Trail Review: Old L.A. Zoo Trail Loop
Parking: free parking in the parking lot by the Merry-go-Round.
Distance: 1.9 mile loop
Difficulty: Easy
As I continue to explore more of Griffith Park this spring, I came to realize that I had never seen the old L.A. Zoo, which is an area in the park with abandoned zoo cages from when Los Angeles' zoo occupied the space from 1912 to 1966. So recently, I took a nice stroll along the Old L.A. Zoo Trail to see what it was like.
The loop starts at the Merry-go-Round parking lot which has lots of parking but can still get pretty busy on the weekends. This is the same starting point as the Fern Canyon Trail to Beacon Hill hike which I recently reviewed.
The hike starts at the road barriers on the paved fire road at the parking lot entrance. Shortly after that, a dirt path veers to the left with signage for the Fern Canyon trailhead. Head up the dirt trail briefly until the path splits. There will be a sign pointing to the right for the Lower Old Zoo Trail and the Old Zoo Picnic Area. That is the way to go!
Doing the loop this way, in a counterclockwise journey, gives you a more gradual incline and a steeper descent at the end. If you want a slightly harder hike, simply reverse directions.
The path on the lower old zoo trail is fairly wide and relatively flat. For a few tenths of a mile, that is all it is. But eventually, you'll come across the first structures of the old zoo. The first one will be a stand alone structure on the left side of the trail. It's unclear what this building would have been used for, but the door was open and you can go inside if you want. The next part of the zoo will be on the right side of the path behind fencing, but you'll be able to peak into the dark stone interior, even from behind the fence. Everything is graffitied at this point so don't be surprised by the sheer amount of spray paint on the walls.
The trail will then hit an intersection, with a short circular path to the right, which is where you'll want to go to see the other side of the stone structures. This side won't have fencing so you can get up close to it all. There are even some picnic tables. Head around that loop and then you'll meet back up with the main trail.
As you head along the main path, there are a few more zoo enclosures to see. These ones are smaller metal cages and a number of them also have their doors open so you can get a closer look.
Just after the zoo structures end, the main trail will veer suddenly to the right. But to stay on the old zoo trail, you'll want to look for a gate opening in the fencing at the curve in the path.
Take the left most path along the fence's edge and pass over a water drainage area. Depending on the time of year, there may be some flowing water or it may be totally dried up. After that, there will be a sign (or half a sign since it was broken...) which points you up the hill to the left for the Upper Old Zoo Trail. (To the right is the Bee Rock Trail which I've reviewed before!)
The last leg of the loop is the upper trail which has a gradual incline as you head up the hill above the zoo. You'll get better views of the city from up here and I even passed a small stream with some running water which was nice but that won't be there year round.
Eventually, the trail will start to head downhill. This is actually the steepest section of the loop so if you decided to do the loop in the other direction, know that you'll have a steeper uphill climb here.
The trail will hit an intersection with the Fern Canyon trail. Continue heading downhill to the left and you'll complete the loop when you hit the intersection with the Lower Old Zoo Trail. From there, just head to the right, back toward the parking lot!
Bottom Line: A pretty easy loop trail in Griffith Park that features remnants of the old L.A. Zoo.
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