How cool is it to live somewhere where you can just visit the old zoo while taking a stroll through the park? Pretty cool if you ask me. After living in LA for just under two years my wife and I figured it was about time we actually checked this place out. We came here with all three of our dogs on a Sunday morning and it was a really cool experience. When you arrive to Griffith Park all you really have to do is follow the signs and it'll lead you right to a small parking lot, usually also loaded with man-made signs for kids birthday parties and such. Once you park, you have to follow a trail and walk up a slight hill for like two minutes before you are suddenly staring at some old enclosures and such. These enclosures are fully open, meaning you can walk right up to them, inside of them, and check them out yourself. If you follow the path a little more you are able to go up a hill and explore behind the bigger exhibits (which I was unable to do this day thanks to some recent lung issues). I have no idea how big the actual old zoo area is, but the area we saw was really freaking cool and definitely has me itching to come back when I'm 100% in order to see everything. Overall, The Old Zoo is cool chance to go back in time for free and experience old some Los Angeles. The park is free, parking is free, and guess what? Checking out the old zoo is free too. You really can't go wrong with some slight exploration and cool photo opportunities. I look forward to coming back soon and exploring some more. read more

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Not anything huge to see, but something unique if you're wanting to do a hiking trail anyway. read more

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Good place to visit. If you visit while it's getting dark even better. Or do 2 visits, one day time and one night time. Anyways, some of the old cages and old structures are still there. It's a combination of emotions visiting since the place since it has history to it. Kids will love visiting. Don't mind the fences and gates, just find an opening and continue exploring. read more

First time here and it was such a surprise. I haven't hiked in Griffith in years so it was nice to explore a new trail. I started from one side of the park and visiting the old zoo was my "middle point" before heading back to complete my loop. read more

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Amazing zoo. Pretty cool place to look at animals and have fun with them pretty cool too

Very explorative and fun lots to do with friends and hiking is great. Watch out for baby rattlers this time of year

The Griffith Park Zoo was LA's city zoo for 54 years until 1966 when it was decided it was too overcrowded for the animals who were locked either in cages or behind bars in small enclosures. Instead of turning this prime real estate into something profitable, the city left it in a state of ruin and then built picnic grounds around it. Based on several articles I read about LA's off-the-beaten-path attractions, this one ranked high on the must-see lists. And my takeaway was 'Why?' I guess there's no zoo like an old zoo. Griffith Park itself was crowded on a Saturday morning with lots of kiddie birthday parties going on at the same time. With the merry-go-round and toddler basketball hoops available, it was nice to see families enjoying the weather. As we walked past the busy area into the grounds, Jamie W. and I actually weren't sure we were in the old zoo until we saw the picnic tables in what looked like old animal enclosures. Sure enough, we had arrived and followed the winding paths with all the rusted cages and hidden passageways along the way. While a lot of people enjoyed going into the nooks and crannies of the decrepit facilities, especially young dads looking to show off to their kids, we didn't find that type of spelunking appealing. Instead, we took advantage of the winding trails that loop into the zoo grounds. We ended up hiking significant segments of the Bill Eckert and Bee Rock Trails which wound around the rolling hills and provided nice views of Glendale and the Valley. The trails are worth a return visit, the old animal enclosures not so much. RELATED - Exploring LA? Here's a collection of places I've visited and reviewed: https://bit.ly/2TWT63v read more

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Unique park experience! Been meaning to visit the Old Zoo for sometime now. There's just something about abandoned places that fascinates me... what is it? I guess it's a personal choice. While many might have absolutely no interest in visiting a ruin... I love visiting these places. While the ones we visited were more abandoned towns like Bodie, we've also visited a few other ruins like Preston Castle, Sutro Baths, Rock A Hoola water park (Newberry Springs) and Rhyolite Ghost Town. This is the first time we've visited an abandoned zoo! From the crowded parking lot we made the short hike to the old zoo which has turned into a picnic area. The zoo once operated from 1912 to 1965... I didn't realize it was that long ago. Many of the enclosures, cement walls, and grottos are still intact but is overrun with nature as we explored inside a few of them. One of the old zoo area even had picnic benches right in the middle. It was interesting to see another set of stairs from the back part of the grottos... this was where zookeepers would access the cages to drop food for the animals. There were two gates between the animals and the entrance from the top. Some of the cages have large locks on them. A few of the enclosures have tiers and small holes... made me wonder what types of animals were suited for these cages. Saw some sunken areas where water would've been kept for water animals. Unfortunately, there is no respect to the buildings as many of them are seen riddled with layers of graffiti. We got further up the path and entered the fence. This led us to hiking trails called the Bill Eckert Trailhead. Sturdy shoes recommended. We went to the path of the Mineral Wells Trail because I still wanted to see the Merry-Go-Round before it got dark. Overall a cool experience and a nice hike. P.S. The bear fight scene from the movie Anchorman: Legend of Ron Burgandy with Will Ferrell was filmed here. Review #2492 read more

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A piece of historical LA detritus, this zoo, an artifact from Old Los Angeles, when throwing peanuts at chimps was no less a past time than walking the Santa Monica boardwalk, has the charm of the 1970s LA River, but with more graffiti. My hot take? Save your steps for less cagey settings. read more

Great place to spend the day with the family. Cool things to see, good hiking area and overall nice and clean. Parking is a bit tough on weekends. read more

Interesting spot here in the expanse of Griffith Park. As many have shared, there are several "ruins" of animal enclosures from the Griffith Park zoo, which closed decades ago when the newer Los Angeles Zoo opened about three miles north. We visited with a group of cub scouts for a morning hike, arriving around 8 AM on a Saturday. Despite the early-ish arrival, the small parking lot was pretty full; luckily, there are several lots here and there around the park proper, so all of our scout families found a place to leave their cars. There are probably hundreds of different hiking trails around Griffith Park, and several criss-cross around the old Zoo. Additionally, there are plenty of unmarked "deer trails" and other cut-throughout that aren't really official hiking paths... so best bet is to be mindful of your landmarks (beehive rock, the Tujunga mountains, and the Burbank skyline work well for this). Lots of folks walking dogs, trail running, and--as the say progressed-- picnicking in the park below the hill trails. This is a nice spot to check out with the kiddies, although some of the graffiti language and imagery can be a little salty. Leave by dark so the ghosts of the animals that used to live here (and a few sketchy people that live in them thar hills) don't getcha. read more

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Super cool (free) hiking and exploring spot. It's got 3-4 main buildings with abandoned cages, rock work, and old signs. I love the sort of abandoned vibe, so this was the perfect exploration. Be warned though! This is a public park and not the most savory of people are hanging out here. Definitely felt threatened by groups following & yelling at me, but stay smart, don't go alone, and stay close to other groups when you can. Then you'll be all good. read more

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Great historical walk at Griffith Park, a bit of an incline, however you can take it slow and appreciate all the beauty and maintenance of a great park. read more

The Old Zoo - Old animal cave - Zoos Near Me - Los Angeles, California

I think my parents took me here when I was a little girl. I need to check out some of my pictures when I was little. Short walk/hike from where we parked. Parking was a little challenging the weekend that we went, but we were finally able to find a free spot. I was surprised to see how small the cages were. I'm glad that the new zoo is larger. There's a lot of graffiti which is unfortunate. There are some cages that you can get into to explore. The zoo tried to close up some of the enclosures, but it looks like some of the wires were either cut or stretched out so that people can go into the enclosures. I definitely wouldn't hang out here at night. Several people with kids or their dogs. Glad to see that there were no dog poop laying around. Tried to read some of the signs that explained the history of this place, but there's always someone who has to ruin it for others. Could barely read one of the signs next to the enclosure. I would recommend checking out this place at least once. There are some grassy areas if you want to have a picnic. read more

The Old Zoo - Zoos Near Me - Los Angeles, California

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I thought it'd be bigger. it's kind of like a giant Park where you just walk around. I thought the zoo exhibits would be. you know bigger but there's really only the cave for their polar bears and then a few cages. not really much to see read more

Visited on a Saturday and there was plenty of parking still. Or maybe we just got lucky, but either way, it's a huge area with parking everywhere. We had an event Saturday night and wanted to do something quick in the morning, no strenuous hiking or anything and decided to visit The Old Zoo. I read about it online and thought it would be cool to see in person. Visitors, beware....it smells like urine EVERYWHERE! Well, in the old animal enclosures anyway. There are trails you can take as well which is fine obviously. But since the enclosures are abandoned, they have been taken over by unwanted visitors who think it's cool to urine and defecate everywhere. Not to mention, the graffiti too. Even though it is fenced off, the fences have been cut so everything is accessible to everyone. It's crazy to imagine bears were kept in such small enclosures! They barely had any room to move around....basically stairs to walk up to their sleeping quarters which barely had enough room for them to sleep in. So sad....glad they decided to move everything. All in all, worth a visit since it's so accessible! read more

The Old Zoo - Entrance to old enclosures - Zoos Near Me - Los Angeles, California

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This place is amazing, I did not know it existed! if you are looking to take a hike or go and hang out or have a picnic come here! There is so much to see and so many places to take awesome pictures! The downside is please be careful of what you touch... it is not clean. The cage areas are full of urine and we even found undergarments throughout the cage areas. I wish the city would clean up a little. read more

The Old Zoo - Zoos Near Me - Los Angeles, California

Definitely somewhere interesting to stop in. Great walk and it's a clear dirt path. Loved it. read more

The Old Zoo - A lion or tiger cage. - Zoos Near Me - Los Angeles, California

Part of Griffith Park, the old stone zoo cages are quite atmospheric despite some graffiti. A little hard to find but currently follow the Shakespeare signs and you will get there. Each cage has some rickety steps inside so watch out. The picnic area in front of the cages is spacious and you can eat an make up stories about times gone by. If I was in charge I might bougie it up a bit and definitely try and keep the graffiti out, maybe even have some animal fund raising events there. Griffith Park is a micro culture of worlds and this is one of them. read more

The Old Zoo - I see an inhabitant - Zoos Near Me - Los Angeles, California

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The Old Zoo is what remains of the original LA Zoo that was simply left in its place when the zoo changed locations. The picnic benches were added to some of the old animal areas, and it was adopted into Griffith Park, which welcomes tons of visitors daily. This abandoned zoo is a truly unique location in the urban jungle, and has quite few unpaved trails to explore. read more

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I didn't know about the Old Zoo till a few years ago when I started to go to the Shakespeare Festival hosted here (they screen movies here and have the Haunted Hayride around Halloween at this spot). It's a cool area, with some interesting history behind - it belonged to the old Zoo that LA had and closed in early '60-s. They still have cool looking caves here and cages where they kept the animals. It's a very inspiring area, sure on the creepy side. It's very unique, there are hiking trails you can take around here with great views of the city and shady spots. It's a cool to explore area and there picnic benches around so you can spend more time here if you want to. There's a parking lot further away and restrooms near by. It's quiet most of the times, sometimes there are film shoots, photo shoots, big b-day parties around. This could be a more interesting way to spend a day outdoors to explore a bit part of Griffith Park. There is wild life around, so be careful, we saw coyotes here, a rattle snake in the grass, a cool hawk, a bit of everything. You're in nature, while in the middle of the city, very cool in a LA kinda of way. Cool spot to explore or comeback to! read more

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This is such a fun place to take pictures or to go on a short hike with your kids! The entire walk is only about a mile, and there is plenty of easy parking on the bottom. Park by the miracle round for free, the walk should take no more than 20 minutes. Plenty of stuff to explore, also if you Shady rest areas and seating. Super fun for a day out doing something different while in the middle of LA! read more

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If you love abandon places, you would enjoy this hiking trail. You get to see the old zoo, animals' cages, cursed picnic benches. This place is definitely different (and creepy）. (Hiking tips:) 1. Family hiking: Only around 1.5 miles, you get to see the whole old zoo. The path is flat, easy to hike!! 2. Advanced hiking: The hike may be extended 2 miles to Bee Rock. It took us around an hour and a half. The hiking trail wasn't intense but steep, hiking shoes are needed. From the top of the rock, you have a commanding view over the park and the city beyond. 3. $2 for wooden carousel. 4. Some part of the zoo has been converted into picnic area, where you can sit at tables inside old animal pens (Parking) Free parking. There are plenty of parking spaces in the parking lot. Easy to park! read more

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Through the rusty metal railings, you can peek into the past of old LA glory. It's not exactly a time machine, but allows you a glimpse into generations of Angelino's lives. read more

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This is a really cool hike. It's a 7mile loop trail. If you love hiking and checking out cool spots I would definitely recommend it. Not a difficult hike and it's a lot of fun. You get to explore where the LA zoo use to be and the cool part is that you have the opportunity to check out the lions den , monkey cages and bird cages. It's a great place to take cool pictures inside the monkey cages and check out the colorful graffiti that decorates this place. I definitely had a lot of fun taking pictures and pretending to be a monkey inside a cage. When I went there wasn't a lot of people so I don't think it's a popular hike. There's plenty of parking so you don't have to worry about that. I would recommend bringing water especially if it's a hot day. read more

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If you love abandoned places, run to The Old Zoo. If you don't, still go to use the picnic tables for lunch, but skip the exploration part. If you are a thrill seeker, budget 45-60 minutes to explore all the old, empty cages. There's a lion's den, bird cages, monkey cages, etc. Most of the cages are closes, but a few are open for people to crawl throw and see what it was like to be a zoo animal decades ago. The highlights: 1) Lion's den: There's one you can crawl up into and see the crawl spaces and the graffiti art now in it. 2) Monkey cage: Behind the main area, hike up and keep going until you come to another cage that you can go in and walk on top of. 3) Back den: There's a large area that goes on and on. In the very front is a water way with a dry tunnel you can crawl through if you're brave enough. If you like unique things or taking unique photography, go here! It's in Griffith Park, which is fun to explore on its own. read more

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What an ominous looking area. Behind a bunch of picnic area is a rock facade, heavy metal cages and remnants of some padlocked and open animal cages. One can't help but explore. Lots of hiking trails that meander behind and to the left side of this old zoo. Something to see and to ponder at how far man has come with modern zoo creations. read more

It's neat that this location used to be the old zoo back in the days. However, the location is pretty filthy. The old zoo has lots of graffiti, and litter everywhere. The city has decide to cover some of the graffiti but you can still see it. They also have taken the opportunity to gate off most of the old cages but people have cut right through them. Other that that, the location is okay for hiking. Check out the trail through the Alltrails app. Tip: Parking is located near the Merry go around, come early. read more

Amazing place for an outdoor date! I recommend going, taking cool pics and if you're up for it go for a hike! It's fun, small and gives you something fun to chat about. read more

The Old Zoo - Zoos Near Me - Los Angeles, California

Old school since 1912. I'm glad that the city did not demolish this old relic and kept it so we could all enjoy looking at it today. It's unfortunate that losers of society have to graffiti and damage the remains. There are cool hiking trails just behind this old zoo and a restroom nearby. read more

The Old Zoo - COVID-19 invasion - Zoos Near Me - Los Angeles, California

Clean place Children like this park Fresh air! Confutable parking I recommend A lot of space for party!!! Welcome read more

The Old Zoo - Zoos Near Me - Los Angeles, California

Here's a spot for the quirky among us. The history of the Old Zoo is easy to find, so I won't bore you with it. The city never tore this down, but just locked up several gates and that's it. Maybe they saw that people were using and enjoying it, so why not leave it as it is. My adventure included the girl. When the antics of this pre-teen were posted on Facebook, Grandpa (my dad) replied "The apple doesn't fall too far from the tree." We're both a little quirky. I thought she'd like this, and, much to my wife's shock, I was right (she's shocked that I'm right about a few things). Many creative places for posing: locked behind the gates, coming down the stairs, standing on the cement wall on top, napping in an enclosure. I can also see climbing up the fence, doing a splits, and preparing a meal caveman-style. I didn't see any signs for the Old Zoo, but once I figured it out, it's easy to get to. Requires an easy hike of a few hundred feet. The Old Zoo: a true Only In LA experience. read more

Prepare to be somewhat horrified if you visit the grounds of the old Los Angeles Zoo. The relic cages show how inhumane zoos were back then (some would argue they still are). There's a small parking lot close to the zoo which involves a short trek up the old road. Or the much larger merry-go-round lot(s) a bit further away. read more

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This was a fun break from our Foodie Adventures! Want a quick, relatively easy hike? This is it! Located at Griffith Park in Los Angeles, is this free landmark which is quite unusual. It seems to have been the former site of the Los Angeles Zoo. It's kind of creepy to me because the caves, cages, and structures are empty and abandoned. I felt like someone or something was going to jump out at me at any time! There also are a few gutted buildings with broken glass on the ground and graffiti on the walls. Other people were wandering in the caves and walking up the stairs inside of them, but I stayed on the main path. There's even a path with an incline that leads to a larger unlocked cage where you can be behind bars and take a picture! It was a great conversation piece! While we strolled through the grounds, we imagined what type of animal would fit in each space. If you have time, you might want to stop by and see it for yourself! Off to the side are picnic tables and benches if you'd like to bring a meal or two! read more

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The hike was a 2.5 mile loop. The trail was easy to hike and it was interesting to see the old zoo cages. I believe personally it was sad to see where the animals were kept in these small confined spaces. But overall it was a nice pleasant hike. read more

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Everything old is new again and the now-abandoned Original Los Angeles Zoo, founded in 1912 and housed in Griffith Park, was excitingly new for me. My recent and first visit to the area took place after a quick hike down Fern Canyon to Coolidge and up the Lower Beacon Trail in Griffith Park. The area is a quiet & fun section to explore. The remaining enclosure ruins (apparently built in the 1930s) are surrounded by a picnic space & hiking trails. The abandoned monkey cages, lions den and bear grotto are surprisingly small and offer a glimpse of the original local zoo experience. The current (also outdated) Los Angeles Zoo opened nearby in 1966, at the same time the Original Zoo closed down. Although the zoo animals are long gone, this place is understandably crowded with photography shoots, with the added benefit of people watching in place of animal viewing. The Old Zoo is certainly a nice piece of historic preservation and one of many top LA sites to visit. read more

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Pretty fun hike, by the park as well, so there are public restrooms with sink and soap to use before the hike. Saw a few different trails but only hiked one. The marry go round is closed off. read more

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The hiking trails around the old zoo in the park are great. But the old zoo relics are not that great. The old enclosures smell like urine and there is trash and graffiti everywhere. The back of the enclosures have been fenced off and people have cut through the fencing to access the back part of the enclosures anyway. It looks like the city has done some maintenance on the stones and masonry in the old enclosures but doesn't actively maintain it very well. I envisioned it being much more interesting than it was. Next time I'll find another trailhead in the park and bypass the old zoo. read more

So me and abandoned places have a love connection that will continue on forever. When I heard about this place I knew I had to check it out, but it took me to ever to finally get here and see it with my own two eyes. What is cool about this place is you can make the hike as long as you want it to be, the zoo is located on the lower portion of the hike and if you dare to explore the inside of the buildings you have that options. It will have a strong urine smell, so you have been warned. The views here can be fantastic on the right day if you decide to venture up the higher grounds. But the real stand out here is cruising around the cages and the old animal lairs. It's on the lower portion of the hike so take your time to check it out and get some good photos. If you decide to hike up on the right day you can catch some nice views of LA. I went after it had been raining and the weather was perfect and that fresh after rain smell and feel. This is not a difficult hike and is good for beginners. This place gives off such a cool feeling because of the old animal cages. A remembrance of what once was back in the day. If you are a fan of this kind of stuff and have not made your way here put it on your list and give it a go. I guarantee you will want to come back. CHEERS!!! read more

I am a fan of cool historic places and The Old LA Zoo is really cool. Just being in Griffith Park is an awesome location in LA. This area where the Old Zoo used to operate is so interesting. As you walk around the old abandoned caves and animal cages you feel like you want to imagine what it was like back in the 40's and 50's walking around these beautiful grounds. Spending time exploring the old remains is a great day at the park. Also a popular spot for photogs and painters. read more

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