An Elysian Experience Near the Heart of the City

Elysian Park, just north of downtown Los Angeles, is a 575-acre retreat from urban life. Despite its central location, the park is usually uncrowded. It feels remote--possibly because access is a bit confusing.

The park has been cut by roads, but it’s possible to get immersed in greenery and leave the roar of traffic behind. That’s no easy feat, considering you can see the park while motoring along Interstate 5 (Golden State Freeway) and California 110 (Pasadena Freeway); Dodgers fans pass through Elysian on the way to the stadium.

The hilly land is an undeveloped remnant of the original Spanish settlement from which grew the Pueblo of Los Angeles, founded in 1781. More than 10 miles of hiking trails and dirt fire roads lead through some surprisingly wild terrain. My favorite route is Portola Trail, which takes you through shady glens, over grass carpets and past rare palms.

A couple of caveats: The trails, fire roads and junctions are unsigned, and some side trails seem to start and end willy-nilly. You probably won’t get lost, but impatient hikers may get frustrated.

Directions to the trail head: From downtown L.A., go north on Broadway through Chinatown. Turn left on Park Row Drive and enter Elysian Park. Stay left on Park Row Drive and leave your car along the road. The trail begins at the marker commemorating the campsite of Spanish explorer Capt. Gaspar de Portola.

The hike: Head uphill on Portola Trail, which soon crosses Park Row Drive. You’ll pass oak and eucalyptus trees and see other footpaths and a park service road. Keep heading uphill until you reach a picnic area atop a grassy knoll called Buena Vista.

Walk through the picnic area and descend to Park Row Drive, which you’ll join. Follow the road over a bridge that spans the Pasadena Freeway. About 100 yards beyond the bridge, veer right onto a dirt fire road. The next mile is the most tranquil part of the park. Portola Trail winds through a zany mixture of trees: eucalyptus, walnut, oak, pine and palm.

The route passes Grand View Drive and continues on a narrow hillside path. Periodically you’ll emerge from the greenery and look down at the metropolis in miniature: freight yards, Glendale, Interstate 5. Beware of poison oak along the trail.

As the trail descends toward Stadium Way, the cacophony of the city is gradually replaced by the music of birds.

Portola Trail reaches a junction with Elysian Park Drive and Stadium Way. On the west side of Stadium Way is a wide, grassy area for picnicking. Within easy walking distance are other park attractions: Palm Hill, the fountain at Grace E. Simons Lodge (a banquet and meeting hall) and Elysian Fields. At this point hikers can retrace their steps to their car or hike an additional loop.

To extend the hike, cross Stadium Way, walk a short distance up Elysian Park Drive and join a well-graded dirt road that heads north. The path follows the contours of a eucalyptus-covered hillside; it makes a hairpin turn at the northwest boundary of the park, then heads south to lovely Marian Harlow Garden. Enjoy a flower-framed view of downtown, then descend south toward the gardens behind Simons Lodge.

The path brings you to aptly named Palm Hill, where you’ll descend Elysian Park Drive to Stadium Way--the starting point of the additional loop.

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For more of John McKinney’s tips, visit https://www.thetrailmaster.com.