Touring * Street * Slalom *

Heading north out of Los Angeles on Interstate 5 (known here as the Golden State Freeway), exit at Zoo Drive and loop over the freeway to get to the park and the zoo parking lot.

In Los Angeles' vast Griffith Park, a shady asphalt bike path (about five feet wide) and fine bike lanes follow Zoo and Crystal Springs Drives, taking you on a somewhat hilly route through tall stands of eucalyptus and past the emerald green lawns of a golf course. Hit this trail early in the day before the weather heats up and traffic gets heavy. That way, you can appreciate the 6.5-mile end-to-end round-trip, a popular training route for local speed skaters. The bike lanes on the street are a clean and smooth alternative to the designated asphalt bike path. The path passes the western edge of the parking lot on Zoo Drive. Start by skating to the south on the small hills that pass the zoo and golf course, a good warm-up for the big hill at the far end. Just before you reach the ranger station, the road splits in two, and soon you begin to climb the half-mile-long hill to the south end of the park. Turn around at the Interstate 5Los Feliz Boulevard ramp. The southbound lane is less steep than the northbound lane, so if you don't feel quite up to descending the big hill and if you don't mind skating against the traffic, you might consider coming back down the same lane you climbed. Heading north from the Zoo Drive parking lot, the bike lane follows Zoo Drive between Highway 134 and a forested hillside, leading eventually to Griffith Park's northwest entrance at Forest Lawn Drive. This curvy stretch makes a long and gradual climb to the northwest end of the park. Basically the path here resembles a hillside country road, except that the roar of the nearby freeway can be heard through the trees, pretty much ruining that whimsy. A tiny skate rental shop is located just off the road at the end of the park.