Is there really a Griffith Park Curse?
Spanning an impressive 4,210 acres, Griffith Park is four times the size of San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park and nearly five times that of New York’s Central Park. This sprawling urban oasis is packed with iconic Los Angeles landmarks, from the Greek Theatre and the Hollywood Sign to the Griffith Observatory and even some vintage railcars. It’s the largest natural wilderness within city limits in the United States, hosting a rich array of native plants and wildlife as a critical link in Southern California’s wildlife corridor, stretching from the Santa Monica Mountains to the Verdugo Mountains.
A visit here promises endless ways to enjoy the outdoors, with locals and visitors alike hiking, biking, picnicking, catching free Shakespeare in the park, meditating, enjoying concerts, or stargazing. Like many historic sites, Griffith Park has a storied past, marked by triumph, community, beauty—and darker tales of disaster and mystery. Alongside its breathtaking views of the LA skyline come eerie tales: a century-old curse, a haunted picnic table, tales of attempted murder, and the most famous Hollywood suicide. Even Griffith Park’s chief ranger, Albert Torres, once remarked to the LA Times that he didn’t fear ancient ghosts or curses. But as he said, “if you knew even a quarter of the stuff we find within the park’s perimeter, you’d never set foot in it again.”
Ready to explore the mysteries? Read on… 😱
The Sordid Story of Griffith J. Griffith
On Christmas Day, 1896, Griffith J. Griffith, a Welsh immigrant who built his fortune on mining stocks, real estate, and (mainly) his wife’s inheritance, gifted a large tract of ranch land to the city, envisioning “Griffith Park” as a “safety valve” from urban pressures, offering “open space — rustic and available to all.” He once wrote, “Give nature a chance to do her good work, and nature will give every person a greater opportunity in health, strength, and mental power.” However, Griffith himself was infamous for being vain, paranoid, and volatile. In 1903, he shot his wife, permanently disfiguring her. His later donation of the Griffith Observatory to the city was widely seen as an attempt at redemption. Haunted by guilt, perhaps? 👻
The Haunting of the Hollywood Sign
On the night of September 18th, 1932, distraught actress Peg Entwistle, 24, told a friend she would be heading to a drug store. But instead, she climbed a 50ft workman’s ladder to the top of the H in the Hollywoodland sign and plunged to her death. Those close to her claimed Entwistle was suffering from depression, left reeling from a recent divorce (her husband had lied to her about being father to a six-year-old son) and was frustrated by her lack of success in Hollywood. Ironically, just a few days after the suicide, a letter arrived for Peg, offering her a role in a new play at the Hollywood Playhouse. The part was of a woman who commits suicide. Stranger still, the 6-year-old son that her husband failed to tell her about grew up to be a successful actor himself, Brian Keith. Keith also would commit suicide in 1997, two months after his daughter Daisy’s suicide. For many, Peg Entwistle’s tragic demise is symbolic of Hollywood’s dark side—the boulevard of broken dreams where success is fleeting and heartbreak a given. Peg Entwistle may have never gotten her starring role in life. But in death it seems she is doomed to repeat her final performance as Hollywood’s lost lady. Since her death, people have reported seeing a young woman, dressed in 1930s clothing, whose footsteps make no sound. The figure makes her way toward the Hollywood sign, appearing disoriented. A strong scent of gardenias often trails her. 👻
The Ghost of Dona Petronilla
Legend has it that Dona Petronilla, daughter of one of the original landowners. cursed the land after losing her inheritance, and since then, eerie tales have haunted the park’s history of her roaming the land dressed in all white. She can be seen staring into the ranger’s headquarters on dark and rainy nights. She’s also frequently reported during haunted hay rides in October, as well as riding horseback through the park nearby the headquarters. 👻
The Haunted Picnic Table
Haunted Picnic Table: On October 31, 1976, a young couple Rand Garrett and Nancy Jeanson were making love on a picnic bench off Mt. Hollywood Drive, when they were crushed by a falling pine tree. A chain of worker hired to clear the tree fell sick or were injured before they could finish the job, including a supervisor who was found dead of an apparent heart attack at the scene. While an LA Times article about the freak accident later was dismissed as a hoax, sightings of a ghostly couple in the area persist, along with photos of the Tree and handmade memorial sign with green neon writing.
