Philippine Butterfly

Posts Tagged ‘Griffith Park Observatory’

There are many chances to enjoy the outdoors in Los Angeles.  Not only are there many different activities to partake in, but just about 365 days a year to do them, give or take a few days during the months of January or February, for contrary to the popular myth that it never rains in Southern California, it does a bit, and when it does it pours.  Many people like to spend their visits to the city taking in the historical sites, such as a walk down Sunset or Hollywood Boulevards.  Others prefer to spend their days on the beach, surfing, playing volleyball, or biking up and down the boardwalk.  For a list of great hotels along the beaches and in the city of Los Angeles, click here.

But one thing that visitors may not be aware of, are the numerous hiking trails located throughout LA and the neighboring cities.  Most hikes you will find in LA are easy to moderate in difficulty, and offer not only incredible views of the city and the coastline, but walks through some incredible flourishing areas, with tall trees, flowers and wildlife.  One fantastic hike is up to the Griffith Park Observatory. This is known as the West Trail Loop and offers not only views of the Observatory itself, but of the famed “Hollywood” sign and the Los Angeles Basin.  Located along Los Feliz Boulevard is the Fern Dell Park and Picnic area.  This is where the trail up to the Observatory begins.  Be sure and bring you camera as you will have many opportunities for some really grand shots of the city.

And for the Santa Monica Waterfall Hike…yes, there is a waterfall in those mountains, you would head up the Pacific Coast Highway, and turn off at East Winding Way.  You will hike back into Escondido Canyon for about a mile until you reach the falls.  The best time for this hike is during the springtime months, as they follow the rainy season and the falls are will be active with the water from those heavy rains.  There are many trails throughout the mountains, in the middle of this city, and it is a great way for those who live in the middle of it all, to get out for a bit of a respite from the hectic days sitting on the 405, or the 101, or the 10.  And for first time visitors, they see that the city is much more than movie stars and surfing…although, there is quite a lot of both of those too.