GP-eX Segment 1:
BETTE DAVIS PICNIC AREA
THE SECRET IS OUT. This easy walk is ideal for beginning hikers, and birders love this area. It’s common to see folks with binoculars flocking to see herons, grebes and even osprey. Discover a soft-bottom stretch of the L.A. River, a Miyawaki Micro-Forest test plot, a historic bridge, and a quiet picnic area shaded by sycamores and oaks . . . along with bonus options.
PARKING
Rancho Ave. or Garden St.
LENGTH
1.7 miles
GAIN
>50 ft.
DIFFICULTY
Easy
DIRECTION
Either, clockwise below
1.Walk E inside the fence on the S side of Riverside Drive toward the street intersection, then cross paved Riverside Drive in the crosswalk near the Bette Davis Picnic Area sign to the dirt bridle trail on the E side.
At a large tree, the trail curves S, parallel to Garden St. Notice the beautiful Chinese weeping cypress trees on your R and the views of the Skyline Trail (GP-eX Segment 8) in the distance. At .35, the trail turns R/W.
Bonus
Take a short detour L/E to explore the Glendale Narrows Riverwalk and see the sharpest corner in the 51-mile LA River. Here it leaves the San Fernando Valley and turns S into the coastal plain. On a clear day you see the downtown Los Angeles skyline.
2.Continue W on the dirt path until it ends at fence (.40) then turn L up to a paved trail along the River. Take a few steps S to view the birds and willow trees along the soft-bottom river to the E. The Merrill Butler-designed Victory bridge (1938) is to the W. Return to the paved path and continue W toward the bridge.
4.Turn L/S onto another dirt bridle path, passing the shaded picnic tables on your R. At .73, the trail turns R/W, but you can continue straight for one more view of the River, before returning to the bridle path.
[Red-winged blackbirds and black-necked stilts photos: Michael R. Perry]
5.Head W and at .73, and turn R/N at the cut in the fence to circle around the 900-sq.-ft. Miyawaki Micro-Forest test plot. What can you see here? About 90% of the plants here were grown from seeds collected from within Griffith Park. Return to the dirt path and continue W.
7.Soon after mile 1, the path becomes sandy and you pass the first of many beautifully-maintained, non-native garden plots on your R and more views of the Skyline Trail in the distance. Pass under the boughs of a large pine tree when the trail widens considerably as you approach the border with the L.A. Equestrian Center.
Bonus
You see an equestrian bridge to the L in the distance. You can cross the bridge and follow the dirt path W for another half-mile to the entrance of the Equestrian Center, another historic Griffith Park attraction that opened in 1933.
