Hollywood Sign Hike

I hike here often, This is not the hike that takes you to the observatory. There are also caves that you can see along this hike, if you turn right a few feet after you start your hike. You’ll see the path around a hill. It might be hard for a beginner hiker, as it seems to be very steep at first. A lot of dogs and early bird hikers as well.

i love this hike. it’s easy and has a beautiful view of the city. a good place to go on a first date or a date in general. it’s romantic.

The Unilocal address took us right to the parking lot to start the hike! It was beautiful and a good work out! The reason why I gave it 4 starts and not 5 was because during the hike you experience and cross paths with horseback riders. There was a ton of huge poop from the horses along the trail. It smells and makes the hike not as pleasant. But everything else was gorgeous!!!

I may give it 5 if there were any trail markers… There are many routes that all come together and make up quite a few options to get to the sign. We did a route behind the sign but went way out of the way and over a few mountains to get there. Some of the blogs lead you to believe you can park at the end of Beachwood Dr. And that was NOT the case. There is a security guard turning cars around before the gate that now blocks off the sunset ranch (horseback tours). But you can park on the streets M-​F and open the walk through door to make your way up. My hike was nearly 6 miles and about 30% of that was not on the paved roads/​trails. But over rocks and through brush. Was very fun and I liked the out of the way route better. You see way less people this way!

This is what I would consider an easy hike. Paved all the way up, basic incline and wide trail. I’ve done this more than a few times, never too crowded but that could also be due to my hikes being weekdays. Parking can be a little challenge. Street parking only and be sure to pay attention to the signs. .. I’ve seen a lot of people towed. The residents will call the parking enforcement on you, I’ve witnessed more than one resident having a «discussion» with someone who parked in an area that was not «approved». Mostly in the sun, ok all the way up is in the sun — unless you go when it’s raining or overcast. When I went — it hailed, so come prepared. Usually takes less than an hour on the ascent and descent, depending on how long you enjoy the view. Have fun and enjoy the views, this is after all — the one and only iconic Hollywood Sign!!!

Alot of turns but ita a good hike also good for biking if you evwr get to that point.

Great hike — 6 miles round trip if you start on Canyon Drive (before the Bronson Caves trail). Nice incline and great views.
Two downsides:
1. horse shit
2. not a lot of shade

We started off from the parking lot of Ferndell Nature Center. Round trip to the Hollywood sign is 8.5 miles so bringing water is a must. The trail is fairly easy. However, it offers an amazing view of downtown, Wilshire business district, century city, Pacific Ocean and San Fernando valley. The view from the hilltop behind the Hollywood sign covers the entire LA basin. Hollywood reservoir below the mountain is icing on the cake. If you only have one day in LA, this is the trail to spend your morning.

Use this address to get to the entrance of the park:2799 canyon drive, LA. Small parking, get there early. This is an easy hike to the Hollywood sign. Once on the top of trail, you can either go in the front or the back of Hollywood sign.

Fun hike. Get there early for parking. 7 mile round trip. All on nice fire roads Almost 1500 ft elevation gain. The batcave was worth the side trip.

Nice hike with beutiful views of LA! the only down fall is the parking situation and the horse poo every so often.

Short hike. Park before you reach the actual address, as you go up it’s residential parking. After going through the gate the path will be on your right. When the road splits make a left and when you hit the pavement make a right. The right will lead you to the back of the sign and left to an area where you can get a picture of the front of the sign.

Easy 5 mile rt hike, lots of European tourists. Great vantage point of hollywood. No signs for directions to go to the spots like the giving tree, Bronson bat cave, reservoir to the Hollywood sign. Its all up to you to discover it like a scavenger hunt. The Hollywood sign (front) veers to the left while the top behind the Hollywood sign veers to the right.

It took me two hour to get to the end of the hike and two hours to get back to my car but it was very well worth it (4 hours so be ready). Horses on the road and from fast bicyclists to spectacular views of the city it makes it well worth the time .Take alot of water and your camera because up top is an amazing view and if you live in Los Angeles or just visiting this is a great place to impress the newbies. ;)
Cons… they should put out signs to make the trail easier to find and navigate. There is a front view and a rear up top city view. If you ask me the up top view gives you the well worth feeling of freedom and accomplishment. The bottom view is a easier hike but only to capture a nice selfie of the sign.

Let’s face it, the Hollywood Sign is about as famous and iconic a location as you’ll find in the Los Angeles area. Tourists from around the world will not hesitate to grab a photo under the sign if they can. There’s a couple decent locations where you could go just to get a pic with the sign, like Lake Hollywood Park, but we want to actually hike as close to the sign as we can and that’s what we’re going to cover here.
The first thing you got to know is parking is a going to be an issue. Especially for the 3.0 mile version of the hike on the Hollyridge Trail off of Beachwood Drive. That’s why this review is primarily based on the longer 6.5 mile version of the hike from the dirt parking lot at Bronson Canyon Griffith Park on Canyon Drive.
The other thing to note is that you can either hike to a point above the sign or to a point below the sign but you won’t be able to actually hike TO the sign without violating the law.
As hikes go, the Hollywood Sign Hike from Canyon Drive /​Bronson Canyon isn’t that big a deal, because the entire hike consists of dirt fire trails and paved asphalt service roads with an 1,100 foot elevation gain along the way.
However, if you take the Wonder View & Aileen Getty Ridge trails up from Lake Hollywood Drive instead, you’ll find yourself on a REAL hiking trail with a superior hiking experience. Plus, you’ll get to visit the Wisdom Tree on Burbank Peak and bag Cahuenga Peak along the way.
No matter which trail you take, this hike is mainly about the world famous location and the vibe you’ll feel when you stand atop Mt Lee just above the sign.
From the Bronson Canyon parking lot on Canyon Drive, just walk up Ca nyon Drive past the side trail to the Bronson «Bat» Caves to the end of the paved road. This is pretty much where the hike actually starts.
Hike up the dirt fire trail, still called Canyon Drive for about 1.1 miles until you reach the junction with the Mulholland fire trail. Turn left at the junction and hike toward the sign about 0.6 mile to the next junction which is actually a fork in the road. The downward path is the Hollyridge Trail leading down to Beachwood Drive, but you’ll continue up the Mulholland fire trail by taking the fork to the right which leads uphill.
Follow the trail an additional 0.3 mile to the junction with Mt Lee Drive which is paved. From here you have two choices, either turn left and hike 0.5 mile to the plateau like Hollywood Sign Viewing Area located below the sign on Mt Lee Drive near Mulholland Hwy, or make a right and hike up the winding and curving asphalt service road 0.9 mile to the summit of Mt Lee, which overlooks the Hollywood sign and the LA basin.
Since you’re there, you might as well do both. That way you get to soak in the vibe above the sign and still get a great location for a pic below the sign. This option adds an extra mile to your hike making it a 7.5 mile hike overall.
You can save a mile on your way up from Bronson Canyon by taking the innocent looking shortcut trail about 0.4 mile from the parking area, but it’s probably not worth the effort unless you are a skilled hiker wearing your best trail runners and gloves.
The shortcut takes you from Canyon Drive to the Hollyridge Trail just below Sunset Ranch in only 0.2 mile, but its a beastly little trail that’s extremely steep, narrow and sketchy for at least half of the trail. You’ll finding yourself grabbing branches, rocks, twigs, clumps of weeds, anything you can get you hands on as you pull yourself up the trail, hence the advice to wear gloves on this section. Better yet, avoid this shortcut trail!
If you want a real hiking experience with steep and rocky single track trails just take the Wonder View /​Aileen Getty trails instead of the beastly shortcut trail from Canyon Drive. You’ll be way more satisfied in the end.
Regardless of which trail you take, this is one of those hikes you just have to do if you live in the Southern California area or are visiting. Once you’ve finished the hike, you can then go grab a cold beer or bite to eat somewhere. You’ve earned it.