2 min
Overview
A just-under four mile loop through a seldom-used section of Griffith Park. This hike will take you up to the fenced promontory of Bee Rock for tremendous views of Glendale and the San Gabriels, then back down through the ruins of the old Los Angeles Zoo before ending up at an historic carousel. From 1912 to 1966, the original Los Angeles Zoo was housed in Griffith Park, just a few miles south of where the current zoo stands. Its grounds are fairly small and many of the buildings are gone, but there are enough remaining structures to make this a worthwhile (and very unique) hike. I mean, how many other trails do you know of that let you climb around old lion dens AND finish the hike with a ride on a carousel built in 1926? After you park in the lot for the carousel, head southwest and continue hiking past the gate. I counted at least four other trailheads in this area – none of them marked. If you want to just get going on the trail, hike on the paved road past this caged water debris basin and look for the broad, short fire road that hits a three-way junction within a stones’ throw of the paved road (and proceed in this write up to the paragraph beginning with ***). If you want to follow my route, which, was admittedly a little confused at the get-go, turn up the fire road pictured here and look for the small trail ascending off the main path (look for stairs). This very short addition to the actual path will take you through some shady woods, where signposts stand without any information on them. There’s also an old amphitheater that was restored by a Boy Scout Troop. After you walk through the amphitheater, climb up the steps and hang a sharp right onto the fire road. Continue walking about a tenth of a mile until you get to this junction: *** This close-to-four way junction is the beginning of the loop trail. If you skipped the little amphitheater side trip, you’ll end up here from the paved main road. Facing this direction (north), you’ll be able to see two fire-road trails going in the same direction. The
Trail Stats
6.2 km
174 m
332 m
157 m
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