If you know me, you know my absolute favorite place in LA city is Griffith Park. I’ve only lived in LA for a year and a half, but I’ve been to Griffith more times than I can count. I’ve hiked Griffith at almost ever hour of the day too — sunrise, noon, sunset, midnight — and it’s always stunning. 

Where is Griffith Park? I’m sure you’ve heard about Griffith observatory. The park’s entrance is next to the observatory’s parking lot, where you’ll find a dirt trail that leads into the mountains above the observatory. 

I don’t think I can ever put into words how much I love Griffith Park, but here are some photos to begin with:

From my experience, Griffith is most beautiful at sunrise. The view is not just jaw-droppingly gorgeous, but invigorating. I remember the first time I watched the sunrise at Griffith. I had only moved to LA for a few weeks, and I was having a tough transition to the new city. My friend — the only person I knew in LA then — suggested that we go watch the sunrise at Griffith. 

Here are some photos from that trip:

I can’t say that Griffith is the sole reason I’ve grown to appreciate LA, but standing on the peak of the park that morning, I felt at ease for the first time since I’ve moved to the city. As the sun rose and the clouds shifted, it was like we entered into a different world. All my troubles and frustrations were so far away, shielded by the haze and the mountains. I was on top of LA — above a city of almost 4 million people, most still deeply asleep. What is there to fear and worry about?

I guess that was the morning I fell in love with the park. Ever since then, Griffith became my go-to place whenever I was feeling down or troubled. 

Once, neither my friend nor I could sleep, so we decided to watch the city lights from Griffith before the sunrise, at around 4am. At the peak, we ran into a bunch of drunk tourists who had decided to hike the park after a night out. They asked if we could take a photo of them using my phone, but ran away before I could even send them the photo.

Another time, I pulled an all nighter with a friend during finals week, and then made it to Griffith just in time to watch the sunrise. It turned out to be the best study break ever.

Every sunrise at Griffith is different. On clear days, the bright red sun rises above the horizon to cast a perfect gradient of warm colors among the sky. On cloudy days, the sun peeps through layers of golden clouds and paints an impressionistic painting upon a blue backdrop. Other hazy days, the sky merely brightens up with little change in colors. I’m lucky enough to have seen all sorts of magical sunrises in Griffith, yet I’m still excited to visit Griffith every time. 

I can go on forever about Griffith, but what I’ve written so far pretty much sums up the essence of the park. I hope this is convincing enough for you to take a trip to Griffith Park — I promise you it will not disappoint!

xx

– Vivian