Griffith Observatory: Parking, Hours and Free Admission

Griffith Observatory sits on the south slope of Mount Hollywood with a view over the entire basin, and admission to the building has always been free. It is a genuine public institution in a city where most of the famous destinations are commercial, and it is worth understanding how to visit it without spending the afternoon looking for parking.

Free, with an asterisk

Entry to the observatory building and its exhibits costs nothing. That has been the policy since it opened in the 1930s, funded by the bequest that also gave the surrounding park its name.

The planetarium show is the exception: it is ticketed separately. If the show is the reason you are going, plan around its schedule rather than turning up and hoping.

Parking is the other cost. Paid parking and shuttle options exist, and the free on-street parking that once made this a spontaneous trip is much more constrained than it used to be.

Getting there

This is the real subject of the article, because the observatory sits on a mountain road inside a park, and the access road cannot absorb everyone who wants to come at sunset.

Driving and parking on site works best well outside peak times. Weekend afternoons and the hour around sunset are the peak, and they are severe.

Shuttle service operates to the observatory and is the option most likely to save your afternoon on a busy day. It exists for exactly the reason you would guess.

Walking up from the trailheads in Griffith Park is a legitimate and popular approach. It is a real hike with real elevation, it is exposed to sun, and it is one of the better urban walks in the country. Bring water and do not attempt it in the middle of a heat wave.

When to go

Sunset is the famous time and the crowded time. The view of the basin filling with light as the sky goes orange is genuinely spectacular and you will share it with a great many people.

The underrated alternative is a clear morning, particularly after rain when the air is washed out and the view runs to the ocean. There are fewer people, parking is possible, and the building itself is easier to appreciate.

Check the current operating days before you go. The observatory is not open every day of the week, and this is the most common way a visit fails.

What is actually there

The building is an art deco landmark and worth seeing on its own terms, independent of the exhibits. The Foucault pendulum in the entry rotunda, the Tesla coil, and the solar telescopes are permanent fixtures that people remember.

Public telescope viewing is offered on clear evenings when the observatory is open, staffed by people who will explain what you are looking at. For many visitors this is the best part and the part they did not know existed.

The exhibits are aimed at a general audience and are unusually well made. This is not a filler science museum attached to a view.

Practical notes

It is colder up there than in the basin, and windier. Bring a layer even on a warm day.

The view of the Hollywood sign from the observatory grounds is one of the better ones, which is why a large fraction of the crowd is there. If that is your goal, you can get the photograph and leave without entering the building, though you would be missing the point.

Restrooms and a small café exist, and both have queues at peak. Plan accordingly.