Griffith Observatory
Los Angeles · near Los Angeles · Los Angeles / SoCal
Stargazing
At a glance
- Best season
- Year-round (clear nights); check open hours & telescope schedule
What is here
- Highlights
- observatory · programs
- Landscape
- mountain
- Amenities
- Free public telescope viewing · Iconic building & city views · Planetarium & exhibits · Fully accessible & beginner-friendly
- Best for
- Free, accessible city astronomy for everyone
- Features
- World's most visited public observatory · Free public telescopes nightly · Great for moon & planets · Iconic & fully accessible
Worth knowing
- Hazards
- Bright city sky — moon & planets only, no deep-sky or Milky Way · Very crowded, especially weekends — arrive early · Limited hillside parking — consider transit/rideshare · Closed some days — check hours before you go
- Beginner friendly
- Yes
Stargazing detail
- Designation
- informal
- Reach
- roadside
- Darkness
- 1
- Sky notes
- The most visited public observatory in the world — perched on a hillside above Los Angeles, Griffith offers free public telescope viewing of the moon and planets nightly when open, the best hands-on astronomy access in Southern California despite the bright city sky
- Stats note
- ~Bortle 8 (bright city — no Milky Way); free public telescopes; iconic & free
- Campground
- No
- Intl tip
- The most visited public observatory in the world — perched above Los Angeles, Griffith offers free public telescope viewing of the moon and planets on clear nights when open (the historic 12-inch Zeiss refractor plus portable scopes), the best hands-on astronomy access in Southern California. Under a bright ~Bortle 8 city sky, so it's moon and planets, not Milky Way or deep-sky. Perfect for beginners and kids. Very crowded (arrive early); limited hillside parking (transit/rideshare helps); closed some days — check hours and the telescope schedule.
The guide
Griffith Observatory, perched on the southern slope of Mount Hollywood above Los Angeles, is the most visited public observator…
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to Griffith Observatory — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 34.12, -118.3