Secret Cliffside Swing in Los Angeles

The more and more I travel to Los Angeles, the deeper my love for the city grows. There is a fun, unexpected adventure around nearly every corner. But this secret swing definitely makes it into my top 10 coolest hidden gems list. Which… is a list I should actually finalize and turn into an epic blog post. Stay tuned for that.

I had just dropped my best friend off at LAX and wanted to explore Elysian Park- a beautiful area overlooking the city skyline. When I got there, I was absolutely NOT disappointed.

First, I checked out this interesting structure below. I honestly don’t know what to label it other than graffiti gazebo.

It was a hot day, so this spot provided some much-needed shade, along with an incredible downtown view.

But my favorite part was tucked away from the main portion of the park.

I didn’t know where the swing was at Elysian Park going into this adventure. All I knew was that there was a secret swing on a hilltop in this general vicinity. My approach to finding the swing once I got there was literally just wandering around and looking at nearby hills for it. Which was fun, showed me the entire park (I even got to run through a sprinkler to cool down), and ultimately pointed me in the right direction of the swing.

I drove my car over to a parking lot that was closer to the hill (still in Elysian Park, but it seemed a little detached from the rest of it? This was past the sports fields). Then I made the short but extremely steep climb to the top of the hill. The path was dirt and a little slidey, but I made it.

When I first arrived, there was another girl my age there. Which was reassuring and made me happy- to see other girls enjoying their alone time in beautiful places. She left about 15 minutes later (honestly, I should’ve gotten her number, but alas) and I had the place all to myself for the next 2 HOURS. That blew me away. I thought more people would come to see this incredible view, but then again, it was a Wednesday at noon in Los Angeles so that could’ve been part of it.

I barely swung out over the edge of the cliff (because I’m a chicken) but it was incredibly steep. I would advise anyone going here to take caution while walking and swinging.

Anyway- this is one of the best-hidden gems I’ve found in LA so far! Do you have any suggestions for me to check out? Comment below. 

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