Franklin Canyon Park
| Franklin Canyon Park | |
|---|---|
Franklin Lake
|
|
| Type | Urban park |
| Location | Unincorporated area abutting Beverly Hills Post Office, Beverly Hills, and the city of Los Angeles, California |
| Coordinates | 34°06′11″N 118°24′44″W / 34.1031°N 118.4122°WCoordinates: 34°06′11″N 118°24′44″W / 34.1031°N 118.4122°W |
| Area | 3 acres (1.2 ha) |
| Elevation | 630 |
| Created | 1981 |
| Operated by | Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy |
| Open | All year |
Franklin Canyon Park is a public park located near Benedict Canyon at the eastern end of the Santa Monica Mountains. The park comprises 605 acres (2.45 km2), and is located at the purported geographical center of the city of Los Angeles. The park features a 3-acre (12,000 m2) lake, a duck pond and over five miles (8 km) of hiking trails. The lake and pond are visited by birds in the Pacific Flyway. The park was used for the hitchhiking scene in It Happened One Night, and the opening credits of The Andy Griffith Show. The lake was also frequently seen in the Nickelodeon show Salute Your Shorts.
The park traces its beginnings to 1914 when William Mulholland and the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power built a reservoir in upper Franklin Canyon. The canyon was used by the family of oil baron Edward L. Doheny as a summer retreat. The 1930s began the frequent use of the canyon for filming. Claudette Colbert's famous hitchhiking scene from It Happened One Night was filmed in 1935. Today about 25 films are shot here annually. During the 1970s the canyon was spared from development through the efforts of conservationist Sooky Goldman and Congressman Howard Berman, which resulted in the creation of the park.
Franklin Canyon is rich in plant life. Chaparral, shady grassland meadows and oak woodlands are found in the park. Also within the park's boundaries are sycamore, redwood and walnut trees, along with non-native pines. A vast array of wildflowers grow here.
The park is home to a variety of indigenous wildlife such as frogs, rabbits, squirrels, rats, mice, snakes, cougars, gray foxes, coyotes, and bobcats. Known as a bird watcher's delight, great horned owls, as many as seven species of hawk can be found here, and even eagles. And of course there are the ducks, including Mandarins and Wood ducks. Franklin Canyon is part of the Pacific Flyway and as a result the resident bird species often share company with neo-tropical migrants and other transient species, such as Canada geese.
...
Wikipedia