode "Future's End" (originally aired November 6, 1996). The crew are thrown into the past and Griffith Observatory discovers Voyager. The tunnel was also used in the 1960s spy television series Mission: Impossible.
The Griffith Park Carousel, opened in 1929 was the carousel that inspired Disneyland. Walt sat on one of the benches around the Carousel, and while watching his kids dreamed up Disneyland. The Carousel is still open, and enriched with history.
With its wide variety of scenes and close proximity to Hollywood and Burbank, various locations in the park have been used extensively in movies and television shows.[61] Griffith Park was the busiest destination in Los Angeles for on-location filming in 2011, with 346 production days, according to a FilmL.A. survey. Projects included the TV series Criminal Minds and The Closer.[62]
Some sites within the park that have appeared in media include:
Welcome sign at Griffith Park's northeast entrance
Griffith Park (south side) with the Downtown LA skyline in the background
Sunset at Griffith Park, with a view of west Los Angeles.
Unveiling of original statue "Spirit of the C. C. C" by John Palo-Kangas in Griffith Park on the day President Roosevelt, Los Angeles, 1935
Los Angeles Times Photographic Archive (Collection 1429). UCLA Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, University of California, Los Angeles.
Image of Zoly Cubias and friend along Fern Dell stream in Griffith Park, Los Angeles, 1988.
