West Side of the Park

The West Side section of Elysian Park borders Echo Park, Stadium Way and Riverside. The Avenue of the Palms area has picnic areas and a children’s playground. The Chavez Ravine Arboretum was planted in 1886, has exotic mature trees some not found outside their original habitats. Dog-walkers enjoy the 3 mile hike of the West Loop Trail. The public can rent Grace E. Simons Lodge and Montecillo de Leo Politi Picnic Area for events. Victory Memorial Grove stands as a monument to the memory of those lost to WWI. And the new 18 acre Walnut Hill section on Riverside drive, offers a full size basketball court, as well as a half court, and a children’s playground.

The building of Dodger Stadium effectively split Elysian Park into two parts. There is no safe pedestrian crossing from the West to the East across Stadium Way. The public is eager for these two sections of the park to be more accessible to each other. Our hope is that the new Master Plan designers will address this issue during the review and drafting process.

In general when hiking remember:

  • Dogs are allowed on all trails, but must be leashed and picked-up after.

  • Bikes are not allowed on Elysian Park trails.

  • Trails take between a half hour to an hour and half to complete.

  • Bring water and sun protection — especially during the hot summer months.

Victory Memorial Grove

On August 2, 1920, this Grove was established with the planting of three oak trees. With much pomp and circumstance the WWI monument you see today was dedicated on Flag Day, June 14, 1921. We continue this formal tradition annually with LA Fire Department Honor Guard, historical re-enactors, historic readings and poetry, chamber musicians, dignitaries and more.

Douglas Hill

A fire road connects Douglas Street to Scott Ave. There is a small trail with a vista over Avenue of the Palms and connects to Homes off of Sutherland street. There are views of the Dodger Stadium Main parking lot and Barlow Respiratory Hospital.

Avenue of the Palms

Starts at Scott Ave. and curves up to Stadium Way.

Upper Park Drive

Small wooded section between Scott Ave. and Academy road. Opposite the picnic area and fire road of the Avenue of the Palms west section. The western edge borders homes along Sargent Place.

The West Loop Trail

Is a little under 3 miles roundtrip. Sights along the way are the Test Plot rehabilitation areas at Burn Scar and the original Elysian plot that is filled with Wildflowers at the summit near the water tower. Also near the water tower are a stable with horses - it’s a private home but nice to know they are there. Instead of using the Fire Road to complete the loop (near the Stadium Way Trailhead) instead take Palm Hill to get astounding views of Downtown.

Test Plot - Burn Scar

After a brush fire in 2023 Hanna Pae and Tim Switzer of Terremoto (and Test Plot), wanted to tackle the restoration here. Three years later the area has grown in and is expanding into adjacent upper areas. Lots of volunteers make this effort a continued success.

Chavez Ravine Arboretum

In 1893, The Horticultural Society of Southern California, successfully petitioned the Park Commission for 10 acres of land for an arboretum. The society had collected an impressive array of clippings and seedlings from across the globe and sought a permanent place to display rare trees. Over the decades, the Chavez Ravine Arboretum continued to expand with more unique specimens.

Visitors enjoy picnicking among 100-year old trees. See if you can find the tallest Queensland kauri in the continental U.S. (reaching 120 feet!) or an unmissable Bodhi tree with thick, tangled roots.

It is an informal place that some call “forgotten.” But Friends of Elysian Park are working with RaP’s Leon Boroditsky to re-tag the trees with QR codes that lead to an informational website, with educational areas for kids.

Children’s Arboretum

For a decade the Children's Garden at Elysian Park was a shady spot for schoolchildren to learn about nature and indigenous plants. In 2024 city subcontractors bulldozed the area of its mature native trees and toppled educational markers in the name of brush clearance. After two years of silence there is recently some forward movement. CD13 has promised to fund the repair work, and coordinate with North East Trees, FoEP and RaP to begin fixing this beloved area of the park.

Grace E. Simons Lodge

Named after our organization’s benefactor, this event space is available to the public to rent for weddings, parties corporate functions.

Palm Hill

Stands between the Stadium Way trail head of the West Loop trail and Grace E. Simons Lodge. It lets you connect to the paved section of the trail without using that portion of Park Drive.

Charles S. Jones Memorial Grove

Is just beyond the Stadium Way trail head, past the picnic tables.

Marian Harlow Memorial Grove

Is located at the summit” of the West Loop Trail, surrounding the informal dog water station. Benches are interspersed among succulents, trees and native plants. The Citizens’ Committee helps to maintain the grove — so don’t be surprised if you find us weeding, planting or repairing fencing. You can find the grove along the Wildflower Walk trail.

Test Plot - Elysian

Landscape architecture firm Terremoto planted their first “Test Plot” here in 2022. It is now its own non-profit expanding into tier Pacific states. There are now 6 plots here under the guidance of Jenny Jones. She and her team work with parks and volunteers to introduce natives back into ecosystems that need them for wildlife and fire prevention.

Walnut Hill

Is the newest addition to Elysian Park. Its 18 acres holds a full size basketball court, a basketball half court and a children’s playground. Also up to are two big meadows for informal sports or parties. There is some discussion of a bocce or pickleball courts here.

Stay tuned for more to come:

(This is a work in progress, more history , images, and descriptions for the above and below.)

Montecillo do Leo Politi Picnic Area (Which provides after-school care and summer camps for the local community. The center also offers programs for those with disabilities and special needs.)

Jones Memorial (In the grove and meadow near to the Stadium Way trailhead of the West Loop Trail, just beyond the picnic tables.)