Three local organizations were denied by the court last week in their attempt to reopen a popular Griffith Park access point that was closed last April.

Friends of Griffith Park, Griffith J. Griffith Charitable Trust and the Los Feliz Oaks Homeowners Association last summer filed a petition in Los Angeles Superior Court to reopen the entrance, which allowed access to the park from Beachwood Canyon.

“This decision chips away at the basic right of Angelenos to access not just Griffith Park, but all the city’s public parks,” said Clare Darden, trustee for Griffith J. Griffith Charitable Trust. “Any access threatened by special interest groups to Griffith Park land is a violation of Colonel Griffith’s declaration that the park be free and open to all.”

The conflict began with a lawsuit between the city of Los Angeles and Sunset Ranch Hollywood Stables. There had been a dispute over city-owned land for which the stable had a right of way. The court previously ruled that the ranch did not have exclusive usage of the right of way, but that city employees stationed near the access point had “unreasonably and unduly interfered” with the land in part by turning away Sunset Ranch customers.

The city resolved the suit by closing the entrance, a move that the three groups claimed was unlawful. But the court ruled last Thursday against their petition, saying that the city was allowed to close the access point to comply with the decision of the Sunset Ranch case.

The city has mentioned the various other access points to Griffith Park, and the city’s effort to explore additional ways to increase park access and safety in the adjacent neighborhoods.

Marian Dodge, president of Friends of Griffith Park, accused the city of “many misleading and false assertions in this case.”

“This sets a terrible precedent for closing other access points,” she said. “Friends of Griffith Park is an all-volunteer group of concerned citizens who want to assure that the public continues to have access to this magnificent public park. We did not seek out this lawsuit and we wish that the city had followed its own rules regarding the proper procedures and public input required prior to deciding to prohibit public access to Griffith Park at the Beachwood Canyon gate. The city had myriad options available to it to resolve this issue while maintaining public access to Griffith Park. We are currently considering our next steps.”

The now-closed entrance had been used by hikers since the 1920s, according to Friends of Griffith Park. It was commonly used to view the Hollywood Sign. But some residents around the entrance have complained over the years about the added foot traffic and other potential hazards that the Beachwood Canyon entrance brought to the neighborhood. In 2011, some of those residents participated in a meeting to brainstorm ways to alleviate the problems, including a tram that would take people from Griffith Park or Travel Town to the back of the Hollywood Sign.

Councilman David Ryu, 4th District, said in a statement that the legal battle takes away from time spent “finding solutions that work for everyone.” Friends of Griffith Park was one of several local organizations that gave their input for a study, released earlier this year by transportation consulting firm Dixon Resources Unlimited, to improve access to the park.

“As we speak, city officials are studying the 29 strategies proposed by Dixon Resources Unlimited to improve park access, neighborhood safety, and keep Griffith Park a beloved natural landmark for years to come,” Ryu said. “I look forward to working with the city and the community to turn these strategies into long-term solutions for our park.”