Mountain Trails and a Domed Observatory Above the LA Basin
Hike the hillside paths to a domed observatory and one of the widest free views of the Los Angeles basin.
🔭 Trails and the Observatory
Griffith Park spreads across the eastern hills of Los Angeles, and most people aim for the same landmark, the white deco observatory perched over the basin. The climb up rewards you with the domes up close, the Hollywood sign to the west, and the whole grid stretching toward the ocean on a clear day.
The park runs far bigger than the observatory alone. Miles of trails branch off into chaparral, past the old zoo ruins and up to Mount Hollywood, and each one trades the crowds for quiet pretty fast. Bring water, shade is thin once you leave the road.
Sunset is the marquee hour, and parking near the top fills early. Come on a weekday morning, park lower, and walk up. Reviewers rate it 4.7 across tens of thousands of visits, the closest thing Los Angeles has to a shared backyard.
