. . . I believe that the...

. . . I believe that the second day of July, 1776, will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward, forevermore.

John Adams, in a letter to his wife

Although it wasn’t until two days later that the final text of the Declaration of Independence was actually adopted, John Adams’ prescient vision of America’s anniversary came true. A day of picnics and parades, fireworks and patriotic speeches, the Fourth of July has become a joyous holiday for all Americans.

A traditional way to celebrate the nation’s birthday is a picnic in one of America’s beautiful parks. Here are 10 sites in Southern California to take some food and spend the day.

William S. Hart County Park, 24151 N. San Fernando Road, Newhall, (805) 259-0855. Hours: 10 a.m.-sundown. Cost: free. A California State Park of Historical Interest, the 259-acre site was purchased by screen star William S. Hart in 1921 when it was known as the Horseshoe Ranch. The park has a museum, the Saugus train station, the Hart home and some ranch animals and bison. Newhall’s annual parade, with the theme “American Legend,” will start from the ranch at 10 a.m. and end in Newhall Park where there will be fireworks. Where to picnic: As you drive into the park, you will see a large picnic area, shaded by oak trees, equipped with picnic tables, barbecue braziers and drinking fountains.

Griffith Park, Riverside Drive and Los Feliz Boulevard, Los Angeles, (213) 665-5188. Hours: 6 a.m.-10 p.m. Cost: free. This 4,000-acre natural area is one of the largest municipally owned-and-operated parks in the world. It offers golf, tennis, swimming and 53 miles of riding and hiking trails. Where to picnic: The most popular areas are Crystal Springs, Mineral Wells, Ferndell and the Park Center, which is across from the ranger station. Smaller picnic areas are throughout the park. All of the sites are large enough for games and sports and are equipped with barbecue pits and picnic tables.

Palomar Mountain State Park, State Park Road, Palomar Mountain, (619) 742-3462. Hours: dawn to dusk. Cost: $2 per car. Take California 76 to County S6, drive north to State Park Road and drive west to park. Palomar, or “place of the pigeons,” was named by the Spaniards for the thousands of band-tailed pigeons that once nestled on its slopes. The park has large pine, fir and cedar trees. To the east, beyond the limits of the park, is Palomar Observatory, with a museum and visitors’ gallery, which is open to the public from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Where to picnic: Each of the individual picnic sites at Silver Crest, near park headquarters, has picnic tables, stone stoves and piped-in drinking water. There is also an informal picnic area near Doane Pond, which is stocked with trout and other fish. Fishing licenses are required.

Hancock Park/Rancho La Brea Tar Pits, 5801 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, (213) 936-2230. Hours: The park is open dawn to dusk. Cost: free. A “picnic at the pits” will give you an opportunity to brush up on the history of the world’s largest treasure trove of Ice Age fossils at this California landmark. Scientific study has been under way here since 1905, but much more is still to be learned from the 40,000-year-old site. A program of excavation is in progress at Pit 91. The George C. Page Museum, which exhibits mammal and bird fossils, costs adults $1.50; children 5 to 17, students with ID and seniors 62 and older pay 75 cents; children 4 and under free when accompanied by parent. The museum is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Where to picnic: Spread your family feast

anywhere on the park’s spacious lawns in the shade of one of its many native California trees.

Malibu Creek State Park, 28754 Mulholland Highway, Malibu, (818) 706-1310. Hours: 8 a.m.-sunset. Cost: $2 per car. Malibu Creek State Park preserves an area of rugged cliffs and gorges along Upper Malibu and Las Virgenes creeks. Along the creeks are waterfalls, a rock pool and the seven-acre Century Lake. Some oaks in the grassland area are more than 300 years old. About 15 miles of hiking and riding trails thread the park’s rocky terrain. Portions of Malibu Creek were purchased from 20th Century Fox film studio, which used the sites for filming “How Green Was My Valley.” Where to picnic: Picnic areas are located at Century Lake, alongside the creeks and in groves of trees.

Topanga State Park, Topanga Canyon Boulevard and Entrada Road, Los Angeles, (213) 455-2465. Hours: 8 a.m.-7 p.m. Cost: $2 parking fee. Topanga, with 9,000 acres, is one of the nation’s largest urban parks. It rises above the San Fernando Valley, and most of its back country contains chaparral and coastal sage with many stream-side groves of California trees. Maps for a one-mile, self-guided nature walk available at Trippet Ranch ranger station at west end of park. Where to picnic: There are two designated picnic areas with tables and drinking fountains. In addition, many inviting natural sites can be found within the park’s boundaries. No barbecues or dogs allowed.

Mt. San Jacinto State Park Wilderness/Palm Springs Aerial Tramway, California 111 and Tramway Road, Palm Springs, (619) 325-1391. Hours: 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Cost: free at Long Valley; round-trip tramway fares are $11.95 for adults and $7.95 for children. This 2 1/2-mile ride on the tram provides a view from the Salton Sea to the peak of Mt. San Gorgonio. At the top is Mountain Station with a gift shop, snack bar and observation area overlooking the 13,000-acre Mt. San Jacinto State Park. Visitors may ride a mule along the trails of Long Valley; meet at the end of the paved trail behind Mountain Station. Where to picnic: Mountain Station, at the top, has many settings along the nature trails. Picnic facilities are available at Long Valley, which is also the site of a California State Park ranger station.

Will Rogers State Historic Park, 14253 Sunset Blvd., Pacific Palisades, (213) 454-8212. Park hours: 8 a.m.-7 p.m.; tours hours 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Cost: $2 per car. In 1922 Will Rogers bought 186 acres above Sunset Boulevard and built a weekend cottage. The home and grounds became a state park in 1944. The admission charge includes access to the trails, admission to the ranch house, a film on Will Rogers’ life and an audio tour of the grounds. A nature trail and longer hikes are available by checking with a ranger. There is a visitors’ center as well as a nature center, bookstore and stables. Where to picnic: A designated picnic area, with tables and drinking fountains, is located near the house. No barbecues allowed.

Paramount Ranch, a part of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, 2813 Cornell Road, Agoura, (818) 888-3440. Hours: dawn to dusk. Cost: free. Paramount Studios owned 400 acres in this area from the early 1920s to the mid-1940s. The ranch was the setting for many blockbuster films. A Western-town movie set is still used by television and film companies, and the ranch serves as a staging area for the annual Renaissance Pleasure Faire. Today the ranch totals 336 acres of gently rolling hills spread below Sugarloaf Mountain. Where to picnic: A large open picnic area is adjacent to the Old Western Town. Also, there are

grassy shaded areas for picnicking. Barbecuing in the designated picnic area only.

Point Mugu State Park, 9000 W. Pacific Coast Highway, Oxnard, (805) 987-3303. Hours: 8 a.m.-7 p.m. Cost: $3 per car. Point Mugu includes five miles of ocean shoreline with rocky bluffs, sandy beaches, nature areas and two campgrounds. More than 70 miles of hiking and riding trails crisscross the interior canyons and rugged uplands of the park. Hikers can choose between La Jolla Valley, with wildflowers and one of the best stands of California native grasses, or Big Sycamore Canyon, which is lined with trees and ferns. Where to picnic: Sycamore Cove Beach, near the ranger station, has picnic tables, standing barbecue pits and outdoor showers. It is on the beach side of the park, with a large grassy area shaded with trees. There are also picnic tables at Deer Park Junction in the park’s back country.