Great Ascot!

Sometimes the skyline’s the limit, and that’s a good thing if you’re visiting Ascot Hills Park, an 83-acre urban respite that offers autumn and winter sunsets to remember.

A 1-mile loop passes over the park’s highest hill—an excellent spot for seeing the sun sink behind LA’s downtown skyline, creating a fiery silhouette. Get there a bit before the magic hour because the iconic views are mapped to bucket-list precision, including the San Gabriel Mountains and the white domes atop the Mount Wilson Observatory as well as the Hollywood Sign above the Griffith Park Observatory. As daylight slips away, the glowing orange orb to the west thins across the horizon and becomes eclipsed by skyscrapers. Simply sun-sational.

TIP: Ascot Hills Park closes at sunset, so be sure to make your way back before it’s too dark.

From I-10 east of downtown LA, take exit 19 onto Soto St. and drive north for 1.2 miles to Multnomah St. Turn right, drive 0.3 mile and make a left into Ascot Hills Park, located at 4371 Multnomah St. (map). Drive up to the parking lot on the right and hike north between the park’s two ridges. After 0.2 mile, turn right up a draw in the eastern ridge. Turn right at the top, hiking along the spine of the ridge to the sunset view at the top of the hill. Descend another quarter mile south down the ridge back to the parking lot.