Fresh air, recreation and beautiful scenery, what more could you ask for? Pack your running shoes, camera and a great sunhat and take your Los Angeles car rental for a day at Griffith Park! Located on 4730 Crystal Springs Drive, Los Angeles California, this is a great retreat from the busy city life. There is much to do at Griffith Park! Whether you love hiking, camping, horseback riding, there is something for everyone! Be sure to visit the park's many tourist attractions such as the Greek Theater, Autry National Centre, Griffith Merry-Go-Round and many more!
Before heading off to the scenic Griffith Park in your Los Angeles car rental, here are some interesting facts about the park. As one of the largest urban parks in North America, Griffith Park covers 4,210 acres of land! It is also opened to the public from 6am to 10pm daily. Situated in the Santa Monica Mountains in Los Angeles, the park was named after the former owner Colonel Griffith J. Griffith. The Colonel settled in LA in 1882 and bough 4,071 acres of the Rancho Los Feliz. In 1896, Griffith gave 3,015 acres of this estate to the people of Los Angeles as a Christmas gift and wanted it to be used as parkland. When Griffith died in July 7, 1919, he left a sizeable trust fund to complete the reams he had for the park. He wanted to construct a Greek amphitheater, an observatory and a hall of science. Today a monument of Griffith stands majestically in the park.
As one of the most popular activities at Griffith Park, there are 53 miles of trails, fire roads and bridles paths for you to explore! Take the trail leading from the Observatory parking lot to summit of Mount Hollywood (highest peak in the park) where you can see the beautiful view of the entire Los Angeles Basin! Be careful while you're on the trails, there are wild quails, rodents, foxes, coyotes, rattlesnakes, and deer living near by! Maps of the trails are available at the Ranger Station.
Take your kids on a camping experience in one of Griffith Park's two campgrounds! For boys (7-14 years), enroll them to the Griffith Park Camp where there are organized camping activities on weekends and holidays. For girls 6-17 years old, take them to the Hollywoodland Camp where they will have a chance to swim, make crafts, hike and participate in many more activities! Organized groups of 50 can rent out these camps during unscheduled times.
Pack your Los Angeles car rental with a picnic basket full of great food and eat your lunch outdoors in one of the following locations. Choose the Mineral Wells location near the Harding Golf Course, the Old Zoo location where you will be surrounded by obsolete animal cages, or the Park Center where you can also see the park's famous Merry-Go-Round! Other locations great for picnics include Crystal Springs and Pecan Grove.
As one of the top tourist attractions of Southern California, the Griffith Observatory is located on the top of Mount Hollywood and is visited by nearly 2 million people each year! This non-profit educational institution provides information on astronomy and related sciences to the public. The observatory is currently closed for renovations and will not be opened until the second half of 2006.
Take your Los Angeles car rental to LA's premiere outdoor theater! Nestled in the picturesque tree-enclosed setting of Griffith Park, this is one of LA's most historic entertainment venues! Big names that have performed in this 5700 seat theatre include Josh Groban, Sting, Elton John and many more!
The park is located northwest of downtown LA, west of I-5 and between the Los Feliz Boulevard and Ventura Freeway (SR 134). For more information on how to get there, please go to http://www.laparks.org/dos/parks/griffithPK/gp_location.htm.