Discovering Griffith Park. Casey Schreiner
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Название: Discovering Griffith Park
Автор: Casey Schreiner
Издательство: Ingram
Жанр: Спорт, фитнес
isbn: 9781680512670
isbn:
When the marine layer sits atop the L.A. basin, expect (and enjoy!) cool, gray mornings.
CLIMATE AND SEASONS
Newcomers and transplants are often confused and disappointed when they arrive and don’t get their distinct spring-summer-fall-winter rotations. The reality is, Los Angeles does have very clear seasons, but they’re more subtle than in other parts of the country. Spend some time here, though, and you’ll learn to read the changes in the weather and landscape, too.
Although L.A.’s image is often one of perpetual, perfect blue skies, visitors in the “June Gloom” season (which can also manifest itself as “May Gray,” “No-Sky July,” or “Fogust”) will be met by a low, dense marine layer of clouds off the Pacific Ocean that blankets much of the L.A. basin each morning through midafternoon. While those clouds may disappoint summer tourists, they provide welcome relief from brutal temperatures and can allow for tough midday hikes you wouldn’t be able to do later in the season.
10 FUN FACTS
ABOUT GRIFFITH PARK
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At over 4300 acres, Griffith Park is four times the size of San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park and five times the size of New York’s Central Park. |
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Griffith J. Griffith and his wife Mary Agnes Christina (Tina) Mesmer donated 3015 acres of Rancho Los Feliz to the City of Los Angeles as a Christmas gift on December 16, 1896. When the land was donated, the park was a mile north of the city limits of Los Angeles. |
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The original Hollywood Sign was built on Mount Lee in 1923, and read “Hollywoodland” to advertise a nearby housing development. It was expected to last only 18 months. |
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The Griffith Observatory opened in 1935 and is the most visited public observatory in the world. It is estimated that more people have looked through its Zeiss 12-inch refracting telescope than any other telescope in history. |
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The oldest building in the park, the Park Film Office, is the only surviving building from Rancho Los Feliz. Its exterior adobe walls date from 1853. |
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Griffith Park is said to have inspired Walt Disney to create Disneyland. The innovative animator often spent time with his children at the circa-1926 merry-go-round. |
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Long a land of many uses, the park has been home to an airfield, multiple zoos, a landfill, a Civilian Conservation Corps work camp, a pre-internment camp and prisoner-of-war camp during World War II, housing for veterans, and more. |
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Griffith Park contains five museums: the Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens, the Autry Museum of the American West, the Griffith Observatory, Travel Town, and the Los Angeles Live Steamers Railroad Museum. |
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Griffith Park has been the site of countless films and television shows since its very beginning. Popular filming locations include the Bronson Cave, Cedar Grove, and the closed-to-traffic Mount Hollywood and Vista Del Valle Drives. |
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Griffith Park is home to hundreds of species of plants and animals ranging from carp in the L.A. River to a famous mountain lion named P-22 in the rugged chaparral. |
The visitor center features beautiful artwork detailing the park history.
By June or July, the “Endless Summer” usually kicks in—and can sometimes last through November and even December, when you will be begging any higher power you believe in for sweet, sweet relief. During this time, the marine layer weakens, the temperatures rise, and many native plants go into summer dormancy (I sometimes call this “Summer Brown”). Hikers during these months should watch the forecasts and start early or wait until the sun is setting to hit the trails. Bring extra water, slather on the sunscreen, and pay attention for red-flag warnings and news of Santa Ana winds—dry, hot, often violent gusts that can knock down trees and powerlines, ignite and spread fires, and generally make everyone a bit crazier than usual.
Sometimes cooler days and light rain can sneak into October and November, but in general our “Winter-Spring” lasts from December to April, when the region gets 86 percent of our annual rainfall (on average, L.A. gets about 15 inches of rain a year—don’t let anyone tell you it’s a desert, OK?). These rainstorms can often be very heavy. I don’t recommend hiking during a rainstorm but I absolutely recommend hiking the few days following one. Then, the skies clear and our native plants turn bright green and begin to bloom, making for unforgettable outdoor experiences.
GENERAL PARK RULES AND REGULATIONS
Almost everything inside this book is inside the boundaries of Griffith Park, which means these rules apply throughout. Where rules differ, they will be noted. In general:
•Fires and fireworks are prohibited everywhere in the park. Cooking should be done only in designated barbecue pits in picnic areas.
•Do not feed or bother wildlife of any kind.
•Collection or removal of any material inside the park is prohibited—this includes rocks, wildflowers, and artifacts.
•Dogs must be on leash at all times in the park. The only off-leash area is the official dog park west of the Ferraro athletic fields.
•Bicycles СКАЧАТЬ