With Halloween just around the corner, there’s no better time to explore the darker side of Los Angeles than by heading into the hills after sunset. And while Griffith Park is usually associated with the Hollywood Sign, the Observatory, and sweeping city views… But this sprawling wilderness has plenty of stranger stories tucked among its trails.
And this guided evening experience takes visitors for an eerie hike centered on the park’s history, ghost stories, paranormal sites, and some of Hollywood’s more unusual tales.
Hike through Griffith Park after dark
The roughly 3-mile route through Griffith Park and the Hollywood Hills takes around three hours, with moderate elevation gain and some uneven terrain, and starts near the Griffith Park Composting Facility.
Along the way, guides share ghost stories, local legends, and Hollywood tales connected to the park, with stops at sites linked to its reportedly paranormal history and notable burial sites. As the trail climbs, the views open up across Hollywood and Los Angeles, with a chance to catch the sunset before darkness settles over the hills (weather permitting).
23 October 2026 00:00 + more dates
Griffith Park Composting Facility
The history behind America’s largest urban wilderness park
Griffith Park has been part of L.A. since 1896, when Colonel Griffith J. Griffith donated 3,015 acres of his Rancho Los Feliz property to the city. The land was once part of a Spanish land grant before Griffith acquired it in the late 19th century.
The park has since expanded to more than 4,000 acres, and Griffith later funded the construction of the Greek Theatre and Griffith Observatory, two landmarks that helped shape it into one of the city’s most beloved public spaces.
Today, Griffith Park is considered the largest municipal park in the United States with significant urban wilderness, encompassing rugged hills, oak woodlands, canyons, hiking trails, and open space directly within Los Angeles. The park occupies part of the eastern Santa Monica Mountains, with elevations reaching more than 1,600 feet.
Its 4,000-plus acres contain some of L.A.’s most recognizable landmarks, including the Los Angeles Zoo and the Hollywood Sign, while much of the park remains undeveloped wilderness.
