after a decade vista hermosa natural park arrives
A dedication ceremony held this morning for the welcoming of Downtown’s new Vista Hermosa Park brought in a large crowd of government officials, community volunteers, conservancy advocates, members of the media, excited residents and families with children of all ages.
Gray skies didn’t damper the cheerful mood of the event, as formal processions on a hilltop stage were flanked by young soccer players kicking balls on green lawns and mothers pushing strollers along winding dirt trails.
Everyone was there for one reason – to enjoy the first new park in the Downtown area since 1895 (according to the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy) — though the Militant correctly points out that Los Angeles State Historic Park (the “Cornfield park”) was a recent addition.
Master of Ceremony Joseph T. Edmiston, executive director of the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy, led the scheduled programming, which began with an introduction of Anthony Morales, a member of the local Tongva Tribal Council, who blessed the park with white sage and a traditional invocation.
Afterwards, Belmont High School ROTC cadets marched in battalion formation and presented arms as a bagpiper serenaded the choreographed ceremony.
Set high above City West against the backdrop of the Downtown skyline, the scene was picture perfect.
Vista’s Value
Over 10-acres (less than the original 14-acre count) of public recreation space offers the community a natural respite from the densely populated, concrete-ladden core of Los Angeles.
The park features walking trails, a waterfall, grassy meadows, oak trees, benches/picnic grounds, and an interlocking system of trails with wildlife habitats. Meandering stone walls, children’s adventure area, outdoor amphitheater, FIFA-regulation soccer field and facility structures are other major components of Vista Hermosa Park.
Convenient points of access to the hillside retreat enhance the surrounding residential neighborhoods, while bringing an array of eco-friendly features — such as green rooftops and an elaborate rainfall irrigation system — to a site once notorious for soil contamination.
After a decade of concerted efforts and planning between several local and state government bodies, Vista Hermosa Park is finally a reality.
Public Programming
Free summer programs at the park are scheduled to include animals education, science Sundays, family fun nights, day trips to the Santa Monica Mountains, junior ranger programs and family day camps.
Coming in the fall, additional programs will include ecology-themed science activities for elementary and middle school students, and park apprenticeships for high school seniors.
For more information and a complete lineup, visit lamountains.com.
Thanks to Shannon Vasquez for her contributions to this piece!
Vista Hermosa Park
100 N Toluca St
Los Angeles, CA 90026
213-250-1100
lamountains.com
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-new 14-acre downtown park taking shape
Members of the local Tongva Tribe bless the park
19 comments
I see me & Bridget in 2 of your pictures!! Can’t wait to go back! Thanks Stephen!
I should of made an effort to go, but this morning was quite hectic. I was juggling making crepes, hitting a bong, washing my auto, conversing with family out of the country, reading Stendhal’s The Red and the Black, and arguing with a smuck neighbor. The time just crept away. Nice photos, looking at them makes me feel as if I was there…Not really. Still great photos.
The park is amazing! I have a great amount of respect for everyone that made it happen. Serving free burritos and hot dogs to everyone in the park was impressive too.
yeah great pictures and that soccer field is so cool.
Right on- good job:).
First new Downtown Park since 1895? And what is Los Angeles State Historic Park, chopped liver?
You may or may not find the Militant there sometime soon…heh heh heh.
It’s nice, but I don’t find it all that useful to most residents of Downtown LA. I mean, I like to give the benefit of the doubt that most residents of DTLA don’t particularly want to DRIVE to a park as opposed to walking to it. If the area was densely packed with high-quality infill projects, then it might be pleasant to actually walk over there. But as it stands right, how would MOST residents of Downtown be able to use this park without driving?
Nevertheless, the park does look great and I’m sure you’ll be a great gathering point for those who don’t mind driving there.
*it’ll be, I mean
^ It looks like the only bus nearing Vista Hermosa is the 37 and no DASH service within a reasonable walk.
It’s walkable for people who live in Bunker Hill Towers or any of the Geoff Palmer projects.
For people who live in the Historic Core, South Park or Little Tokyo…not so much.
The 92 bus comes within a block of the place, along Temple. There’s an entrance to the park on Temple, isn’t there?
The 14/37 Metro bus is your best bet for transit. There are three entrances, on 1st Street, Toluca Street, and Colton Street (near Temple). Also, the City West neighborhood around the park is one of the densest, low-income neighborhoods in Los Angeles. Giving families a safe, active, and nearby way to recreate is a great boost for their quality of life. And yes, there’s a parking lot if downtown-types want to drive there.
Ride there on bike!
People will walk, bike, skateboard, take the bus, and drive to the Vista Hermosa Park.
Vista Hermosa Park is located in Assembly District 45 (DeLeon). There are 2.03 net acres of parks per thousand residents, compared to 282.79 in Assembly District 37 (Strickland). There are a total of 426,127 people living in District 45. 28.6% are children (121,879). More than one child out of every three (36.3% ) suffers from obesity.
The people are disproportionately Latino and poor compared to the City, County, and State. More than 90% of the neighborhood children are Latino, and 89% of families are enrolled in the free and reduced federal lunch programs in school.
The park will also provide a gateway to Santa Monica Mountains parklands for youth and their families with the free monthly “Transit to Trails” program to take children and their families and friends on fun, educational, and healthy mountain, river, and beach trips.
Beautiful space…anyone know if they are offering volunteer positions (or even paid) to keep up the park?
I’m TIRED or working in a office all day I need OUT!
The past few weeks, I’ve been coming here with my kids. We skipped the opening weekend because I figured the place would be packed. From the photos, it sure looked that way. However, over the past few weeks, the park hasn’t been that busy. We never felt crowded. There was always plenty of parking, too.
The verdict? Fabulous. My kids love the place. Anyone who has small children, go. Load up the car right now and head on over. Be ready with food, drink, extra clothes, picnic gear, sun-screen, toys, good book, etc. You know the drill. You can easily while away the day, while you and the kids explore and play and rest.
Easily, the greatest feature of the part is the superb views of the downtown skyline. The photos above simply don’t communicate the emotional punch of the view. The backdrop of the buildings sets the scene superbly. I suspect this vista will become quite commonplace for stock photos of the city.
When we first got here, we parked on the western side of the park. I was immediately entranced by the bougainvillea hanging off the fencing above the ranger station. It was a good omen. I noticed throughout the park, trees and plants have been very thoughtfully selected and placed. I look forward to seeing the various plantings bloom in the coming years.
I immediately checked out the map of the park at the entrance. Of course, given my nature, I took my kids on a circuitious exploration of the park via the nature trail. (Yes, there was some grousing and complaining from the little ones.) So much of design work is simply about deciding where to draw the lines. The sloping site which the park sits upon means it is no simple blank slate. The designers took maximum advantage of the undulating terrain. The nature trail wends and winds whimsically with many dramatic vistas. Along the way, benches are artfully placed to create little scenes. I can easily see coming here alone with my wife to be together. Right away, you can see young lovers taking advantage of the possiblities. My favorite is placed on a hilltop overlooking the school and the skyline to the southeast. Again, I’m sure we will see this vista many times now in stock footage of the city.
I was a little concerned about the lack of conventional playground equipment. Children can be picky. My daughter, Brisa, has tagged the Cornfields as the park without toys. The playground here is quite unconventional. There is an enormous submerged snake and turtle for kids to climb and explore. Fortunately, my fears were unjustified. Because so much of the park is unconventional, my kids simply enjoyed exploring everything. I’m sure some parents will be overly concerned because the environment is more natural and frankly less forgiving to the inevitable falls. But, I found the other children playing were very helpful. The immediate camaraderie of the other kids at the park was really sweet. Right away my kids joined the other children and made new friends. They enjoyed the challenge of exploring the various rock formations.
I also liked that there were many picnic tables scattered about the park. Again, this was done with a flair and created more little scenes. I look forward to coming here with my mother-in-law. Alas, this leads me to a complaint. There are no grills to encourage barbequeing. I’m sorry, but going to the park without partaking some of my mother-in-law’s divine carne asada is a true shame. I’m sure it is all some small-minded intention to protect the environment. That some Latino councilman would allow this speaks to the trade-offs of assimilation. Oh well, the palate is the first thing to go. Fortunately, subsequent visits saw enterprising picnicers bringing there own portable grills.
I also really enjoyed the open grassy areas. There are a few and each is quite distinct. My kids loved tearing about and then taking a break to explore whatever mysteries nature has brought forth. Again, I look forward to seeing how the various trees grow in the coming years. The shade they provide will be most appreciated. However, it was with some sadness that most of these areas have already been pressed into service for ad hoc games of soccer. You can already see the degradation of the grass, even after only a couple of weeks. I wish there were some happy compromise here. However, unless the authorities limit this activity, many of the grassy areas will be trashed in short order like they are in MacArthur and Lafayette Parks on Wilshire. That is most unfortunate and I suspect will be the outcome.
Regardless of this concern, as noted elsewhere, the park is a triumph. All downtowners should make a point to trek here and incorporate this place into their downtown. Hermosa Vista is worthy of all the greatness which so many have envisioned for downtown.
I love reading your review David. It is a beautiful park and a great addition to Downtown. The Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy will make the difference. I hope they are able to manage other parks Downtown in the future. How about Pershing Square? Now, let’s put a decent park in one of the vast parking lots in the Historic Core/South Park area!
Today’s visit to the park we discovered the turtle and slide at the playground has been roped off with orange pylons and yellow emergency tape. No explanation given. No kids in sight, either.
My hunch is our culture’s safety commissars shut down the playground because some kid took a tumble. As a parent, I’ll be the first to admit the playground is unconventional. But, I figured the point was to make the park as naturalistic as possible. On watching how much my and other kids enjoyed playing on it, I thought it was a good decision and successful.
I was gratified to see some kids decide the orange pylons and yellow tape were improvements. The yellow tape was hauled off and the orange pylons were playfully re-arranged.
I will definitely be interested to see where this goes.
Also, I remain puzzled as to why the park never seems busy. Today usage was exceptionally light.
I took a roam around the park yesterday. As beautiful as it is, it’s a shame that it has to be entirely gated and, of course, locked after sunset. Also, the park is not easy to get to without getting into your car. This is not an ‘urban’ park, heck, this is really not the best place for a park. Vista Hermosa sounds like a great idea, looks fantastic, but horrible location and unfortunate that the park has to close early.
After reading these comments from 8 months ago. I can let you all know that the park looks great.
To answer a few concerns: The yellow tape and orange pylons are gone the kids area is open. The park does not get much use in the morning or afternoon most of the park visitors come arouind 5pm or so. However, the opening of the High school has brought more people in the park after school hours.
Yeah, we were relieved when the yellow tape was removed. I feared the nanny state was going to deem the unorthodox playground equipment unsafe. The authorities were just doing some kind of maintenance.
I have to say I am struck by how little use the park gets. Aside from the soccer fields, which are in constant use, the park typically has few visitors. I don’t mind. But, for an area which is so underserved with parks, it is strange and disappointing to see the place so underutilized. I’m sure the villan is TV and video game consoles and online play.