Now that LA is opening up and we’re feeling more comfortable being out and about, we decided to head back over to the Eastside for a morning of fun. We set out for the Ferndell trail later than we meant to (why is it so hard to leave the house with kids??) and arrived around 9:30 so the park was already full of hiker/bikers/etc but we lucked out and found a parking spot right on Fern Dell Drive.

We’ve never done the Ferndell walks so I didn’t quite know what to expect but it was the perfect little stroll with kids. Located on the west side of the street, you enter through a gate and there’s a little stream in the middle of the path with walkways on each side. Overgrown tropical plants fill the space making it feel like you’ve been transported out of LA into a magical forest. This little part of the walk is only 1/10th of a mile and drops you out at the start of another path where you can decide to head one direction and hit up The Trails Cafe and playground or continue on hiking towards the observatory.

We decided to take one of the hiking paths on what we thought was a short loop but was actually a pretty steep incline up towards the observatory. You can veer off the trail fairly easily and loop back down and still get quite a good workout.

After our unexpectedly challenging hike we went to The Trails for some treats and lemonades and some downtime in their back area. I highly recommend you hit up the cafe if you’re already in the park!

After reenergizing we drove a few blocks down into Los Feliz so we could hit up Skylight Books, the most adorable and well curated bookstore in the heart of the neighborhood. Parking can be tricky so take the first spot you see and be ready for a short wait to get into the bookstore (they’re currently allowing 16 customers at a time). The whole bookstore is fabulous but the children’s section really is amazing and there’s no way you’ll leave without a few purchases.

By the time we finished at the bookstore our little one was getting tired from a busy morning and we made our way hope while crossing our fingers she’d fall asleep in the car (it didn’t happen…boo!).

If you’re craving some east side adventure, make sure to check out the food and hikes inside Griffith and then explore Los Feliz.

- Callie