- The first Los Angeles Zoo was built in the 1930s, but has since been abandoned and then turned into a picnic area.
- I visited the zoo to see what the defunct animal cages and enclosures looked like now.
- Since it's October, the entire area in Griffith Park is covered in spooky Halloween decorations.
- Keep reading to see photos of the Old Los Angeles Zoo and its creepy abandoned cages you can crawl into.
- Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.
Griffith Park is home to some of the city's most famous tourist attractions in Los Angeles, including the Hollywood Sign, and the Griffith Observatory. But the Old Los Angeles Zoo is a unique park experience unlike anything else.
I visited the abandoned zoo — which has since been converted into a picnic spot — to see the remnants of cages and animal enclosures first built in the 1930s. In addition to the creepy cages overrun by nature, I found the Old Los Angeles Zoo completely decked-out in spooky Halloween decorations.
Keep scrolling to see photos of the abandoned zoo and the best ways to explore this underrated Los Angeles destination.
There are a few different ways to get to the Old Los Angeles Zoo.
Several hiking blogs provide precise coordinates you can plug into a GPS in order to navigate to the Old Los Angeles Zoo, and those direct you to a little parking lot in the triangular section across from the merry-go-round.
We opted for parking by the "Spring Canyon" trail, which was closer to the path towards the zoo.
It's free to enter Griffith Park, and parking in this area is also complimentary.
Other sections of Griffith Park, like the coveted spots near the Observatory where you get a great view of the Hollywood Sign, charge up to $19 for parking.
I parked near the Spring Canyon trail marked on Google Maps, and made my way up the path.
If you want to get to this parking section, follow the map here.
Right away, I realized that this area of Griffith Park was in the middle of a Halloween takeover.
The old zoo is located right where the Los Angeles Haunted Hayride event is staged each year.
You don't have to pay to walk around the area during the day, but at night everything transforms into a Halloween spookfest.
For my trip, this meant there were creepy statues and decorations around every corner of the pathway and around the old zoo.
There was a tree full of what can only be described as "gigantic, terrifying spider egg nests."
These things were bigger than my head, and extremely unsettling to look at.
When you get further up the path, there's an opening in the fence that leads to an actual hiking trail.
If you're looking for an actual hiking experience, this is where you'd veer off.
But for those looking for just a picnic or a leisurely stroll, you head left and continue on the paved pathway.
You don't need to wear full hiking gear to just walk around the Old Los Angeles Zoo area, though sturdy shoes are recommended.
After just a couple minutes, you'll come to the grassy picnic area.
This area of the park was mostly devoid of Halloween scaries, and instead seemed like a lovely spot for a birthday party or gathering of friends for some food and outdoor activities.
Father along the path still, the first former-animal-cages appear.
Wire fencing has been put up around many of the cages, but the old water pipes and metal bars are still there and rusting underneath branches and leaves.
There is a row of cages you can explore.
This is a set of original 1930s zoo enclosures still standing.
The narrow bars are still, for the most part, intact. Some of the cages have large locks on them.
You can't walk into every single cage, likely for safety reasons.
The enclosures have tiers, and little hidey-holes where animals likely hid from prying human faces.
Many of the cages were staged with lights or other Halloween decorations when we visited.
You can also see the empty pools where water would have been kept for the creatures.
Inside many of the cages were drained pools now filled with dirt, leaves, and trash.
According to posted signs, this area of Griffith Park "served as the City's Zoo from its founding in 1912 to 1965."
In 1965, the zoo moved to its current location in the park — about two miles north of the Old Los Angeles Zoo.
Some of the cage doors were open, inviting people to walk around inside.
This is the kind of thing an adventurous kid (or curious adult) would love to explore.
Naturally, I walked inside one of the cages.
Just one of many ridiculous selfie-opportunities afforded to you at the Old Los Angeles Zoo.
Inside, there was an upper level that led to a dark cave.
It was around this time that I started feeling like the idiotic person at the start of a horror movie who thinks it's "fun" to "explore" creepy places.
Up close, the little cave was much less scary.
The Old Los Angeles Zoo once housed "bears, lions, monkeys, macaws, goats, elephants, reptiles, and turtles," as well as other animals.
These cages seemed well-suited for monkeys, and maybe even some large reptiles.
Outside of the cages were "Mad Max"-looking motorcycles.
There were Halloween decorations up, all with various themes. These ones felt like a reference to the iconic dystopian setting of "Mad Max."
Just normal zoo things, you know?
Even in the warm sunshine of this October morning, I started getting a little spooked by all the skulls and blood-covered accessories.
I continued down the paved pathway, and passed yet another set of cages.
These ones likely housed the birds or other smaller creatures back in the early 20th century.
Then the path split — following it upwards and to the right, you get to see the upper sections of yet more animal enclosures.
This path led to a much larger section of enclosures.
Once again, fencing surrounded the cages. But many of the barriers had been broken into.
I opted to stay on the pathway as signs instructed.
Clearly many people over the years have entered the cages.
I stuck my arm through the fence to snap some photos, which show layers of graffiti on the walls and empty alcohol containers on the ground.
A steep set of stairs led from this upper cage area down to a dark room.
I was relieved the fence stood in between myself and whatever was at the bottom of those stairs.
Walking past this upper set of cages, the pathway opens up to a nice view of the San Gabriel Mountains
Up here, there were a few more old structures but nothing worth going way out of your way for.
I made my way back down to the lower pathway, to the other side of those upper cages.
The cages are fenced up top, but down at the other end of them you can walk around the area where the animals were once penned up.
This is where the famous bear pit scene was filmed for the 2004 movie "Anchorman: Legend of Ron Burgundy."
You can see the distinct wall structure of the Old Los Angeles Zoo behind actors Will Ferrell and Christina Applegate in the above shot.
There are picnic benches right in the middle of one of the old zoo areas.
The tables were covered in camouflage fabric for the Halloween event, but normally they're just regular picnic benches.
If you walk through those openings, you'll find a set of stairs leading to a locked doorway.
All three of the openings lead to one long, connected hallway with a staircase on the right hand side.
These dark openings are what sit at the bottom of the staircases we saw earlier.
This was likely how the former zookeepers would access the cages from behind and drop food in for the animals.
I wouldn't want to be here at night, though.
It wasn't clear if that red splatter, reminiscent of blood, was there just for the Halloween event.
The skeleton bones are also not a year-round feature at the abandoned zoo.
Most of these enclosures were built in the 1930s, according to posted signs.
Here's one more creepy cage door for good measure.
Even in broad daylight, these started to give me the chills.
The Halloween decor included scarecrows and hay bales.
Again, normally these enclosures are just bare and ready for less-scary exploring.
There were plenty of other eerie figures that helped heighten the scary scene.
Small cabins were arranged on the park grounds, with witches and ghouls and other Halloween-themed spooks dotting the landscape.
I legitimately yelped when I walked past this "dead camper."
I had been looking at my phone, and saw the decaying face of a dead man when I was just a foot away.
Last but not least, there were human-sized bat people hanging from trees.
I hurried past these things before one could reach out and grab me.
Away from the Haunted Hayride staging area, the picnic area was serene and spook-free.
The old stone wall still runs around a grassy lawn, where more tables and benches have been set up.
Overall, the Old Los Angeles Zoo is a really unique experience for anyone seeking outdoor thrills.
Especially if you have adventurous young-ones in tow, a visit to the abandoned cages will give you lots of cool exploring opportunities.
But if you go in October, be prepared for an unusually creepy experience.
If you want to be terrified in a Los Angeles park, then you might as well go to the LA Haunted Hayride event for the full experience.
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