There’s a secret hidden in the forested hills of Los Angeles’ Griffith Park. As the name implies, the Old Los Angeles Zoo used to be the city zoo, but it has been closed for over forty years and has been partially reclaimed by nature. It may sound as if it is completely forgotten, but that is only partly true. Picnic tables now stand in the middle of what used to be lion’s dens and a vast array of urban graffiti artwork has sprung up within the stone walls of this forlorn remnant of the city’s past.

Click here for a Custom Map showing the recommended route for this scenic trip.
(Map provided by RoadTripAmerica.com and built by Tom Herbertson.)

There’s a tendency to assume that the “old” of anything is equivalent with the first of the thing. The Old Los Angeles Zoo was actually the second zoo of the city, however. There was a very small city zoo at what is now Lincoln Park that had been open since 1885, but the cages were extraordinarily cramped and by the early 1900s the zoo was already in a poor state. Many of the animals were not in the best of shape due to the inadequate facilities and everyone agreed that a new zoo in a more spacious layout were direly needed. A fabulous new zoo was promised to the public, one that the City of Los Angeles could be proud of, coming soon!

Work began on a new and improved zoo in Griffith Park in 1912; animals were being relocated there even before the zoo was completed. Unfortunately, the new one was not a whole lot better than its predecessor due to funding cuts. Over the next decades, there were countless scandals involving the poor zoo. A monkey escaped his enclosure and got into the attic of the Griffith Observatory, a leopard “died of fright” after injuring its paw, a zebra broke its neck during a thunderstorm, and the list goes on. The humble zoo was very popular, drawing over 2 million visitors in 1956, however.

To top it all off, by 1949 the new zoo was already severely overpopulated. Talk went on for fifteen years before the current Los Angeles City Zoo replaced it a few miles away, also in Griffith Park. This one was originally hailed as “the zoo to end all zoos” but as the opening neared it took on a more down to earth description as an expansion of the old zoo.

In 1966 over two thousand animals were moved out of the Old Los Angeles Zoo and into their new homes. Part of the old one was dismantled, but many of the buildings and all of the enclosures were left to be reclaimed by the elements. After a few years, the ruins of the old zoo were forgotten about.

Therein lies much of the mystique of the old zoo grounds—visitors must already know it is there in order to find it. It has never been an official attraction, there are no signs to follow or tour guides to show you around. It is quaint and simple, yet stunning in its own way. The modern graffiti art is not an eyesore, as it would be in just about any other historical site. Rather, it adds to the experience.

As I began the walk back to my car a few guys asked me if I knew where the old zoo was. This is it, I told them, there’s more around the corner though. “No, no, the spray paint; we’re looking for the art!” they responded. I told them exactly where to go, clearly making their day. While a quite mundane encounter on the surface, it struck me as interesting that some visit this spot specifically looking for what others may consider vandalism.

Next time you are in the Hollywood area, pay the Old Los Angeles Zoo a visit. The parking lot closest to it is located at 4801 Griffith Park Drive (it is easy to miss, so keep your eyes peeled.) From there, there is a gravel road at the back of the parking area that leads you straight to the old zoo picnic area. The road splits, with one way leading up the hill and the other remains flat and goes to the picnic area. The upper road leads behind the enclosures and to the “graffiti house” which likely used to serve as an administrative building. There are some nice city views from the top of the hill as well.

For more background information on the old zoo, kcet.org has a great article on zoo’s history. Griffith Park: A Centennial History by Mike Eberts is also a great resource. Visit roadtripamerica.com to plan your trip to the Old Los Angeles Zoo and find other attractions along the way.