Trail Riding in Griffith Park: An Iconic Ride for Equestrians

If you want to have an Old West-meets-Hollywood experience, add “trail riding in Griffith Park” to your horse lover’s bucket list. Last week I got to join Raquel (from Horses & Heels and Stable Style) and Isabelle (Instagram’s @modernequestrian) for a tour of their “home” trails.

Raquel was horse sitting a friend’s steeds so I rode a very cool buckskin Quarter Horse down the street, over the bridge, through a tunnel, and up to the heights with a view of Burbank. On the way back to the barn, we swung by the Walt Disney Animation Studios building and strolled through The Rancho, an equestrian neighborhood by the Los Angeles Equestrian Center. Think of this post as a quick photo album to show you the sights and provide the “flavor” of riding in Griffith Park.

You Can Go Trail Riding in Griffith Park Too!

You don’t have to be from Southern California or have friends’ horses to borrow in order to ride in Griffith Park.  A few years ago, I went to Sunset Ranch (on the other side of the mountains) and rode up to the Hollywood sign with a small trail ride group. And as evidenced by the photo below with the massive cactus and scruffy palm tree–the one where we’re crossing the bridge–horse rental spots abound near the trails.

If you’re from another part of the country, you should definitely make a point to try this ride out if you find yourself in LA!

The Trail Riders

Isabelle, sporting a Dodger jersey, started out the ride with us on her handsome gray 18 hand friend, but had to leave a little early. Raquel’s friend’s mare–the one she was horse sitting–really didn’t want to get in a group shot with the two geldings, but we still managed it. Barely. The picture of the three of us makes me smile because both geldings are standing so chill and the mare felt it was beneath her to do so.

Raquel lives in The Rancho (horsey neighborhood in the city) and her Paint mare Fira lives in her backyard. She has become an expert over the last year on all the good riding areas accessible from her house. Fira stayed home for the trail ride as Raquel took out her horse sitting “charge,” also a Paint mare.

I have to admit riding across the narrow bridge gave me pause on the way to Griffith Park. There is an ominous sign about using the bridge at your own risk. I think it said something like: “Realize you could die.” (I’m paraphrasing it a bit.)

Below the bridge, very far down is the LA “River.” The Mississippi it ain’t. (I know ain’t ain’t a word.)

The LA River is not very rivery, with only a trickle of water. It’s basically a concrete canal until it rains a few times in the winter.

Why was I a little timid on the first pass of the bridge? The “What if this horse gets stung by a bee or randomly bucks and throws me off and over his head into the “river?!” thought charged through my brain. I have no idea if something like that has happened, but usually signs are up for a reason.

After crossing the bridge and going through a long tunnel literally under the 134 Freeway–during which time I thought, “I hope there’s not an earthquake now,” we made it to the base of the mountain trails. As we started to climb, the view grew in gorgeousness.

Rattlesnake Trail

Raquel took me on Rattlesnake Trail. I asked if she had ever seen rattlesnakes, and was relieved her answer was no. Perhaps the trail is named that because it coils around the side of the mountain in the shape of a snake?

I’ve been on a big Google Earth kick lately and here’s a screenshot to give you an idea of the topography. Do you think it looks snake-ish?

Notice on the other side of the freeway, the arenas at Los Angeles Equestrian Center.

After going up and then back down the trail, we retraced our steps across the bridge. I didn’t think about the concrete chasm beneath me the second time.

The sitcom Blackish was filming at the LA Equestrian Center and when we started to head back to the barn, a woman sitting in a lawn chair under a shade tree gave us the heads up cranes were being operated nearby. “Is that your official duty? To warn riders of the heavy equipment?” I asked. She said yes.

Raquel knew of another path we could take, and right around that time I asked about the Disney Animation building. She said we weren’t far and could head on over. This part of the ride was through a wide-open space and the footing was actually quite fluffy and sandy.

The funniest part of the day occurred as we rode our horses parallel to the freeway. The 134 was starting to get congested, and Raquel commented how lucky we were and how unfortunate it was for the people in the cars. We–two women on two walking horses–were moving along at a faster pace than the commuters in their modern vehicles.

Now if only I could take a horsepool lane to work every day! My life would be so much better.

Question: Have you ridden in Griffith Park or other iconic equestrian destinations? Do you have suggestions for places I should add to my riding bucket list?

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