How to Find a Grave at Forest Lawn Glendale

Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale is Los Angeles's most famous — and most visited — cemetery. Spanning more than 300 acres with over 250,000 interments, it holds the graves of some of the biggest names in Hollywood history. Finding a specific burial here takes preparation: the grounds are vast, staff won't direct you to celebrity graves, and the flat-marker layout means one section looks much like another. This guide walks you through exactly what to do.

About Forest Lawn Memorial Park Glendale

Founded in 1906, Forest Lawn Glendale is the original and flagship location of the Forest Lawn chain, which now spans six cemeteries across Southern California. The Glendale park sits on the south slope of the Verdugo Mountains at 1712 South Glendale Avenue — about 10 minutes northeast of downtown Los Angeles.

Hubert Eaton took over management in 1917 and transformed the property with a radical idea: eliminate upright grave markers entirely and replace them with flat bronze plaques set flush to the grass. The result is an unusually open, park-like landscape filled with reproductions of famous artwork, stained glass, chapels, and sculpture. It's beautiful and, for someone trying to find a specific grave, occasionally disorienting.

The cemetery remains active today, with new burials alongside historic sections that date back more than a century. High-profile services — including Michael Jackson's in 2009 — have been held here in recent years.

How to Find a Specific Grave at Forest Lawn Glendale

1. Use Forest Lawn's Own Grave Locator

Forest Lawn operates a searchable records portal at sgo.forestlawn.com. You can search by name to find burial records, service information, and obituaries in their database. This is the most direct first step — it often returns the section and lot reference you'll need to navigate on the ground.

Not every burial is indexed, particularly older interments from the early 20th century. If the portal returns no results, move on to the steps below.

2. Check Find A Grave

The volunteer-contributed database at Find A Grave has tens of thousands of Forest Lawn Glendale memorials, many with GPS coordinates and grave photos submitted by visitors. Search the full legal name and filter to "Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale." GPS coordinates — when available — are the most useful output: you can drop them into Google Maps and walk directly to the spot.

BillionGraves is a useful second source, especially for older burials that Find A Grave may not have catalogued.

3. Call or Visit the Cemetery Office

If online searches come up empty, call the office at (888) 204-3131 during regular hours. Staff can look up records by name and provide the section, lot, and space number. You'll need the full legal name and, ideally, the approximate year of death.

When you arrive, stop at the front building near the main gate — maps of the grounds are available there. The maps show section names and general layout, though celebrity grave locations are deliberately left off as a privacy measure. Staff are helpful for record lookups but will not point you toward famous graves.

4. Use RestBloom's Cemetery Search

RestBloom maintains a searchable index of burials across Los Angeles cemeteries. Browse the cemetery directory to search by name — if the burial is in our database, you'll find the plot reference and can arrange flower delivery directly to the gravesite.

Navigating the Grounds

Forest Lawn Glendale is organized into named sections, each covering a distinct area of the property. Knowing your section before you arrive will save significant time — the grounds are large enough that walking from the wrong end takes 20 minutes or more.

• Eventide — A large central section with a mix of eras and family plots from across the cemetery's history.
• Inspiration Slope — A hillside section with elevated views; contains several notable 20th-century burials.
• Graceland — Named for its graceful layout, one of the more active sections for recent interments.
• Whispering Pines — A quieter section toward the northern part of the grounds, shaded by mature trees.
• Babyland — Shaped like a heart, dedicated to infant burials. A marked and intentionally separated area.
• Slumberland — Adjacent to Babyland, reserved for children and adolescents.
• Vesperland — An older section in the lower portion of the grounds, with many burials from the mid-20th century.
• The Great Mausoleum — The large indoor mausoleum in the northeast corner of the park. Holds thousands of crypts, including those of some of the cemetery's most famous residents. Access is generally permitted during visiting hours.

Pick up a grounds map at the entrance before you start walking. The map shows section boundaries and the locations of major landmarks like the Hall of the Crucifixion-Resurrection and the Church of the Recessional.

Notable Interments

Forest Lawn Glendale holds more Golden Age Hollywood figures than any other cemetery in Los Angeles. A few of the most visited:

• Walt Disney — The animator and studio founder, interred in a private family section. One of the most sought-after graves in the cemetery.
• Clark Gable — The actor known as "The King of Hollywood," buried in the Great Mausoleum alongside Carole Lombard.
• Elizabeth Taylor — The two-time Academy Award winner is interred in the Great Mausoleum. Her crypt is one of the most visited in the building.
• Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall — The iconic Hollywood couple, both at rest in Forest Lawn Glendale.
• Jean Harlow — The platinum blonde star of the 1930s, in a private marble room in the Great Mausoleum paid for by William Powell.
• Errol Flynn — The swashbuckling actor is buried in the Jardines de Paz section.
• Sammy Davis Jr. — The Rat Pack entertainer, in the Garden of Honor.
• Michael Jackson — Interred in the Great Mausoleum. His specific location is not marked on any public map, and the cemetery maintains strict privacy around the site.

One practical note: Forest Lawn staff will not provide directions to celebrity graves, and celebrity plots are not labeled on the visitor map. If you're visiting a famous grave specifically, Find A Grave GPS coordinates are the most reliable navigation tool available to the public.

Visiting Tips

Getting There

Forest Lawn Glendale is located at 1712 South Glendale Avenue in Glendale, just off the 2 Freeway. Take the Glendale Avenue exit and head north — the main gate is on the left. Free parking is available inside the entrance.

By public transit, the Metro local bus lines 90 and 91 stop on Glendale Avenue near the cemetery entrance. The drive from downtown Los Angeles is approximately 15 minutes without traffic.

What to Expect

The grounds are genuinely beautiful — manicured lawns, mature trees, reproductions of Michelangelo's David and a full-scale stained glass reproduction of The Last Supper. Many visitors spend time at the art and architecture beyond the grave they came to find.

Wear comfortable shoes. Sections are named but not always well-signed once you're inside the grounds, and distances between sections are longer than they look on a map. Water is advisable in summer — Glendale regularly exceeds 95°F in July and August.

Photography is permitted on the grounds. Inside the mausoleums and chapels, photography is generally restricted. Be respectful of active services, which can occur any day of the week.

Sending Flowers If You Can't Visit

If distance or time prevents an in-person visit, RestBloom works with local florist partners to deliver fresh flower arrangements to gravesites at Forest Lawn and throughout Los Angeles. After delivery, we send you a photograph of the arrangement at the gravesite.

You can browse arrangements and place an order from anywhere in the world on the RestBloom cemetery directory. Orders typically deliver within 2–3 business days.

Also planning a visit to another Los Angeles cemetery? Read our guides to Hollywood Forever Cemetery, Rose Hills Memorial Park, and Holy Cross Cemetery Culver City.

RestBloom is a flower delivery service serving cemeteries across Los Angeles. For official cemetery records, plot locations, and interment services at Forest Lawn Glendale, contact the cemetery office directly at (888) 204-3131 or visit sgo.forestlawn.com.