LA Story

Watch the Sunset from Barnsdall Art Park

08.25.2015

Like a good Hollywood story, the Barnsdall Art Park made a great comeback. Once an overlooked urban space in LA, this 36-acre East Hollywood hillside park is now a burgeoning center of art and local history. Home to the Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery and the Frank Lloyd Wright–designed Hollyhock House, Barnsdall Park also has one of the best views the city has to offer.

Take the stairs that start on the northeast side of the parking lot. The three long flights will get your heart pumping as you approach the park's peak. At the top stroll through a shaded pine grove that passes the LA Municipal Art Gallery.

A right turn has you emerging from the trees to an open grassy knoll and views of three famous features of the LA landscape: the Griffith Observatory, the Hollywood Sign, and palm trees as far as the eye can see.

To your left, you'll see the recently renovated Hollyhock House, Frank Lloyd Wright's first house in LA, which was designed in the 1920s for oil heiress Aline Barnsdall and donated to the city in 1927. The hilltop lawn is the perfect spot to bust out a picnic and watch as the sun dips behind the Hollywood Hills, lighting up the skyline with fiery reds and oranges. Perfect way to end the day in LA.

Barnsdall Art Park is located at 4800 Hollywood Blvd. and is open from 5:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. daily. Free parking on-site. The grounds are dog-friendly! 

Trending Stories NorCal

View all Stories

  1. Hidden Botanical Garden

    Forget a dozen roses. Give your love a botanical garden. Hidden on the western slope of Sonoma Valley’s Mayacamas Mountains, Sonoma Botanical Garden has one of the Bay Area’s best displays of Asian flora—and it’s a brilliant place for a quiet picnic and some calming contemplations.

    View

  2. Sunnyvale and Salty

    For up-close bird watching, it’s hard to beat a walk along the San Francisco Bay. This 5-mile loop on the Sunnyvale coast is a favorite of local wildlife photographers.

    View
  3. A man takes a break at a temple spot on a hike at Dragon Mountain in Milptas

    Dragon Quest

    The newly reopened, 4-mile out-and-back hike at Dragon Mountain in Milpitas mixes the physical with the spiritual for a serene hiking experience.

    View
  4. woman hiking Buck Gulch Falls Novato

    Buck Wild!

    Tucked back beyond the residential ranch-style homes and golf courses of Novato in the North Bay is a wild and wondrous 30-foot waterfall that springs to life in the rainy season. Buck Gulch Falls in Novato’s Ignacio Valley Preserve is in peak flow right now, and it’s a short and Middle-earthy hike to reach it.

    View

Trending Stories SoCal

View all Stories
  1. Sponsored

    Warm Up to Winter in Reno Tahoe

    2026 is just getting started, but there’s one place already rising to the top as the best for adventure and relaxation: Reno Tahoe. The awe—and ahhhs—begin as soon as you arrive. G

    View
  2. A woman stands at Dante's View in Death Valley, looking out to Telescope Peak and Manly Lake, Badwater Basin below.

    Sunset Hike at Dante's View

    It’s one of the world’s best places to watch a sunset. Dante’s View is a 5,476-foot vantage of the whole southern basin of Death Valley from the top of the Black Mountains. Right now there's a banner and bonus view of a rare lake formation that appears only after big rains.

    View

  3. It's a Waterfall Life

    Tahquitz Canyon’s crystalline stream and lush stands of desert lavender, honey mesquite, and leafy sycamores is home to an easy day hike with a big bonus: a 60-foot waterfall that runs with remarkable gusto after winter rains.

    View

  4. Oh Snow Nice

    Live in California long enough, and you’ll come to know the rite of passage called “going to the snow”–when we ditch our fair-weather cities and towns in search of winter weather. Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks deliver a winter wonderland worth a visit if there’s been a good dose of snow.

    View