Donated to the city in 1896, Griffith Park spreads 4,310 acres of rugged hills and chaparral out ahead of you. Griffith Park covers 4,310 acres of rugged hills and chaparral between the Los Feliz and Burbank neighborhoods, donated to the city in 1896 by Griffith J. Griffith, a Welsh-born mining millionaire who wanted the park to be a place where ordinary people could escape the city. The donation was conditional on the park remaining free and open to all, a condition that has held.
The park contains the Griffith Observatory, the Los Angeles Zoo, the Greek Theatre, the Autry Museum of the American West, Travel Town railroad museum, two golf courses, three public swimming pools, and miles of hiking and equestrian trails through habitat that still supports mountain lions, coyotes, deer, and bobcats. In 2012, a mountain lion known as P-22 crossed two freeways to reach the park and lived inside it for a decade, becoming the most famous urban mountain lion in history. P-22 died in 2022 after being struck by a car.
The hill above the observatory is one of the best viewpoints in the city; on a clear day you can see both the mountains and the ocean from the same spot.