Why does Long Beach have a fake national park that's full of fairies?

Tucked away in Bixby Knolls, a neighborhood in Long Beach, you’ll find the iconic parks service sign, a trail and native plants.

The fact that the trail takes 15 seconds to walk and you can also find fairies and bigfoot’s footprint gives a clue to what this 0.05 acre park actually is — an injection of whimsy, if technically fake.

The bridge hovers about an inch off the ground.

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Cato Hernández

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LAist

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The "woowoo" bear at Bixby Knolls National Park on April 6.

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Cato Hernández

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LAist

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Why the ‘national’ park started

I was given a guided tour by Blair Cohn, executive director of the Bixby Knolls Business Improvement Association, who’s the mastermind behind this make-believe spot.

He said the National Park Service hasn’t reached out about their tongue-in-cheek name, but it’s a tribute to them that takes inspiration from Portland.

Shhhh, don't disturb the fairies

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Cato Hernandez

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LAist

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“Somebody in their backyard had a tiny little sign and they made it their own little national park,” Cohn recalled. “We said, OK, well let’s take it up.”

The origin of the park started before it opened in 2021. Businesses were struggling because of the pandemic. The association cut programs and was doing what it could to help local shops. But it was facing an uncertain future.

Planning for the worst, Cohn said they wanted to go out with a bang, so they looked at landscaping they could do to help people get back outside. They picked an abandoned lot at Roosevelt Road and Long Beach Boulevard, right near a business corridor.

“ We said we’ll do one last thing for the neighborhood and let’s create something fun in this corner,” he said.

They got the city on board and some funding. But they wanted to do it in a fun and cheeky way, which is when they came up with the tiny, fake National Park idea.

Cohn said the comical take is about giving people a welcome distraction.

From left to right: Rusty B. and Blair Cohn explain what creatures are in the Bixby Knolls park on April 6.

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Cato Hernández

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LAist

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“ There’s so much bad news,” he said. “But our combat daily is to do things like this, always sprinkle in a little bit of sarcasm, a little bit of BS into the mix because we all could use a laugh and be lighthearted.”

The association maintains the park now, keeping it clean and ready for visitors.

The tiny but mighty sights

During my visit, there was an unexpected visitor: The officially-unofficial park ranger of Bixby Knolls “National” Park, Rusty B. (He said the “B” is because he’s “ like a bear with no ears.”)

As with all the foolery here, he’s not a real park ranger but played the role quite well with an Australian accent (crikey!). Rusty gave me a tour of all the sites you can see in the tiny park, which include Matilija poppies and other native plants.

He pointed out how the park’s largest inhabitants, a wolf and “ woowoo” bear, sit still to hunt for prey. These totally aren’t statues (wink, wink). We also crossed a bridge over a “raging river” of dry gravel.

Near the park’s mountain range mural, you’ll catch some other surprises. “ We’ve got some mushrooms and we’ve got a couple of leprechauns hanging out there,” Rusty said. “It’s completely native.”

 And watch out as you walk. A fake trap is on the ground that’s there to capture big rodents that come from Anaheim, according to Rusty. Bigfoot’s footprints are also immortalized on the grounds, who was supposedly spotted in the neighborhood around 1918.

Donut Rock, aka Angel Food Donuts, is directly across the street from Bixby Knolls "National" Park.

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Cato Hernández

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LAist

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Before you leave, make sure to pay a visit to the other places of interest around this tiny spot.

Donut Rock (aka Angel Food Donuts across the street) sells “Bixby Bear Claws” and donut rocks (donut holes). There’s also the big blue “Finger Pointe” within eye-shot of the park, which is where they get their  printing done, and the Bixby Knolls “National” Park shuttle (aka a standard bus stop wrapped in wood covering).

You could explore this area for a while and likely find something new each time, like a light pole giraffe or moose head, but don’t worry about getting lost. The park has a map sign with information about all of the tiniest “national” park’s best features.