Griffith Observatory – Griffith Observatory loop from Grand Central Creative Campus

Mountain biking trails

Griffith Observatory – Griffith Observatory loop from Grand Central Creative Campus

Moderate

4.8

(8846)

13,005

riders

Griffith Observatory – Griffith Observatory loop from Grand Central Creative Campus

02:09

31.5km

540m

Mountain biking

Moderate mountain bike ride. Good fitness required. The starting point of the route is right next to a parking lot.

Last updated: August 19, 2026

Tips

Cycling is not permitted along parts of this route

After 13.9 km for 179 m

After 24.2 km for 95 m

Waypoints

Start point

Parking

Get Directions

842 m

Los Angeles River

Lake

8.14 km

View of Los Angeles from Griffith Park

Highlight • Viewpoint

Griffith Park is one of the largest municipal park in the contiguous United States. Named after Colonel Griffith, who owned the area and donated it later on to the city of Los Angeles, the park in Hollywood offers stunning views of the Los Angeles skyline. It is home of the famous Hollywood sign and features a number of popular attractions such as the Los Angeles Zoo, the Autry Museum of the American West, the Griffith Observatory, and the Hollywood Sign. The park is open to the public daily from 5 AM to 10.30 PM.

Tip by

10.1 km

Cathy's Corner

Highlight • Viewpoint

Before the final turns up Mount Hollywood Drive, there's the scenic viewpoint "Cathy's Corner" that served as a filming location for the movie "La La Land." The trail can be quite hot with limited shade, especially in the summer, so bikers should bring plenty of water to stay hydrated.

Tip by

10.7 km

Mount Hollywood Drive

Highlight • Viewpoint

Panoramic view of downtown LA and the San Gabriel Mountains.

Tip by

11.3 km

3-Mile Trailhead, Mt Hollywood Dr

Highlight • Trail

Unexpected verdant green grassy picnic area along the car-free but wide and paved Mt Hollywood Drive marks the beginning of this gently climbing fire road to the peak of Mount Hollywood (not the location of the Hollywood Sign, that's on Mt Lee visible along most of the trail). From the summit you can continue to Griffith Observatory, making a roughly 3.5 mile scenic loop.

Tip by

14.0 km

Griffith Observatory

Highlight • Monument

One of the classic Overlooks of downtown and the entire LA Basin stretches due South of the Observatory Terrace.

Tip by

14.0 km

Griffith Observatory

Highlight • Monument

At the turn of the 20th century, Griffith J. Griffith was the benefactor for the Griffith Observatory and for Griffith Park, he valued the idea of a “public observatory”. In 2020, the Observatory celebrated its 85th anniversary.

Tip by

14.1 km

Griffith Observatory

Highlight • Monument

Griffith's iconic Observatory is southern California's gateway to the cosmos. This hugely popular venue is the most visited observatory in the world. Since opening in 1935, the Observatory has welcomed over 85 million visitors.

It is also 1,134 feet above sea level and is visible from most parts of the city it also has some of the best views of downtown Los Angeles and in particular the world-famous Hollywood Sign.

Tip by

14.8 km

Vermont Canyon Tunnel under Berlin Forest

Highlight • Bridge

Vermont Canyon Road offers a shortcut through a tunnel. Above the tunnel is the nice wide lower section of Mt Hollywood Trail. Both may be the only well-shaded sections in Griffith Park. LA's German sister city Berlin (since 1967) celebrated the 25th anniversary in the 1990s with a gift of some very welcome shade trees. While the small grove of pine trees above Griffith Observatory might not seem like an actual forest (yet?), most of it survived the devastating wildfires so far, and makes for a lovely shaded picnic spot.

Tip by

18.3 km