# Best Parks in Los Angeles

City-run and city-adjacent parks within Los Angeles proper, verified for current open status after the 2025 wildfires. · community starter list

9 parks in Los Angeles, including Griffith Park (Los Feliz, Los Angeles). The order here is where we started — no votes have been cast yet, and the community's votes decide it from here.

**Where:** [Third Platz](/.md) / [United States](/united-states.md) / Los Angeles
**Updated:** 2026-08-20 12:08:58

1. **[Griffith Park](/e/griffith-park---1019.md)** (park) — Los Angeles's largest municipal park, 4,310 acres of chaparral wilderness and landscaped grounds donated to the city by Griffith J. Griffith in 1896; home to the Observatory and LA Zoo. — score 0 — endorsements 0 — sources: https://www.discoverlosangeles.com/things-to-do/the-guide-to-los-angeles-parks, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Griffith_Park
2. **[Elysian Park](/e/elysian-park---1020.md)** (park) — The city's oldest public park, created by ordinance in 1886; roughly 600 acres of hillside trails near Dodger Stadium with skyline views from Angel's Point. — score 0 — endorsements 0 — sources: https://www.discoverlosangeles.com/things-to-do/the-guide-to-los-angeles-parks, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elysian_Park
3. **[Echo Park Lake](/e/echo-park-lake---1021.md)** (park) — Reservoir built in 1868 turned recreational lake in Echo Park, with swan boats and an annual Lotus Festival; underwent a $45 million renovation completed in 2013. — score 0 — endorsements 0 — sources: https://www.discoverlosangeles.com/things-to-do/echo-park-lake, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Echo_Park_Lake
4. **[Runyon Canyon Park](/e/runyon-canyon-park---1022.md)** (park) — 160-acre hillside park above Hollywood, popular for steep hiking loops and its off-leash dog areas; part of it burned in the January 2025 Sunset Fire. — score 0 — endorsements 0 — sources: https://www.yahoo.com/news/griffith-park-reopens-sunset-fire-180358518.html, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Runyon_Canyon_Park
5. **[MacArthur Park](/e/macarthur-park---1023.md)** (park) — Westlake park dating to the 1880s, originally called Westlake Park before its 1942 renaming; its lake and 2007 Levitt Pavilion followed a 2000s redevelopment after decades of decline. — score 0 — endorsements 0 — sources: https://www.laconservancy.org/learn/historic-places/macarthur-park/, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MacArthur_Park
6. **[Ernest E. Debs Regional Park](/e/ernest-e-debs-regional-park---1024.md)** (park) — 282-acre nature reserve in Montecito Heights with miles of hiking trails; its Audubon Center, opened in 2003, was the first LEED Platinum-certified building in the US. — score 0 — endorsements 0 — sources: https://www.audubon.org/debs-park/about-us, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernest_E._Debs_Regional_Park
7. **[Exposition Park Rose Garden](/e/exposition-park-rose-garden---1025.md)** (park) — Sunken rose garden in Exposition Park, planted in 1927 with 15,000 bushes and renamed the next year; now home to more than 20,000 bushes and listed on the National Register since 1991. — score 0 — endorsements 0 — sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exposition_Park_Rose_Garden, https://expositionpark.ca.gov/about-us/park-history/
8. **[Silver Lake Meadow](/e/silver-lake-meadow---1026.md)** (park) — 2.5-acre passive-recreation lawn on the reservoir's east side in Silver Lake, opened by the city in April 2011 for picnicking and kite-flying; no dogs or team sports allowed. — score 0 — endorsements 0 — sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silver_Lake_Reservoir, https://www.silverlakereservoirs.org/silver-lake-meadow
9. **[Vista Hermosa Natural Park](/e/vista-hermosa-natural-park---1027.md)** (park) — 10.5-acre park on a former oil field just west of downtown's Civic Center in Echo Park; run jointly by LAUSD, the city and the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority. — score 0 — endorsements 0 — sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vista_Hermosa_Natural_Park, https://mrca.ca.gov/parks/park-listing/vista-hermosa-natural-park

## Related lists

### Nearby
- [Best Parks in Chicago](/united-states-chicago/best-parks---205.md) — Chicago
- [Best Parks in New York City](/united-states-new-york-city/best-parks---77.md) — New York City
- [Best Parks in San Francisco](/united-states-san-francisco/best-parks---209.md) — San Francisco

### More in Los Angeles
- [Top 10 Restaurants in Los Angeles](/united-states-los-angeles/top-10-restaurants---177.md) — Los Angeles
- [Best Cafes in Los Angeles](/united-states-los-angeles/best-cafes---176.md) — Los Angeles
- [Things to Do in Los Angeles](/united-states-los-angeles/things-to-do---168.md) — Los Angeles

### Same topic, elsewhere
- [Best Parks in London](/united-kingdom-london/best-parks---68.md) — London
- [Best Parks in Paris](/france-paris/best-parks---126.md) — Paris
- [Best Parks in Toronto](/canada-toronto/best-parks---145.md) — Toronto

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