One of my goals for my trip to the U.S. was to try to see things I hadn’t seen before.
I’d been to Los Angeles a dozen times, but the closest I had been to the famous Hollywood Sign was when I was there back in 2014.
This time around, I set a morning aside to hike up to the site.
After talking to a few locals, and Googling around I worked out there were three key hikes up to the sign: The Mt. Hollywood Trail, the Brush Canyon Trail and the Cahuenga Peak Trail.
The Cahuenga Peak Trail was the shortest, but also the hardest. By all accounts it was also the least busy.
The reviews weren’t wrong. It’s steep, and difficult. And the blaring summer heat didn’t help. But it’s also rewarding.
Basically the hike takes in three peaks – Burbank Peak, Cahuenga Peak and Mount Lee which sits up above the sign.
This site was particularly helpful with both planning and doing the hike itself. It gives blow by blow instructions on how to make it to the summit.
I also made this video:
In a nutshell – dump your car at the corner of Lake Hollywood Drive and Wonder View drive. There’s free street parking there, and plenty of it.
Hide your valuables and lock the car then start your slog up Wonder View Drive to the start of the hike.
There’s a big gate that looks locked but isn’t and then the hike begins.
Start the steep climb up to the Wisdom Tree for a break and sweeping views of Los Angeles.
Next up you, you turn back and continue along the path to the Aileen Getty Ridge Trail.
The one downside, I would say, is when I arrived at the top of Mount Lee, I was sort of disappointed to see that I was actually behind the sign, and so didn’t really have a clear view of the sign itself.
I got my shots, and started the hike back down.
The entire thing took me about an hour and a half return.
I was briefly contemplating doing another hike up to get a better view but it was so hot and I was sort of annoyed that I had already “wasted” an hour and a half and so was ready to give up.
When I got back to the car I decided to Google “Where to get the best view of the Hollywood sign”.
Luckily The LA Girl had done the legwork for me. Luckier still, one of the best viewpoints was only a quick five minute drive away.
I decided to go and have a look – if I couldn’t get a park I’d give up.
In the searing midday heat no one else seemed bothered to be hanging out in Griffith Park.
So I had the park, and the view to myself.
It’s basically the Innsdale Trailhead.
You can get a good view of the sign from the bottom of the park, so I didn’t bother walking up the path, but that’s an option too if you’re still thirsty for more.
There were also no signs banning drones there, meaning I could get some shots from the air, too.