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9 UCLA Campus in Westwood

Iconic Royce Hall is UCLA’s performing-arts venue.

BOUNDARIES: Sunset Blvd., Hilgard Ave., Le Conte Ave., Gayley Ave.

DISTANCE: About 1.75 miles

DIFFICULTY: Moderate (includes stairways)

PARKING: Limited street parking is available on Hilgard Ave. south of Sunset Blvd. Paid parking is available on campus.

UCLA is one of the best-known campuses in the famed University of California system. Renowned for its challenging academic programs as well as its gorgeous, ideally situated campus, UCLA represents the mythical undergraduate experience that many of us wish we’d had.

This route explores the most scenic spots on the large campus, taking in innovative artwork, classically beautiful architecture, and a lovely botanical garden that has evolved over several decades.

Walk Description

Begin on Hilgard Avenue, south of Sunset Boulevard and near the intersection with Charles E. Young Drive, which splits off from the west side of Hilgard. Follow Young Drive south into the UCLA campus.

Turn right at the semicircular driveway to head into the Franklin D. Murphy Sculpture Garden. This is the largest outdoor sculpture garden on the West Coast and one of the prettiest, with its rolling green lawns and feathery jacaranda trees. Pass a shallow fountain on the right as you descend the short stairway into the sunken grassy area. Notice the two columns topped with bronze sculptures of nude dancers by Robert Graham. The sculpture garden spans more than 5 acres of UCLA’s north campus and includes an eclectic blend of naturalistic and sleekly modern pieces from artists such as Alexander Calder, Henri Matisse, Jacques Lipchitz, and Auguste Rodin. After taking some time to admire the sculptures and bas-reliefs, return to the eastern end of the garden and follow the sidewalk south.

As you head south along the sidewalk, on your right you’ll come to Bunche Hall, which features an innovative indoor palm garden in its central atrium. Take a quick detour through the corridor past the atrium and out to the west side of the 12-story building to take in Maynard Lyndon’s modern architecture. Built in 1964, Bunche Hall has been nicknamed “The Waffle” for its striking grid of three-dimensional square windows. Exit the way you came in, and then continue south along the sidewalk, passing Lu Valle Commons on your left.

When you reach Dodd Hall, turn right to follow the diagonal path through the sunken lawn of Dickson Court, which is shaded by mature sycamore and Moreton Bay fig trees.

After crossing Portola Plaza, the street that borders Dickson Court, you’ll find yourself in the university’s historic quad. This wide-open grassy area runs between the four original buildings of the Westwood campus, all of which were built in 1929 in the Italian Romanesque style. You’ll pass Haines Hall on your right and Kinsey Hall on your left before coming to the campus’s two best-known landmarks. On your right is the iconic Royce Hall. Designed by architect David Allison and based on a basilica in Milan, it houses UCLA’s Center for the Art of Performance. Powell Library is on your left, and while it bears some architectural resemblance to Royce Hall, it was designed by another architect, George Kelham. Powell’s octagonal tower and main entrance are modeled after two different churches in Italy. Part of what makes the northeast portion of the UCLA campus so beautiful is its architectural integrity; the redbrick Mediterranean-style buildings lend a distinguished, old-world feel to the College of Humanities.

Continue west through the quad, and you’ll come to the semicircular Shapiro Fountain on Janss Terrace. Descend the Janss Steps, which served as the original entrance to the university, leading up from the former Westwood Boulevard. Admire the expansive view of the intramural fields stretched out in the distance. To your right is the Fowler Museum at UCLA. The Student Activities Center lies on the south side of the lawn below, with Kaufman Hall sitting opposite. On this side of campus, the university’s newer buildings, with their redbrick and tan-stone exteriors, integrate beautifully with the original architecture.

Turn left at the bottom of the stairs, and follow the pathway heading south. Kerckhoff Hall lies straight ahead. Tree-shaded lawns roll gently alongside the sidewalk, providing yet another idyllic place for scholars to engage in or rest from their academic pursuits.

At the end of the sidewalk, turn right to follow the Bruin Walk into Bruin Plaza, home of the Bruin Bear, a 2-ton bronze statue of a ferocious-looking grizzly. At the southeast corner of the plaza is the Ackerman Union, distinguished by the arched wooden beams atop the roof. The UCLA Store occupies the first floor of the building and offers just about anything a student would need to purchase, from groceries to clothing to plush toys to books. The union also offers various casual-dining options.

Head back the way you came on Bruin Walk, past Ackerman Union, and return toward Kerckhoff Hall. Built in 1931, this is the only building on campus in the Collegiate Gothic architectural style. Continue straight ahead up the steps, and then turn right. Cross through the outdoor dining patio between Kerckhoff Hall and Moore Hall, which is on your left.

Turn left on Portola Plaza; the Mathematical Sciences Building is on your right. You are now entering the more technical side of campus, which is not nearly as picturesque as the humanities section in terms of architecture.

Continue straight on Portola Plaza, passing Kinsey Pavilion on your left. This building houses several lecture halls and is notable for the pretty mosaics in muted colors that adorn the top of its facade. Past Kinsey, you’ll come to an open plaza with a beautiful inverted fountain in the center. A fairly new complex, the Evelyn and Mo Ostin Music Center, is located on the east side of the fountain.

Continue past the Ostin Music Center and then cut down the path on your right, which passes between a toddler play area and Franz Hall and takes you down to Charles E. Young Drive.

Turn right on Young Drive. As you approach the intersection with Manning Drive, you’ll pass a pleasant, drought-tolerant rock garden on your right and see the large redbrick-and-glass Terasaki Life Sciences Building up ahead on your left.

Just before reaching Tiverton Drive, you’ll see a ramp leading into the Mildred E. Mathias Botanical Garden, on your left. Follow the ramp down into the gardens. Note: At the time of writing, this was a newly built entrance to the gardens, which were still undergoing major improvements thanks to a $5 million gift from UCLA alumnus and philanthropist Morton La Kretz.

Take the time to explore the gardens at your leisure, or perhaps simply sit and relax in the green shade on one of the many benches. This oasis features plant life from all over the world, including many species of tropical and subtropical flora. The topography of UCLA’s botanical gardens is a remnant of the ravine that used to run across the entire campus. Today, a water pump feeds the river that flows down the center of the gardens.

Moore Hall

After spending some time in the gardens, exit back out onto Young Drive.

Turn right on Young Drive and retrace your steps along the perimeter of the campus. After crossing Westholme, you’ll notice the barnlike structure of the Faculty Center on your right.

Just past Murphy Hall, turn right on Dickson Court (instead of continuing straight, which would take you back to the sculpture garden) on a path that will take you past the School of Law on your left.

Turn left to continue on Young Drive, following it all the way back to the intersection with Hilgard Avenue, where you began.

UCLA Campus in Westwood

Points of Interest

Franklin D. Murphy Sculpture Garden Charles E. Young Drive E., Los Angeles, CA 90095; 310-443-7000, tinyurl.com/murphysculpturegarden

Bunche Hall 11282 Portola Plaza, Los Angeles, CA 90095

Royce Hall 340 Royce Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90095; 310-825-2101, roycehall.org

Fowler Museum at UCLA 308 Charles E. Young Drive N., Los Angeles, CA 90024; 310-825-4361, fowler.ucla.edu

Ackerman Union/UCLA Store 308 Westwood Plaza, Los Angeles, CA 90095; 310-825-7711, asucla.edu/student-union

Mildred E. Mathias Botanical Garden 777 Tiverton Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90095; 310-825-1260, botgard.ucla.edu. Please call ahead to make sure the gardens are open at the time of your walk.