TimeOut just released its list of the top 26 parks in the L.A. area, which is home to some of the best green spaces around.

Parks and recreational facilities are essential to ensuring a community's quality of life. Almost all U.S. adults (90 percent) agree that parks and recreation is an important service provided by their local government, according to a 2022 report from the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA). Survey respondents placed nearly the same level of importance on parks and recreation as they did on virtually every other major service delivered by their local governments, like fire protection, roads/transportation, water/utilities, police protection, and more. Almost nine in 10 people agree that it is important to fund local park and recreation agencies to ensure every member of the community has equitable access to amenities, infrastructure and programming.
While park poor when compared to most other metropolitan areas, the Los Angeles region is home to numerous high quality parks. In this article, Michael Juliano of TimeOut highlights the following green spaces that are worth visiting:
For urban wilderness:
- Griffith Park
- Kenneth Hahn State Recreation Area
- Los Angeles State Historic Park
- El Dorado Nature Center and Regional Park
For art aficionados:
- Barnsdall Art Park and Hollyhock House
- Tongva Park
For reclaimed green space:
- Echo Park Lake
- Grand Park
For waterfront views:
- Palisades Park
- Korean Bell of Friendship (and Point Fermin Park)
For Valley dwellers:
- Lake Balboa
- Brookside Park
For museum lovers:
- Exposition Park
- Hancock Park (La Brea Tar Pits)
- Will Rogers State Historic Park
For four-legged friends:
- Lake Hollywood Park
- Silver Lake Reservoir
- Sepulveda Basin Off-Leash Dog Park
For quiet neighborhood retreats:
- Lacy Park
- Garfield Park
- Vista Hermosa Natural Park
For kid-friendly afternoons:
- Roxbury Community Center and Memorial Park
- Polliwog Park
- Coldwater Canyon Park
For hidden-in-plain-sight history:
- Elysian Park
- MacArthur Park
For more information about any of the above parks, please read the source article. For information about additional parks in Los Angeles, readers may visit the following websites:
FULL STORY: The 26 best parks in Los Angeles

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