Today's blog is all about the parks of my home territory...North Hollywood. I've discovered 10 places in NoHo's 10.2 square miles where a dog can roll in the grass and chase a squirrel or two; not too bad for a major city neighborhood I must say.
Now if your looking for peace and quiet, you probably won't find that here. The Hollywood Freeway (170) makes up the majority of North Hollywood's Western border and most of the neighborhood's parkland runs alongside it. But hey, if we were really worried about that we would live out in the country instead of the greatest city in the world wouldn't we?
There's a lot to love about my NoHo, so let's jump right in and cover ourselves with some dirt and grass:
(Click here to see what goes into my parks rating system.)
Rating: 3.5 Paws
11430 Chandler Bl.
North Hollywood, CA 91601
My park (I live a 5 minute walk away) is sandwiched between Tujunga Ave. and the 170 Freeway and runs from just North of the intersection of Riverside Dr. and Camarillo St. to Chandler Bl. near the Orange Line bus terminal.
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| This park has more squirrels than just about any place in L.A. - I get exhausted chasing them all. |
Born in 1927 as Lankershim Park, it was the largest public green space in the San Fernando Valley for many years. Today it's divided into two sections by Magnolia Bl.
The Southern section is a nice park with hundreds of shady trees, grass to roll in, and 1.6 miles of dirt trails to walk on. There are public restrooms, exercise stations, water fountains and trash cans, but no poop bag dispensers - a glaring omission in a park that is so popular with dogs. There are also quite a few picnic benches and a small memorial to the Californians that were killed on 9/11.
Cross Magnolia Bl. and you'll enter the Recreation center where there are baseball fields, tennis courts, a skate park, a roller hockey rink, a playground and a swimming pool alongside a public library and other city facilities. There is also a nice statue honoring Amelia Earhart, a long time resident of nearby Toluca Lake.
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| Oooooooooh that's nice....freshly mowed too. |
The tennis courts and baseball fields recently underwent a major refurbishing and the newly planted grass is plush and extremely rollinable (I just made up a word!).
This park has become the center of outdoor activities in the increasingly popular NoHo Arts District and I visit it almost every day. Come on by for a visit and check out the rest of my great neighborhood while you're here. Many of the local restaurants have dog-friendly patios and they often give cookies and a bowl of cool water to us canines. Now that's what I call service.
Alexandria Park
Rating: 2 Paws
Laurel Canyon Bl. & Erwin St.
North Hollywood, CA 91601
A couple of miles North along the 170 brings you to the infamous Valley Plaza Mall. Once among the busiest and most cutting edge shopping spots in the country, it's now a "ghost mall" with an interesting story to tell. Pack Leader says you should watch these great videos about the mall's unique history.
Since dogs don't go shopping, the only thing that interests us around here is the neglected little park that sits between the parking lot and the freeway.
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| You're likely to have this park all to yourself because no one shops in a ghost mall do they? |
It's only about 100 yards wide and 1/4 mile long, but it does have decent grass, a water fountain, some trash cans and a couple of picnic benches. It's also infested with gophers. Humans generally dislike gophers in their parks, but I enjoy digging up their little dirt mounds in hopes of catching one. Pack Leader tells me its never going to happen but that won't stop me from trying.
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| If you like digging for gophers, you need to visit this park. |
Rating: 3 Paws
12240 Archwood St.
North Hollywood, CA 91606
At the Northern edge of the Valley Plaza Mall property, behind the Sears store, you'll find St. Clair Ave. and the South entrance to the Valley Plaza Recreation Center.
Tennis courts, baseball fields (including a Dodger's Dream Field for Little Leaguers), basketball courts, a volleyball court, a playground and a swimming pool can all be found surrounding your typical city-run recreation facility buildings. On the freeway side of the park, a short dirt pathway runs between the tennis courts and the swimming pool just South of Vanowen St.
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| There's something for everyone, human and canine, to do here. |
Cross Vanowen St. and you'll be in Valley Plaza Park, which stretches North to Gault Street. The park has a library, restrooms, exercise stations, lots of trees and a poorly maintained "lawn" that's far more dirt than grass. There are picnic benches and trash cans throughout the park but no poop bag dispensers.
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| The grass needs some TLC but its still a nice park with plenty to see and do. |
In the Northwest corner of the park is a footbridge that goes over the 170 Freeway and takes you to the "Whitsett Fields" aka. the Valley Plaza Sports Complex.
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| You people should really spend less time in your cars and more time at the park... |
Valley Plaza Sports Complex
Rating: 2 Paws
Whitsett Ave. & Vanowen St.
North Hollywood, CA 91605
If you play soccer or baseball in the Valley, then you know about this place. The North end of the park has some baseball fields and the South end is full of soccer fields. Usually it's packed with local athletes, but come early on a weekday and you'll have the fields all to yourself.
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| Pack Leader says I'm too short to play keeper. |
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| Somebody left behind a soccer ball! The "finders keepers" law is in full effect here. |
After kicking the ball around for a while, travel another mile or so North along Whitsett as it parallels the 170 to the intersection of Strathern St. and Whitsett Ave. near North Hollywood's border with Sun Valley. There are two more small parks there to investigate.
Rating: 2.5 Paws
12728 Strathern St.
North Hollywood, CA 91605
The official address of this park is on Saticoy St., but I don't recommend entering from there because of limited parking, the park is actually a couple of hundred yards down a broken glass covered alleyway, and there is no sign telling you the park is there. You should enter the park from the North end on Strathern St. or from the South near the end of Lull St.
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| This is definitely the least visited park in NoHo. |
The park is a narrow half-mile long strip of grass between the 170 Freeway and Beeman Ave. There are no amenities except for a couple of benches and trash cans but I love this place because it's an unofficial off-leash park and very lightly used. If you want to get away from the crowds and run free, this place is just what the vet ordered.
Rating: 1.5 Paws
7965 Whitsett Ave.
North Hollywood, CA 91605
This is a tiny pocket park that is separated from Strathern Park West by the 170. It has a playground, basketball court, a few picnic benches, a water fountain, and a short paved pathway. While there isn't much to do, I must admit the grass is nicely kept and there is an abundance of gopher holes...if you're into that sort of thing.
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| It's tiny but its got the basics. |
That's it for the parks that run alongside the 170. Now let's check out the rest of the neighborhood:
Tiara Street Park
Rating: 1.5 Paws
11480 W. Tiara St.
North Hollywood, CA 91601
North Hollywood's newest park is really just a playground for the kids but there is some nice grass to roll in as well as exercise stations, water fountains, trash cans, and restrooms for the humans. There's even a short pathway that goes around the entire park.
As a bonus, it's right next to an In-N-Out Burger which adds a delightful beefy aroma to the air. I highly suggest you talk your humans into sharing a Double-Double with you while you're there.
Rating: 2.5 Paws
5801 Whitnall Highway
North Hollywood, CA 91601
It's ragged looking and the grass is always in poor shape, but it's NoHo's only off-leash dog park so it's hard not to love. There are benches for the humans to sit on while they watch their doggies play and there is usually a kiddie pool to jump into. As with most dog parks, there are poop bag dispensers, water fountains and plenty of trash cans.
The park is split into big dog/little dog sections that are separated by a dirt parking lot.
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| This apartment building across the street has spectacular decor if you ask me... |
Rating: 2 Paws
11117 Victory Bl.
North Hollywood, CA 91606
This small recreation center is right next to the Target store at the intersection of Victory Bl. and Vineland Ave. It's a tiny spot with just a single city building, a tennis court, a basketball court and a playground. Behind the building is a park large enough for two soccer fields and a few picnic benches.
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| It's not the biggest or prettiest park around...but its a park and I'm thankful it's here. |
Chandler Bl. & Vineland Ave.
North Hollywood, CA 91601
At the Southeast corner of Vineland and Chandler is the Western entrance to the Chandler Bikeway. Its not really a park but it's a great place to take the dog on a stroll. It's also where you'll find one of my favorite things to roll in - the free mulch pile the city has set up for anyone who wants to take some mulch home for their lawn or garden. Pack Leader doesn't exactly approve of me rolling in the smelly mulch, but I can usually get a quick tumble in before he pulls me away.
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| The pathway runs for miles; deep into Burbank. |
In the North Hollywood section of the bikeway are the Chandler Murals - a collection of amazing paintings on the street facing walls of the local businesses. The people who made these have some serious talent and they've created the "artsiest" street in all of NoHo - maybe all of L.A.
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| Of all the murals, this is my personal favorite. |
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| This one is Pack Leader's favorite. |
When you reach N. Clybourn Ave., you've reached the Eastern border of North Hollywood and the end of our adventures for today.
I hope you've enjoyed exploring North Hollywood as much as I have and that my blog inspires you to check out one of L.A.'s most unique and fastest growing neighborhoods. Maybe I'll.....
...see you at the park!
Chloe Canine-Angeleno
Some of the information I've shared in this blog came from the following sources:
Universal City-North Hollywood: A Centennial Portrait
by Tom Link
All photographs were taken by my pack leader, Jim Gross
Everything else was discovered by getting my paws dirty and the extensive use of my nose.
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