Parks in Los Angeles and Southern California
See Attractions for more fun things to see
and do.
See Pet Resources for dog parks.
See towns, cities, and communities for other parks.
- Griffith Park. "With over 4,210 acres of both natural
chaparral-covered terrain and landscaped parkland and picnic areas,
Griffith Park is the largest municipal park with urban wilderness area in
the United States. Situated in the eastern Santa Monica Mountain range,
the Park’s elevations range from 384 to 1,625 feet above see level. With
an arid climate, the Park’s plant communities vary from coastal sage
scrub, oak and walnut woodlands to riparian vegetation with trees in the
Park’s deep canyons. The California native plants represented in Griffith
Park include the California species of oak, walnut, lilac, mountain
mahogany, sages, toyon, and sumac. Present, in small quantities, are the
threatened species of Manzanita and berberis.
Over the years recreational attractions have been developed throughout the
Park, however an amazingly large portion of the Park remains virtually
unchanged from the days Native American villages occupied the area's lower
slopes. Today's Griffith Park offers numerous family attractions, an
assortment of educational and cultural institutions, and miles of hiking
and horseback riding trails, and provides visitors an ideal environment
for enjoyable recreation activities.
Originally a part of the Spanish land grant, Rancho Los Feliz, the park
was named for its former owner, Colonel Griffith J. Griffith. Born in
Glamorganshire, South Wales, Griffith emigrated to the United States in
1865, eventually, making a personal fortune in California gold mine
speculation. In 1882, Griffith settled in Los Angeles, and purchased a
4,071 acre portion of the Rancho Los Feliz, which stretched northward from
the northern boundaries of the Pueblo de Los Angeles. On December 16,
1896, the civic-minded Griffith bequeathed 3,015 acres of his Rancho Los
Feliz estate as a Christmas gift to the people of Los Angeles to be used
as parkland. The enormous gift, equal to five square miles, was to be
given to the city unconditionally - or almost so..."
