The Griffith Observatory is a familiar icon of the Hollywood skyline. Quietly nestled into the luscious terrain of Griffith Park, it's a picturesque destination that provide an incredible view of the sprawling Los Angeles cityscape. We feels it’s absolutely worth a visit on your next visit to LA, but, it can get a bit overcrowded (and hot) on clear days. For a more unique and advanced rendition, we advise you to stray off the beaten path and park well below the main attraction in Griffith Park and follow the trails up, all the way past the tourist-filled lines of the Observatory grounds, to the best lookout in the area: Dante’s Peak. From there, you can enjoy a thrilling, unobstructed 360 degree view of the incredible landscape surrounding below. It comes in at about 5 miles, round trip, so allow yourself a few hours to enjoy the trek. It’s a great way to stretch a long morning in LA.
Bonus pro tip: If you’re crafty, you can easily sneak onto the gourds way past dark and hang around ’til sunrise… but you’ll have to figure out how to get in on your own as it’s definitely trespassing and illegal… And if anyone asks, you didn’t hear it from us.
