Secret Walks. Charles Fleming
(nicknamed “The Cornfield” in the 1870s, it is said, after seeds spilling from passing trains sprouted on the site).
A view of East Los Angeles and the downtown skyline from the top of the hill.
As you continue around the hillside, you’ll find that the road divides into two paths. For a quick look at the view, take the left-hand road and climb to the technical peak of Radio Hill, which is home to a large radio tower. After surveying the view, walk back down to the fork and take the other road to continue around the hill.
This piece of paved road will culminate at another low, white security gate. Pass this and cross Amador Street, walking past another white security gate as the paved road, still closed to cars, continues on the other side. This very short stretch will end in the shadow of the freeway. Walk straight on for half a block to meet Solano Avenue.
Veer right on Solano, turning away from the freeway, then turn left at once onto Casanova Street. Walk a short, steep block uphill, then follow the street as it bends to the right and descends. Enter the park on your left at the first opportunity, through a gate onto a series of terraced lawns. Rise from one lawn to the next using the old staircases, or follow the stretch of roadway. Climb past the gate at the top of the hill, and turn right onto Park Row Drive.
Here you will find another terrace of sorts, where the road splits into two. Above this is a narrow dirt trail. Follow it to the right as it parallels the roadway, and walk toward a wide open, sloping lawn.
This is a good picnic spot or, again, a good place to simply enjoy the view. All of downtown L.A., from the skyscrapers on your right to East Los Angeles on your left, is laid out here. It’s a good place to sit and speculate, throw a ball for your dog, fly a kite, or … continue walking.
The trail will wind around the side of the hill. Follow the lawn downhill, to meet Park Row Drive again. Turn left. Find a narrow path heading downhill on the right, through a series of landscaped terraces. In time, they will drop you onto Meadow Road. Turn right, heading downhill. When you reach North Broadway, turn right again, and head toward downtown.
As you turn, notice the historic marker on your right, indicating this spot as the start of the Portola Trail. This is the beginning of Walk #7 (Elysian Park’s Freeway Flyer) in this book, and also an important historical location. The marker indicates the trail used by Don Gaspar de Portola, a Spanish explorer, soldier, and, late in his life, governor of Baja and Alta California. In 1769, he and a small army, sent by the Spanish crown to expel the Jesuits from the missions of California, camped on the banks of what is now the Los Angeles River. Traveling with the Franciscan missionaries Father Juan Crespi and Father Junipero Serra (the latter following in a separate group), Portola marched west from here to the coast, eventually walking all the way to Monterey.
This stretch of noisy roadway is not as nice as the trail to Radio Hill, but it does have its charms. Shortly, on your right, you will see the temple of the Xuan Wu San Buddhist Association. Soon after, you will pass Casa Italiana and Saint Peter’s Italian Catholic Church. The former offers dinner and opera shows; the latter hosts regular Sunday Mass. Both serve as a reminder—as did Little Joe’s Italian Restaurant, now demolished but formerly located down Broadway a bit—of a time when this neighborhood was more Italian than Chinese.
Continue down the road, passing Cottage Home Street and Bernard Street. If you’re curious about the Chinese community here, turn right onto Bernard, where you will find the Chinese Historical Society of Southern California on your right. Otherwise, walk on for another block to the Old Chinatown gates, and find your starting point.
WALK #6
ELYSIAN PARK & GRACE E. SIMONS LODGE
DISTANCE: 2.5 miles
DURATION: 1 hour
DIFFICULTY: 3
DETAILS: Ample free parking. Dogs on leash allowed. Metro buses #2 and #302.
Here’s a hearty city hike that makes a big circle around the heart of Elysian Park. It features good birding, fantastic downtown and northern views, and can be done without crossing any of the park’s paved roadways.
Begin this walk in the shadow of Dodger Stadium, on Stadium Way near the corner of Elysian Park Drive.
Follow the signs for Grace E. Simons Lodge, a community center named after Echo Park’s most storied activist. It was Ms. Simons—a newspaper reporter who in 1939 began working for one of the city’s African-American newspapers—who spearheaded the Citizens Committee to Save Elysian Park. This organization’s noisy protest prevented the 1960s development of a convention center in the middle of the park and, later, a football stadium.
Near the corner of Elysian Park Drive and Stadium Way, find a wide trail going up the grassy slope. Walk up this gentle grade, passing under a grove of eucalyptus trees, gaining a little altitude as you go.
This is Elysian Park Trail, one of many named trails in the 550-acre park. It will parallel Stadium Way, and lift you slowly along the hillside. Stay to the right as smaller trails peel away to the left, remaining on the wide dirt path.
As you gain altitude, you will get a better sense of the size of the park. You will also begin to get some good views of the San Gabriel Mountains and the communities north of downtown L.A. You’ll get a look at the L.A. River and Taylor Yard, where the city’s trains go to sleep at night, as well as Rio de Los Angeles Park, the new park carved out of old Taylor Yard territory. See the swath of greenery on a facing hillside, the one with old-looking buildings on it? That’s Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale.
In time, the wide trail will hit a hairpin turn and curve back to the left, climbing more sharply. Follow this up and up, past some houses on the right, and perhaps the smell of horses. People have lived here so long, believe it or not, that one or two of the properties have grandfathered in the right to maintain stables.
After passing a big water tank on the right, you’ll reach the crest of the hill. Pause at the charming little spot, known as the Marian Harlow Memorial Garden, where you’ll find a bench, a drinking fountain, a dog dish or two, and a “lost and found” for dropped keys, cell phones, etc. Admire the views from here. This is the high point (literally) of the walk. It’s all downhill from here.
When you’re done, return to the wide Elysian Park Trail and bear left. Begin following the trail as it winds downhill.
The shade is deeper here, and you’ll find a thicker mixture of the classic Southern California combo of eucalyptus, pine, oak, and so on. Enjoy the passing parade of red-tailed hawks, great horned owls, woodpeckers, crows, ravens, scrub jays, and California quail.
The trail will parallel the palm-lined Park Drive, uphill and on the right, a great free seat for the fireworks that accompany summer ball games at Dodger Stadium. As you follow the trail, you will also have a nice overlook of the Grace E. Simons Lodge, with its gardens and flowing fountain. People get married at this location, which also hosts bar mitzvahs and other special events.
Walk on, staying on the main trail as it hugs the hillside and descends. In time, you will come to a wide gate. Walk around the gate, make a hard left where the trail meets Academy Road, and walk past another gate onto a stretch of badly worn asphalt.
This is actually part of Elysian Park Drive, no longer open to car traffic. Walk along this road, noting as you go some of the man-made features of the park—a bocce ball court and a children’s play area among them.
You will come across one more gate leading into a parking area, beyond which you’ll find picnic tables, barbecue grills, and public restrooms. On your left is Grace E. Simons Lodge. Bear right and continue following Elysian Park Drive as it winds back around to approach Stadium Way. When you