A Griffith Park hiking path for newcomers

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The trails in Griffith Park can take you to places where it’s hard to remember you’re in the middle of a big city. (Michael Robinson Chavez / Los Angeles Times)

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The natural beauty of Griffith Park can be seen in its wildlife and delicate wildflowers. (Michael Robinson Chavez / Los Angeles Times)

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The hike starts near the nine-hole Roosevelt Municipal Golf Course, which can be seen from the first segment of the trail. (Michael Robinson Chavez / Los Angeles Times)

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Near the trail you can see the Greek Theatre, one of the best outdoor concert sites in the country. (Michael Robinson Chavez / Los Angeles Times)

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California native plants in Griffith Park include oaks, walnut, lilac, mountain mahagony, sages, toyon and sumac. (Michael Robinson Chavez / Los Angeles Times)

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Griffith Observatory can be seen from one of the higher trails in the park, which is more than 4,200 acres. (Michael Robinson Chavez / Los Angeles Times)

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Views from the park, at the eastern edge of the Santa Monica Mountains, can extend to downtown Los Angeles and beyond, depending on the weather. (Michael Robinson Chavez / Los Angeles Times)

By Charles Fleming, Los Angeles Times

Dec. 20, 2012 12:03 PM PT

Griffith Park is L.A.’s largest city park, but at 4,200 hilly acres it’s so large, and so mountainous, that hikers unfamiliar with the area may not know where to start. Here’s a beginner’s guide to a mellow, uncrowded walk with great views.

Distance: 2.5 miles
Duration: 1 hour
Difficulty: 2 (on a scale of 1 to 5)
Details: Park open 5 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Dogs on leash only. Ample free street parking. Metro bus routes 180, 181. Also, the Observatory shuttle runs from the Vermont/Sunset Metro Red Line station on Saturdays and Sundays, every 35 minutes between 10 a.m. and 10 p.m. It costs a quarter.

The hike starts near the nine-hole Roosevelt Municipal Golf Course, which can be seen from the first segment of the trail.

1. Park on Vermont Canyon Road, near the Greek Theatre and the Roosevelt Municipal Golf Course. Begin walking east on Commonwealth Canyon Drive.

California native plants in Griffith Park include oaks, walnut, lilac, mountain mahagony, sages, toyon and sumac.

2. By a wide white gate, turn off the paved road onto a dirt path. Veer left and head uphill, enjoying good views of the public golf course and tennis courts, and the city beyond them.

MAP: Find the perfect L.A. Walk near you

3. At the trail intersection, for a very strenuous hike, turn right to climb straight uphill to the peak. You can also turn left to descend to your starting point. Otherwise, walk straight ahead.

Near the trail you can see the Greek Theatre, one of the best outdoor concert sites in the country.

4. From here you’ll get good city views and a bird’s eye look at the Greek, which opened to the public in 1931 — four years before the Griffith Observatory opened — and still the city’s best outdoor music venue.

5. Back on Vermont Canyon Road, turn right and walk uphill a short spell, following the path on the right side of the road.

Griffith Observatory can be seen from one of the higher trails in the park, which is more than 4,200 acres.

6. At the old Bird Sanctuary, you’ll find public restrooms, drinking fountains, picnic tables and, inside the sanctuary itself, a nice quarter-mile loop filled with varieties of trees that survived the 2007 Griffith Park fire and the enclosures where exotic birds once lived. The picnic table at the top of the loop is one of the park’s nicest lunch spots.

Charles Fleming is the author of “Secret Stairs: A Walking Guide to the Historic Staircases of Los Angeles.”

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