“Welcome to Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook,” reads the sign at the entrance right off Jefferson at 6300 Hetzler Rd. “While you’re here, we hope you gain new awareness—both of remarkable native habitat you’re entering and of the urban communities around you.”
Designed by Ricardo Rabines and Taal Safdie, a married couple from San Diego, the concrete-and-glass-look of the visitor center itself and the layout of the gardening are surprisingly well made and suit the natural habitat that surrounds.
The thoughtful architecture stands as evidence that the quiet claim on the entrance sign, actually holds quite profound implications, that, as humans that are a part of nature, what we build is also a unique and important part of nature.
In a few scattered sentences, it discusses the relationship and conflict between the natural and built environments of the land and the people. But I think there’s one thing in particular that park offers that most people will remember— the stairs.
Dozens of walkers trudge up and down the stairs to the top of the hill. Each step alone can be up to one foot high. The hill peaks at 511 feet, but the end is always in sight, promising a beautiful view of Culver City and its neighbors at the top.
I visited on a warm afternoon with my sister, just for the view. Most of our adventuring companions on the trail were working up a sweat in tank tops and shorts, and either plugged into their iPods or talking with their exercise partners. Good conversation, great exercise, and a beautiful view from hilltop are rewarded to all of those willing to make the trek.
My sister and I chose the straight-shot by the stairs, but there is also a dirt trail that winds up the hill—and a road to drive up, if you happened to already have had your workout for the day.
The visitor center lies at the top, but it was closed when my sister and I arrived. The park is open daily from 8 a.m. to sunset, but the visiting center is under a “reduction of work hours and staff,” so no one was available to tend to its visitors.
They are, however, accepting volunteers, which would be a great opportunity for Culver City High School students looking to sign off their mandatory volunteer hours this summer. There is also a pavilion available as an outdoor venue—great for birthday parties, office picnics, or even small weddings—availability for rental through the Parks and Recreation website.
But more importantly, the nature we came across on the hike up the hill—the lizards, the snake holes, the bugs, the plants, the hill itself—are beautiful. And the view that is our greatest incentive for trekking up those beastly stairs, with the panorama of the city that we created, is just as beautiful.