Griffith Park Pool

The good news: they’re keeping the pool open a few weeks longer. The bad news: it’s only for a few hours a day on the weekend. So it’s 100 degress in L.A. and this gorgeous pool is just sitting there, empty. WTF? What a terrible waste. Next week it’ll be drained and gone for another year while we suffer more scorching weather. I think this pool should be open year round. I’m sure the city will plead poverty but this is one of the few perks — Griffith Park — that we the taxpayers have in this city. And considering it’s only going to get hotter and hotter in Los Angeles — this needs a rethink.

i haven’t been to a public pool since i was a kid so i didn’t really know what to expect and there isn’t all that much info on the internet about this. its been SO HOT recently and i had a few hours free and just HAD to be near water, so i came here.
i had a good experience, but i’m glad i learned a few things for returning.
Parking: the pool is located on the east side of riverside drive (closer to the freeway). there is a small lot on that side of the street that was complete packed (and i saw an attendant ticketing double parked cars, so be careful!). i circled a few times and spots were not opening, so i asked a very helpful mom where to park (moms know everything) and she said to go across the street (on the west side of riverside drive). there was a huge, almost empty lot with some shade. so park there.
Admission: it was $ 3.50 to get in, no discount with a library card (cash only). this seemed like a lot but like i said, SO HOT. i could have sworn that when i was a kid, it was like, .50c or something to swim. you pay outside and are given a ticket, then walk through a pretty grungy locker room. then you give that ticket to a woman checking bags. you have to walk past her to get an empty bag, fill it up with your belongings, then she gives you a paperclip with your bag number on it. there are lot of objects involved in this transaction and it doesnt make a lot of sense. they say you can only bring your towel, sunscreen, and water bottle to the pool area, but plenty of people also had their phone or reading material to sit by the side. the same mom from earlier was not planning to swim, but her kids were, so she wasn’t allowed to enter the locker room area with them and they were pretty freaked out by this. i dont blame them at all because it was all very confusing. parents who just planned to watch were supposed to walk around the building, and there is a shady grassy area to sit on the other side of the fence.
Pool area: it’s a big pool (i believe olympic size?) and was split into three areas — kids area (which was packed), free swim (which kids were allowed in, but they had to pass a swim test first because this was the deep end), and lane swimming. i went for lane swimming, and found there to be not enough room, and people were very territorial about their space. it seemed to me that there was plenty of room where they could have added a few extra lanes in the free swim area (which was almost empty). i just swam laps in the free swim area and accepted that i would probably get interrupted by people free-​swimming, but i hung close to the free swim lane. there was also an area that apparently no one was supposed to go in, but there was no way of knowing this, so the life guards kept yelling at people to get out. the lifeguards did seem attentive but it’s a big pool with a lot of wild kids.
it was a fun way to spend a few hours, and definitely something good to do with kids, but definitely not as cheap or easy as i would have expected.

This is literally the most confusing public pool ever. No place to lounge or sunbathe. Pool was nice, but kind of weird to get out and plop down on the hard cement.
You can’t bring food/​drinks in (which I understand) but WHY not have a snack bar? Vending machine? SOMETHING?
When arriving, the women and men have to split and check bags and then meet back up in the pool area, it felt too much like a prison. Also, better hours would work — it’s SoCal and it’s only open MAYBE 3 total months out of the year. I’m from Pennsylvania and the pools there are open way longer. Don’t think I’ll be going back there anytime soon.
It’s definitely a swimmers pool.

Avoid arriving right when doors open. You’ll have a long wait to get in. It was a mad house on a Thursday with very little lifeguard supervision. I wouldn’t recommend for leisure swimming or small kids.

I like to nurture my inner pool-​rat and relieve my youth, so I have made the trip to this pool on several occasions this balmy summer when the temp finally went up! The good thing is this place is cheap-​$ 2 with a library card and little ones are free. I have several issues with this pool though, the first being it is NOT heated at all. Now, this isn’t a problem if you are a lap swimmer or it’s 100 degrees out, but this water LITERALLY feels like it’s fresh and COLD from the garden hose! Not so great if you have a little one who gets the shivers fast.
The other thing is this pool has the most tyrannical group of incompetent lifeguards I’ve ever seen. Now I have spent at least 15 years of my life having BEEN a lifeguard and an instructor of lifeguards and could not BELIEVE how understaffed this place was at a peak time! This pool has a HUGE shallow end with LOTS of people and there was maybe ONE roaming lifeguard who seemed MORE interested and obsessed about me having some small pool toys for my friend’s toddler at the edge of the pool than watching all the little ‘non swimmers’ clinging for their lives to the stairs and gutters while others would just jump wildly into the pool without regard to who might be in the way. This same lifeguard then alerted the other guards, who proceeded to harass me about the toys and how no floatation was allowed-​I was holding the toddler and sitting myself on a pool noodle. I understand NOT allowing floaties because parents tend to just leave their kids on their own, but when I asked if that was the city policy, they got beligerent and said yes (it isn’t, because I looked it up) and told me they were just doing their job. Fair enough, but your job actually is to WATCH the pool and be responsible for the welfare of the general populace in there instead of harassing me about two bath toys and a noodle! I actually witnessed TWO little boys RACE by this same lifeguard on the wet deck as he was chatting up the other lifeguard and never blinked. We could never climb out of the pool because of all the neglected children clinging to the rail and steps-​I helped some of them climb out. We almost got jumped on several times too. I think the City of Los Angeles Parks and Rec need to re-​evaluate their lifeguard training and monitoring. Two lifeguards to watch 50 plus people from the deck isn’t enough and I would never allow my kids to go to this pool even when they are older. There just isn’t enough supervision.
Plus, there is always a few showers clogged up and the parking lot at Griffith Park gets packed on hot days FAST! So, if you need to cool off on a hot day and really want to try out this place, do so at your own risk!

I went swimming here yesterday and it was awesome! The shallow part of the pool was super crowded with parents and their kids. The deep end of the pool was pretty free though; there were a few people swimming around, but, honestly, the pool is SO big that it didn’t interfere with my swimming. They have a locker attendant that watches over your things while you swim, which is super cool since you don’t have to worry about your stuff getting stolen. My only issue: the showers. They were clogged, so a nasty pool of water formed in the shower (yuck!), but I just waited to shower until I got home. Other than that, I loved it! I will definitely continue coming here throughout the summer, as it was pretty cheap!
$ 2.50 (general admission) and $ 2 (with your library card)

This pool is seasonal and a-​ok too. Best try Glassell first though as there can be too many kiddies.

Things have definitely changed over the years for Griffith Park’s pool. I remember how ghetto it used to be, and now I notice an intermingling of all types of people now. The best thing is how there are different areas sectioned off– they’ve got the adult section and kids section. that way you can avoid the screaming masses of kids and do your laps in peace. the bathrooms are somewhat gross, and it can get a little too crowded sometimes, however it works out very well if you want to bring kids and swim on your own.

I recently went lap swimming here; it was a little crowded with just five swimmers. But, the setting is gorgeous, and I’m definitely going back!
This pool has a very charming, vintage feel. It reminded me of some Hungarian baths I’ve been to, probably because you have to participate in this antiquated locker room procedure that involves going into the shower area to a rack of green mesh bags (leftover from 1957, I think), taking a bag, putting your clothes and keys, etc. into said bag, and giving it to the locker room attendant who then gives you a safety pin with your locker number. Oh, and you have to ask for toilet paper (there’s a sign, but still).
You don’t need a swim cap, but I would recommend goggles. All in all, it’s very lovely: you’re swimming underneath the trees, the water is the perfect temperature, and if you go in the afternoon, it’s not too crowded (most people started leaving around 5 – the pool closes at 6).

It’s no longer free with a library card, but it’s $ 2 w/​one, or $ 2.50 without, and well worth the price.
The Spanish building is beautiful, with the park around it. The pool itself is very long, with one end adults only and the other end for kids. The 2 areas are separated by the deep area and the lap lanes. So at the adult end, you are well away from the splashing and general boisterousness of the kids.
The only cons:
The showers don’t drain very well, which is kind of gross for your mandated pre-​swim rinse off.
No chairs so lounging is on towels only. But it is a public pool –whattaya want?!
It’s not heated, but the summer is the only time it’s open and it’s plenty warm, so that’s not a true con.
When you’re done you can hit a vendor just outside for an ice cream bar.
Discovering this pool has extended the amount of time I’m willing to live in the city!

I no longer live at a place with a swimming pool… this makes me sad.
Griffith Park Pool makes me happy.
There is a designated area for older people away from screaming kids, but it does tend to be a little deep and I’m a bit on the short side.
If you have your library card, you can get in for free other wise it’s less than 2 bucks to have your fun. You do have to drop your belongings off in a basket that goes to an attendant, and they will make sure you have a proper bathing suit on or you will not be allowed entry (thankfully!). The outdoor changing rooms and showers, which you’re required to have a rinse off before going in, are a little weird.
Speaking as someone who definitely has a slight germ phobia, I’m still very comfortable at this place. Great for cooling off during these oogy hot summer days.