Camp out at an L.A. urban park to watch the Geminid meteor showers

Never camped before and don’t know what to do? Start with an easy overnight at the very urban Marsh Park near the L.A. River to watch the Geminid meteor showers this month.

The roughly four-acre park is part of the L.A. River Greenway and is just east of the 2 Freeway and Riverside Drive.

Along the River and Under the Shooting Stars, rain or shine, starts at 4 p.m. Dec. 12 and ends at 10 a.m. Dec. 13.

Peak nights for the meteor showers are the nights of Dec. 13 and 14 until dawn of the following days.

“This is the easiest camping you’re ever going to do,” says Carolyn Everhard, interpretive programs coordinator for the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority. “Our goal is to reach an audience who has never gone camping before.”

And when she says easy, it is.

You receive a tent, dinner (hot dogs around the fire) and continental breakfast, and you may even borrow gear if you need it. The cost is $20 for a campsite with up to four people, $30 for a site with up to eight people.

Campers need to register in advance at mrcamarshcamping2.eventbrite.com. The last day to register is noon Dec. 11.

The Conservation Authority has been scheduling overnight camp-outs at a number of L.A.’s urban parks, including Vista Hermosa Natural Park near downtown L.A.

Everhard says they’ve had 75 to 100 people turn out, from L.A. and from out of state.

The Geminids are the strongest meteor showers of the year and are active from Friday to Dec. 16, the American Meteor Society‘s website says. So spend some time looking up -- if you can find a dark spot among the holiday lights to actually see the sky.

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