Outdoor Destinations for the Carless in Los Angeles

Learn about eight L.A. parks that you can reach from Union Station without a car.

1 minute read

January 23, 2023, 12:00 PM PST

By clementkhlau


Girl swinging on rope swing overlooking Los Angeles

Michael Gordon / Elysian Park, Los Angeles

Los Angeles is home to some amazing outdoor destinations, including beaches, parks, natural areas, and trails. For those with cars, traveling to these places is usually not too difficult. However, for folks without a vehicle, getting there can range from challenging to almost impossible. In this article, well-known writer and hiker Casey Schreiner highlights eight destinations that people can reach by foot from Union Station or by transit from the terminal, including:

  1. Grand Park
  2. Los Angeles State Historic Park
  3. Vista Hermosa Natural Park
  4. Ernest E. Debs Regional Park
  5. Elysian Park
  6. Griffith Park, Western Canyon
  7. Griffith Park, Griffith Observatory
  8. Echo Mountains

The need for improved access to parks and trails in Los Angeles County is well-documented in a number of recent studies. In particular, both Metro's Transit to Parks Strategic Plan and the Los Angeles Countywide Parks Needs Assessment Plus (PNA+) call for expanding access to recreational destinations via public transit.  

Thursday, January 19, 2023 in Los Angeles Times

An aerial view of Milwaukee’s Third Ward.

Plan to Potentially Remove Downtown Milwaukee’s Interstate Faces Public Scrutiny

The public is weighing in on a suite of options for repairing, replacing, or removing Interstate 794 in downtown Milwaukee.

August 27, 2023 - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Portland Bus Lane

‘Forward Together’ Bus System Redesign Rolling Out in Portland

Portland is redesigning its bus system to respond to the changing patterns of the post-pandemic world—with twin goals of increasing ridership and improving equity.

August 30, 2023 - Mass Transit

Conceptual rendering of Rikers Island redevelopment as renewable energy facility

Can New York City Go Green Without Renewable Rikers?

New York City’s bold proposal to close the jail on Rikers Island and replace it with green infrastructure is in jeopardy. Will this compromise the city’s ambitious climate goals?

August 24, 2023 - Mark McNulty

A rendering of the Utah City master planned, mixed-use development.

700-Acre Master-Planned Community Planned in Utah

A massive development plan is taking shape for lakefront property in Vineyard, Utah—on the site of a former U.S. Steel Geneva Works facility.

7 hours ago - Daily Herald

A line of cars wait at the drive-thru window of a starbucks.

More Cities Ponder the End of Drive-Thrus

Drive-thru fast food restaurants might be a staple of American life, but several U.S. cities are actively considering prohibiting the development of new drive-thrus for the benefit of traffic safety, air quality, and congestion.

August 31 - The Denver Post

Air pollution is visible in the air around high-rise buildings in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Air Pollution World’s Worst Public Health Threat, Report Says

Air pollution is more likely to take years life off the lifespan of the average human than any other external factor, according to a recent report out of the University of Chicago.

August 31 - Phys.org