Old Zoo at Griffith Park
Fern Canyon Trail, Mineral Wls Trl, Los Angeles, CA 90027, USA
Always Open!
$
local-highlights, outdoor-adventures, run, hikes
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Old Zoo at Griffith Park Takes You on an Eerie, Historical Hike Through Abandoned Animal Enclosures.
The very first Los Angeles Zoo was opened in 1912 with 15 animals - and boy was it ROUGH (we can see why it was abandoned in 1966). The enclosures were made in the iron bars/pacing animal-style, a standard for zoos during that era (1930’s). Today you can play “zookeeper” as you picnic in the bear grotto, climb in small cages, and run through the grass fields.
Old Zoo Loop is a 2.5-mile heavily trafficked loop trail with a 383 ft elevation gain. The trail is wide and well maintained (great for kids), with a great forest setting that provides the trail with shade. Not to mention - you can climb into abandoned animal enclosures, SO COOL! The trail is good for all skill levels and can be used year-round.
We parked at the Griffith Park Merry-Go-Round parking lot (large & free); it is the closest parking to the trailhead. We did this hike on the weekend and expected parking to be difficult, but it was not!!! We started at the Fern Canyon Trailhead and followed the Lower Old Zoo Trail to the Old Zoo Picnic Area. We highly suggest this route if you are going with younger kids. The incline is minimal on the Lower Old Zoo trail; if you take the Upper Old Zoo Trail to the Old Zoo Picnic Area, you are going to be huffing those littles up a mountain (great for exercising on your own, though…). Plus, if you take the Lower Old Zoo Trail, you get to the abandoned animal enclosures within 0.25 miles - ideal for keeping the interest of littles on a hike.
BEWARE - the enclosures are not in the best condition or “up to code”; this is what makes the hike authentic. We still loved showing our boys this unique experience and definitely would recommend it to anyone looking for a cool new spot to hike and share some wild Los Angeles history.
There are no restrooms on the trail, but they do have restrooms in-between the Merry-Go-Round & Tennis Courts, about 200 yards away from the parking lot. Feel free to stop by the Griffith Park Merry-Go-Round for another fun historical activity to top off the day. They also usually have a fruit stand in the parking lot - YUM.