Ferndell Trail in Griffith Park

Los Angeles
Written By Kelly S

Sometimes it feels tricky to find a Southern California hike for kids that’s not too long, easy to access, fun, and shady. Thankfully, this one fits the bill!

The Short Version:

I take the time to try to provide as much helpful info I can think of so these posts are thorough and comprehensive for families wanting to hike with their kids in Southern California.

Don’t need all the details? No problem! Here’s the short version:

  • Ferndell Nature Trail is in Griffith Park at 2333 Fern Dell Dr, Hollywood, CA. Park anywhere you see a spot on the street along Fern Dell Dr. It doesn’t really matter if you start by the “Fern Dell” sign, the playground, or in between.

  • Parking is free, and there is no entrance fee to hike.

  • The trail is about 1/4 mile (so 1/2 mile since you’ll need to walk there and back.) You can do it in an hour or less, even with stops for photos and looking for wildlife in the ponds.

  • It’s pretty shady thanks to many non-native ferns and trees, with a stream, ponds, and bridges.

  • This hike is short and friendly for all ages!

  • There’s a playground on one end of the trail, near the Trails Cafe (a local favorite for a snack!)

  • Bathrooms are porta-potties.

  • There’s lots more to do in Griffith Park, including the Observatory, the LA Zoo, the Autry Museum, or other playgrounds.

All about Ferndell Nature Trail

Ferndell Nature Trail is in the middle of Los Angeles in Griffith Park, but it feels like you’re in a whole different world thanks to the (non-native) ferns, ponds, and mini-waterfalls that run throughout this short trail.

There’s lots to look at to keep it interesting, and seriously, let’s just give applause to any SoCal trail that’s not in full sun!

Parking can be a little tricky, especially on the weekend, but I think this trail is super family-friendly, especially since it ends by a playground and a hidden coffee shop!

(By the way, I’ve seen this referenced as both “Ferndell” and “Fern Dell” or even “Fern Dale.” I think “Ferndell” is correct based on the sign at the front of the trail, but either one really works).

We had a great time walking along Ferndell Trail in Griffith Park as a family in September 2024, with my four kids (ages 8, 8, 9, and 12 at the time).

Want to visit? Here’s what to know:

How to Get to Ferndell Trail in Griffith Park

If you don’t live close, I suggest stopping at a bathroom first before you get to Griffith Park… there are not good bathroom options near the trail. (Just porta-potties or a park bathroom that appears to not be regularly open).

We stopped at the Starbucks at 5545 Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90028 and it worked great. (So that’s the address we navigated to from home). In case you don’t know this, Starbucks’ policy is generally that bathrooms are open to everyone, even if you don’t make a purchase. We have bought enough Starbucks treats over the years that I don’t feel bad if we occasionally stop for the bathroom without buying anything, especially since we always leave the bathrooms in good condition. However, you could always buy something or leave a tip in the tip jar if you want.

From that Starbucks, it’s about a 5-10 minute drive to Griffith Park. I grew up in LA but don’t live there now, and driving felt a little tricky here — the streets are narrow and we had trouble when Waze sent us to make a left turn but there was no light and cross-traffic wasn’t stopping. We survived, but you may want to put on your mental “I can drive in LA!” badge before you head out, if you’re not used to driving there. :)

Finding Ferndell Trail in Griffith Park

So, after the bathroom stop, we were on our way to find the actual trail.

Griffith Park is HUGE — several freeway exits service it, and it took us 20+ minutes to drive from one end to the other. So pay attention to where you enter!

You want to enter Griffith Park on the corner of Los Feliz Blvd. and Ferndell Drive.

I suggest using this address for GPS: 2333 Fern Dell Dr, Hollywood, CA. In GPS it may be called “Ferndell Nature Trail” or “Ferndell Nature Museum” — fyi, there is no museum or indoor nature center though… just the path.

As soon as you get to that corner and head up Ferndell Drive, you want to grab any street parking spot you can find… there’s not really a parking lot.

The trail technically begins down at the bottom of the hill near Ferndell and Los Feliz Blvd. under the “Ferndell” sign, but we found parking closer to the playground, which was fine. (We just ended up doing the playground “backwards” from the playground to the entrance sign, and back to the playground.)

On the Trail — Hiking Ferndell Trail in Griffith Park with Kids

The trail itself is beautiful, and also very man-made. Is it really a hike? That’s for you to decide (I’m always a fan of calling nature walks “hikes” so that my kids feel empowered to go on bigger hikes in the future!)

There is a series of ponds and a stream running through the trail that creates little mini-waterfalls (like a foot high). I think the stream may be seasonal, though in September there was still plenty of water. (NHMLA says it’s fed by a spring, so perhaps it runs year round.)

You’ll see lots of ferns and green foliage, pass under bridges, and may be able to spot turtles or crawdads in the water. (It reminds me a little of Averill Park in San Pedro).

As I mentioned, we started up at the playground and walked down to the entrance (it’s not steep, but does gradually go down.) Then we got to the entrance (where it says “Ferndell Trail”) and reached the street, so we turned around and walked back up to the playground.

This could be a great spot for toddlers to walk on their own independently (with a parent holding a hand, as there are a few little drop-offs at bridges and the ponds).

For the life of me, I can’t remember if it’s stroller-friendly — so sorry I didn’t write that down when we visited! In my mind, there were steps near some of the bridges, but perhaps it’s worth a try with stroller. The path is packed dirt so that should be fine for a stroller.

All the trees provide a good amount of shade, so even though it was a warm-ish September day around noon, we didn’t feel too hot.

Don’t Miss the Playground and Cafe near Ferndell Trail

After the short trail, we headed back to the playground area for a picnic lunch. They had picnic tables and trash cans, and there were many other families picnicking on a Saturday at lunchtime.

Unfortunately, there were SO MANY bees that were really bothersome to some of my kids, so the picnic wasn’t that enjoyable for us. (I’m not sure this is an ongoing issue — none of the other families there were having such a problem!)

The kids did enjoy playing on the nature-themed playground a bit before we headed to our next destination, the Autry Museum.

We did not stop at the Trails Cafe but it has nice reviews online and could be a fun treat, as long as you’re prepared for a bit of a wait.

How Long Does Ferndell Trail in Griffith Park Take?

I just checked the time stamp on my photos and it took us about 45 minutes to walk the trail itself with my bigger kids (ages 8-12), which included some stops for pictures and tree-climbing. (12:00-12:45pm).

If you’re walking at a slower pace with little ones, I’d probably plan on more like an hour. It’s not long distance-wise, but you’ll likely want to stop and look at the ponds, bridges, etc.

We were parked for a total of 90 minutes (12:00 - 1:30pm), including some playground and eating time.

We spent another several hours in other parts of Griffith Park (1:30 - 6:00pm) — see below for more on that!

What Else Is There to Do in Griffith Park with Kids?

Griffith Park is one of the biggest urban nature areas in the US, and there are loads of other options for things to do there.

On this particular day, my family headed to the Autry Museum and Shane’s Inspiration Playground after we were done at Ferndell.

The Autry Museum does cost money, but I’ve been wanting to visit here for years so we went ahead and paid for admission. They have a lovely kids area (limited hours though) and it was the perfect break for my kids to have some open-ended play. We enjoyed several exhibits there and actually stayed until closing!

Then we stopped at Shane’s Inspiration Playground. This playground is pretty cool, with lots of all-access features (wheelchair accessible, sensory elements, etc.) and there are different themed areas — outer space, castle, etc.

On a Saturday late afternoon, it was HOPPING. There were birthday parties, vendors, and more. I love seeing families at playgrounds, and choose to be delighted when things are crowded because it’s awesome to be around people who are enjoying the outdoors! But, it felt a little too crowded for my kids and the sun was going down, so after about 30 minutes, we headed home (with a stop in Pasadena for dinner at Sweet Green / Blaze Pizza).

Some other places we considered exploring that day (just ran out of time) —

  • Griffith Observatory (free admission, parking can be tricky, especially on days the Greek Theatre is doing a show.)

  • LA Zoo (costs money, but a fun zoo!)

  • Travel Town (free admission but train rides have a fee)

  • hike to view the Hollywood Sign. It was a little warm for us that day so we skipped this longer hike, but someday we’ll make it!

More about Ferndell Trail in Griffith Park from others:

Here are some helpful posts I found when I was preparing to hike Ferndell Trail with my kids:

Kelly S
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