Griffith Park
Griffith Park is worldwide known due to the fact that it is one of the largest parks in North America and the second largest park in California. It is located in Los Feliz, more precisely in Los Angeles, California and covers 1,740 ha. It has been compared to Central Park in New York City but this one is considered to be bigger and greener.
The Rancho Los Feliz was purchased by Griffith J. Griffith (this explains the park’s name) in the XIXth century and built a farm there. However, the owner, Griffith, was brought to justice in 1903 after being found guilty of seriously wounding her wife. After that he tried to build the nowadays observatory. The park became in 1912 an aerodrome but it was not until 1919, when Griffith died, when his dreams came true: the amphitheater and the observatory ended construction in 1930. This park has also had some hard encounters with war due to the World War II because it became a holding center for arrested Japanese Americans.
Nowadays the Griffith Park has several attractions for the thousands of tourists who visit Los Angeles year after year. It is pretty common to see many visitors go into the Autry Museum of the American West, the Greek Theater, and the Griffith observatory (obviously) where you can see the entire city, the Bronson Canyon where many movies have been shot… However, in 1966 the government closed the zoo so today this area has become a picnicking place. Moreover, the Hollywood sign is one of the most famous and iconic signs ever and that is why many people tend to go hiking here… who does not want to see this magnificent sign? Tourists must know that you cannot cross the indicated area for your own safety due to the fact that Mount Lee is located on very steep terrain.
Among these attractions, there are many other activities you can do in the Griffith Park. In fact, this place is known to be as one of the most desired mountains to go hiking to and running. Many people have claimed having seen many celebrities on their way there! For those who are horse’s fans, the roads have been made so people can enjoy the equestrian trails… it can be tiring and exhausting but it is definitely worth it!
If you enjoy sports but you do not want to go jogging or hiking, do not worry! The Griffith Park has many areas where its visitors can play golf! Moreover, this park offers several tennis courts if tennis is more likely your thing. In 2014 the government proposed to include two baseball fields but that would mean to remove 44 trees and replace 1.6 acres of the, mentioned above, picnicking areas.
All in all, the Griffith Park is one of the largest parks in North America and definitely offers various activities to do due to its great extension. It is known to be “a must” when traveling to Los Angeles so everybody is talking about it! It is truly an incredible paradise.