Distance: 3.2 miles
Difficulty: moderate
Hollywood sign.
*Rumor has it that this entrance to the hike closed in April 2017. Griffith Observatory entrance is open, and apparently so is an entrance off Canyon Dr.
I was born in Orange County, but even after living here for a few months, I hadn’t been anywhere my childhood home. Our morning team at work had an opportunity to shoot some promos with Lester Holt at NBC Los Angeles’ studio. Sweet! LA, here I come!
Yours truly, as a tourist.
I decided to make a weekend out of it. I headed down after work on Friday afternoon, and wanted to stretch out my legs. I was going to be tourist this weekend, so I’ll do the most touristy hike I’ve heard about.
I knew the hike to the sign actually went behind the sign, and the way I was going to hike wouldn’t really get me a close up view. I was ok with that.
I parked off Beechwood Dr. in a hilly neighborhood. There were a lot of people around, so it seems like it’s a popular spot to start the hike for locals.
I walked in through the gate, and the path immediately started climbing.
At .4 miles, the trail I took meets up with the now-recommended routes.
At this point, the incline is a little more gradual. I actually made friends briefly at this point with a local who uses this trail for daily exercise. What a great tool to have in your backyard! We went out separate ways shortly after, and good thing because with the grade of the final push to the top, no way would I have been abLe to chat.
The last .9 miles or so we’re surprisingly hard to me. The sign is also out of view for most of this part. It’s a constant, semi-steep incline. At least the trail is as wide as a road so you can meander back and forth as you walk to make the grade a little gentler. Just be mindful of people behind you who may not appreciate your imaginary switchbacks while they’re trying to pass you.
View of the city.
When you’re just about to the top, you’re directly behind the sign, and you have a view of downtown LA to thw SE on clear days. To the SW is the Hollywood Reservoir, NNE is Burbank, and west is Studio City.
If you want, you can hike up a short and steep dirt hill to REALLY be on top.
When I was at the top, there was a weird scavenger hunt being broadcast on Periscope, people were in hula skirts, speakers were blasting drum beats. Welcome to LA!
Most of this trail is dirt or paved, and it’s dog friendly. If you’re looking for a good workout hill, this is a great hike. It won’t give you close-up views of the Hollywood Sign, and it’s definitely the opposite of serene, but the urban view at the top is great.