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Mt. Hollywood


Highlights:

Great views of Los Angeles, the San Gabriels, Mt. Lee, and a charming walk
Near:Los Angeles, CA
Scenery:
Distance:3 miles round trip
Elevation Gain:650 ft
Hike Time:2 hours
Difficulty:Easy
Trail Condition:Well maintained trail
HikeType:Loop



Summary: This is a nice walk in "the park." Griffith is the largest urban wilderness area in the US. It is a good size chunk of land, and the view from Mt. Hollywood is spectacular on a clear day. It is best to make it to the top early in the morning on a day after it has rained. The blue sky is glorious on such days, and even the city can appear beautiful.

This is a great hike for children, it is short, you reach a peak with 360' visibility. You can see the entire stretch of the San Gabriels, which are even more beautiful when covered with snow. You get to see the famous Hollywood sign on Mt. Lee, the pacific, the two valleys, and a great overhead view of the observatory.

This is a great So Cal stroll just to enjoy, regardless of how many other people are around.

Fewer people take the road, most come from the Observatory.

Trailhead: From the 101 in Los Angeles, take the Vermont exit and head North until you reach the end of the road in Griffith Park. Pass under the tunnels, then park.

There are a couple of different places to pick up this trail. You can start from the Observatory and end up there, or you can take the back way up and follow the access road (paved) for a mile until you reach an offshoot of the trail, and then follow it and its offshoots until you get back down off the trail.

There are quite a few choices, but to make it to the top, just keep going up, it is obvious. (Lat:34.1281 Lon:-118.30093)

Trail Guides for Mt. Hollywood:
Best Hikes With Dogs - Southern California
by Allen Riedel  (Mountaineers books)

California Hiking
by Tom Sinestra and Ann Marie Brown (Avalon Travel)

Best Seasons: Year-Round
User Groups: Hikers, Dogs, Horses,
Ranger Contact: LA Department of Parks and Recreation (213) 485-5501 or (323) 913 4688
Localhikes Reporter: This hike was submitted by Allen Riedel, who has posted  123 other hikes on this site. To visit this reporters web site, click here.
Trail Reviews  Page 1 of 5   Submit your own review
Reviewed by D-LO on 3/13/2010
Wow, it has been about 10 yrs that I hiked this trail. Now, the park looks beautiful with lots of different trails!

Reviewed by Viewer on 12/25/2009
Awesome... so much better than Runyon- smoothe easy paths, great for jogging and on a clear day you can see all the way to the ocean, gorgeous downtown views and a good view on the other side of the mountain as well.

Reviewed by Ro on 12/18/2009
From the parking lot at the end of Canyon Dr. I took the trail on the right hand side which leads to the Bat Caves. Walk for about 1/4 a mile and veer to the left to see the entrance to the cave. Interesting to see a little piece of Hollywood film history!

Reviewed by Ro on 11/26/2009
Completed this hike on Wed. 11/25/09 at 8 a.m. Trail was wide and flat w/ slight inclines here and there up to the Hollywood Sign. From the parking lot take the trail on the left hand side and keep going up until you reach a post with the words, "You made it!" Make 2 rights to get to the sign. You can get close enough to it (behind the chain link fence) but you can't hike to the sign itself or else you'll get slapped with a $103 fine! Great view of the city, especially if you climb up next to the communication tower. Would love to come back here and take Bronson Ave. to see the Batman Caves!

Reviewed by Tikiri on 2/21/2009
This is a great "easy" hike with a spectacular 360 degree view as a reward when you get to the top. Beautiful views all the way up, but the real view is at the summit, which is a great place to relax and admire our great city on a clear day with picnic tables and trash bins. Get there early if you want to avoid parking problems.

Reviewed by Nelson on 11/24/2008
I have been hiking to the top of Mt Hollywood for then last 15 years. I got to meet Charlie Turner before he passed away, What a great guy. Three years ago my wife and I hiked to the top for a Valentimes day picknick. I proposed to her as we sat and watched the Sunset over the santa monica mountains. She still gets teary eyed when we watch the sunset from the top of Griffith park.

Reviewed by CMH on 8/12/2008
I took the subway and got off on Hollywood/Western for this hike. Didn't have to deal with parking. Perfect escape from the city. I will be back frequently. Clean trails but always find litter to pick up. Do your part and help keep our parks clean for everyone to enjoy. Don't litter.

Reviewed by Maria B on 8/12/2008
hiked this on 7/27/08. we got there at 5pm. parking was crazy! a lot of ppl at the observatory. not a lot on the trail. good for families. i did this hike with my bf. took us about a lil over a hour to get to the top. very nice view but it was really foggy/smoggy. would be great after a rain. we were at the top for about 45 minutes. saw horses and birds, hawks and such.


Notice: Traveling in the backcountry can be hazardous. You are responsible for informing yourself about these hazards and taking necessary precautions. Information on this web site comes from volunteer reporters and may contain errors or omissions. A current guidebook and proper equipment are essential for safe enjoyment of the hikes posted on this site.
Keys: California Hiking, California Trails, California Hikes, Los Angeles County Hiking, Los Angeles County Trails, Los Angeles County Hikes

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