GP-eX Segment 7:
OLD ZOO – BEE ROCK LOOP
“I CONQUERED BEE ROCK!” Here’s a hike to satisfy the experts, hook newbies and consistently challenge everyone in between. While traversing the loops and hillsides, Bee Rock beckons you to keep climbing higher and deeper into this rugged wilderness. After you finish, stop at the Griffith Park Visitor Center and check out the three-walled mural, “Invisible Neighbors,” that highlights the Park’s flora and fauna. Can you see P-22 peeking out?
PARKING
Merry-Go-Round Lot 1
LENGTH
5.02 miles
GAIN
930 ft.
DIFFICULTY
Intermediate
DIRECTION
Either, clockwise below
1.Start at the Lower Beacon Trail (sign #44) and walk W. Turn L/uphill (.12, sign #47) past Fern Canyon Dr. (.16, sign #48). Turn R and continue uphill on the Upper Old Zoo Trail fire road, catching beautiful views of Glendale and the Verdugos as you climb. The trail flattens (.35), then turns NW and continues slightly downhill. Look N to see the bucolic Bill Eckert trail in the distance.
2.Less than a mile in, Bee Rock appears, and a short distance later (.72, opposite three large rocks), you get a great view of this iconic, igneous rock outcrop. The hollows in the rock resulted from escaping gases when magma from past volcanic activity cooled. Stay L at a junction with a trail from the R and continue downhill to Mineral Wells Trail (.99, sign #54). Veer L/W, toward Bee Rock Trail, and walk uphill on the fire road past a few concrete check dams on your R.
3.When the fire road ends (1.2), make a sharp L to climb up the single-track Bee Rock Trail, originally created in 1903 and renovated in 2022 by FoGP volunteers. Stay R @ 1.27; the trail to your L is an unofficial/use trail. The tree canopy opens up to reveal a view of Bee Rock (1.35) Continue up the switchbacks until you arrive at back of sign #55 (1.48). The trail to your L to Bee Rock is closed from 2/1 – 6/30 for falcon nesting. If you’re hiking outside of those months, use extra caution when exploring this uneven, rocky section. At the end (1.54), enjoy the breathtaking views, then retrace your steps back. With your back to sign #55 (1.6), walk 100 ft. up a flight of stone stairs to paved Vista del Valle (1.9). You’re met by three large rocks suitable to sit on for a short rest if needed (1.63, sign #56).
4.Turn R and walk to the Bee Rock interpretive sign (#99) on your R before continuing NW on paved Vista del Valle. This road is shared by hikers and bicyclists, so hug the outer edge of the road (for best views!) while walking. You see Tank 113 in the distance on your R. A low stone fence built by the Civilian Conservation Corps appears on your L (1.82). Continue to Vista del Valle (sign #58) on the L and sign Bill Eckert Trail (1.88, sign #57) on the R. First hired as a gardener in 1949, Eckert became a charter member of the Park’s Ranger unit, Badge #1, in 1965.
5.Turn R onto the Bill Eckert Trail and walk down the gently-winding fire road, with its 180-degree views to the N, E and S, including Beacon Hill and Bee Rock. Continue E/downhill, enjoying the green expanses of the Wilson-Harding golf course ahead. You pass a junction with a single-track trail uphill on your L (2.11). Look to your L to see the empty swimming pool of the former Boys Camp. Then continue downhill on the fire road.
6.You pass a DWP pipe in the middle of the fire road (2.24); stay to the L and continue downhill. A short distance later, views of Amir’s Garden and the North Trail emerge ahead. The road veers R as you pass Tank 76 and the Wilson-Harding Clubhouse on the L. A short distance later, you pass Tank 76 on your L. Stay R at the junction to your L with a DWP service trail to Tank 72 (2.52).
8.Turn L down a short single track to exit via the chain link fence. Follow the paved road opposite the fence straight ahead (3.15) and continue S, then E as it gently curves. You arrive as the first of the Old Zoo cages come into view. Shortly after (3.3), turn L to walk on the paved loop around the Old Zoo, soaking up the wide green lawn, picnic tables and mature eucalyptus trees in the center. You pass restrooms (3.39); the future Griffith Park Performing Arts Stage will be on your R when completed.
10.Just before you complete the loop (3.52), make a sharp L to onto paved Lower Old Zoo Trail. You pass some of the feeding doors into the cages. Veer L onto a fire road, staying straight past a junction with a single track trail on the L (3.66). Pass through the chain link fence gate, veering R and then slightly downhill. You pass Lower Old Zoo Trail (3.44, sign #47). Keep L and continue downhill, keeping L at the junction with a single track on the R. Pause to get your bearings at the large map for Fern Canyon Trailhead (3.98, sign #46).
11.Turn L and continue NW on a paved service road past the McComb Reclaimed Pump Station on your L. This station and the “vista viewpoint” helipad in GP-eX Segment 14 were named after Michael D. McComb who served as an L.A. firefighter and air crewman for more than 25 years. He was killed in 1998 when his helicopter crashed while attempting to transport a young patient to the L.A. Children’s Hospital.
Cautiously cross the paved live road (4.5) to the sidewalk on the E side, turn R and continue walking. Turn L onto an asphalt path (4.13) and walk NE, passing the historic Merry-Go-Round on your L. Though it’s closed, you can walk around it and read signs about its connection to Walt Disney. Return to the asphalt path, then take the first L onto another asphalt path. After passing tennis courts and restrooms on your R, you will come to a junction. You can take a short detour to the L to see the “Pepperland” plaque on a rock, recognizing a pepper tree grove named in honor of the Beatles.
12.Retrace your steps and continue on the sidewalk with the Merry-Go-Round Lot 3 on your L until you arrive at Shane’s Inspiration, co-founded by Catherine Curry Williams and Scott Williams in memory of their son, Shane Alexander.
13.Walk under the playground sign (4.41) and turn R. Proceed on the sidewalk, staying R, toward the Park Services Division Bldg. You pass a small garden (4.45) celebrating the centennial of the Park dedicated by children from local recreation centers. Turn R at the parking lot, then L to walk straight parallel to Griffith Park Dr. At the three-way stop at Crystal Springs Dr., turn R/S onto the sidewalk (4.54). The sidewalk ends (4.61); continue walking on the grass or the edge of Crystal Springs Dr. At the stop sign at the next intersection, opposite the Visitor Center/Ranger HQ, turn R/E onto the dirt bridle path. Cross at the crosswalk (4.78), turn R and proceed to the Lower Beacon trailhead (sign #44) and the parking area.
Bonus
Be sure to stop at the Visitor Center if you haven’t yet. Don’t miss the three-panel “Invisible Neighbors” mural, sponsored by Friends of Griffith Park, that pays tribute to the Park’s often-unseen plants and wildlife.
