Walking Los Angeles. Erin Mahoney Harris

      Iconic Royce Hall is UCLA’s performing-arts venue.

      BOUNDARIES: Sunset Blvd., Hilgard Ave., Le Conte Ave., Gayley Ave.

      DISTANCE: About 1.75 miles

      DIFFICULTY: Moderate (includes stairways)

      PARKING: Limited street parking is available on Hilgard Ave. south of Sunset Blvd. Paid parking is available on campus.

      UCLA is one of the best-known campuses in the famed University of California system. Renowned for its challenging academic programs as well as its gorgeous, ideally situated campus, UCLA represents the mythical undergraduate experience that many of us wish we’d had.

      This route explores the most scenic spots on the large campus, taking in innovative artwork, classically beautiful architecture, and a lovely botanical garden that has evolved over several decades.

      Walk Description

      Begin on Hilgard Avenue, south of Sunset Boulevard and near the intersection with Charles E. Young Drive, which splits off from the west side of Hilgard. Follow Young Drive south into the UCLA campus.

      Turn right at the semicircular driveway to head into the Franklin D. Murphy Sculpture Garden. This is the largest outdoor sculpture garden on the West Coast and one of the prettiest, with its rolling green lawns and feathery jacaranda trees. Pass a shallow fountain on the right as you descend the short stairway into the sunken grassy area. Notice the two columns topped with bronze sculptures of nude dancers by Robert Graham. The sculpture garden spans more than 5 acres of UCLA’s north campus and includes an eclectic blend of naturalistic and sleekly modern pieces from artists such as Alexander Calder, Henri Matisse, Jacques Lipchitz, and Auguste Rodin. After taking some time to admire the sculptures and bas-reliefs, return to the eastern end of the garden and follow the sidewalk south.

      As you head south along the sidewalk, on your right you’ll come to Bunche Hall, which features an innovative indoor palm garden in its central atrium. Take a quick detour through the corridor past the atrium and out to the west side of the 12-story building to take in Maynard Lyndon’s modern architecture. Built in 1964, Bunche Hall has been nicknamed “The Waffle” for its striking grid of three-dimensional square windows. Exit the way you came in, and then continue south along the sidewalk, passing Lu Valle Commons on your left.

      When you reach Dodd Hall, turn right to follow the diagonal path through the sunken lawn of Dickson Court, which is shaded by mature sycamore and Moreton Bay fig trees.

      After crossing Portola Plaza, the street that borders Dickson Court, you’ll find yourself in the university’s historic quad. This wide-open grassy area runs between the four original buildings of the Westwood campus, all of which were built in 1929 in the Italian Romanesque style. You’ll pass Haines Hall on your right and Kinsey Hall on your left before coming to the campus’s two best-known landmarks. On your right is the iconic Royce Hall. Designed by architect David Allison and based on a basilica in Milan, it houses UCLA’s Center for the Art of Performance. Powell Library is on your left, and while it bears some architectural resemblance to Royce Hall, it was designed by another architect, George Kelham. Powell’s octagonal tower and main entrance are modeled after two different churches in Italy. Part of what makes the northeast portion of the UCLA campus so beautiful is its architectural integrity; the redbrick Mediterranean-style buildings lend a distinguished, old-world feel to the College of Humanities.

      Continue west through the quad, and you’ll come to the semicircular Shapiro Fountain on Janss Terrace. Descend the Janss Steps, which served as the original entrance to the university, leading up from the former Westwood Boulevard. Admire the expansive view of the intramural fields stretched out in the distance. To your right is the Fowler Museum at UCLA. The Student Activities Center lies on the south side of the lawn below, with Kaufman Hall sitting opposite. On this side of campus, the university’s newer buildings, with their redbrick and tan-stone exteriors, integrate beautifully with the original architecture.

      Turn left at the bottom of the stairs, and follow the pathway heading south. Kerckhoff Hall lies straight ahead. Tree-shaded lawns roll gently alongside the sidewalk, providing yet another idyllic place for scholars to engage in or rest from their academic pursuits.

      At the end of the sidewalk, turn right to follow the Bruin Walk into Bruin Plaza, home of the Bruin Bear, a 2-ton bronze statue of a ferocious-looking grizzly. At the southeast corner of the plaza is the Ackerman Union, distinguished