In the 13 years I ’ve lived in Los Angeles , I ’ve hiked all over the Santa Monicas , San Gabriels , and San Bernardinos , but I ’ve seldom boost within metropolis demarcation line . And it ’s not that we Angelenos lack the open space .
With over 4,000 acres of broken terrain as well as landscaped park in the heart of the city , Griffith Park is the country ’s largest urban park with preserved wild . It boasts stat mi of hiking trails , hogback riding trail , scrubby woodlands , as well as riparian botany and even itsown quite a little Leo . For that variety of creature to take up residence in a Mungo Park that spans only six hearty miles is quite unusual !
And it ’s even more unusual when you realize that Griffith Park is surrounded on all side by city : Burbank to the north , Glendale to the east , Hollywood to the Confederate States of America , and Universal City to the west . That ’s a whole lot of suburban sprawl just minutes off from a park that actually has n’t changed all that much since the Native Americans were inhabiting its slopes .
Named after Colonel Griffith J. Griffith , the land ( then live as Rancho Los Feliz ) was purchased in 1882 and subsequently became the site of an ostrich farm , aerodrome , amphitheatre , lookout , and boys ’ and girls ’ camp . After his success in nearby holding evolution , Griffith donate over 3,000 landed estate of his parcel to the City of Los Angeles , in effect establishing the park in 1896 .
Visitors to Hollywood might not give this history a sight of thought , but trivial do they love that one of the world ’s most iconic turning point , the Hollywood Sign , in reality sit down on a slope in Griffith Park . The blockish ashen HOLLYWOOD letter can be see on the southerly face of Mount Lee , an allegory of the hopes and aspiration many multitude come to the city with .
For a lot of tourists , make a pilgrimage to the foretoken is part of their travel itineraries . But since the sign is in a canyon , one can not simply drive the right way up to it for a picture . The official viewing areas for the sign , as sanction by theHollywood Sign Trust , are Griffith Observatory ( three geographical mile away ) or Hollywood & Highland Center ( four Roman mile by ) .
If you ’re wing all the path to Hollywood from , say , Australia , something say me you wo n’t be quenched with just stare at the sign from an outdoor mall .
In fact , the Hollywood Sign is thecenter of controversy in the city . Residents living below the sign in Beachwood Canyon have long complained to the city about tourists park on their streets and disrupting their neighborhood in an exertion to get as close to the sign as possible . Residents have even gone so far as illegally painting their check red , post “ No Trespassing ” and “ Tourists Go Away ” warning , and telling holidaymaker they can not hike to the augury .
This , of course of instruction , is faux . The Hollywood Sign was built on public land and while you ca n’t take the air up to it and touch the letters , several Griffith Park trails take you to a paved road right above the augury .
None of this dissuade the residents , however , and they successfully lobby City Councilmember Tom LaBonge to appear into the issue . Working closely with Google and Garmin , LaBonge managed to convert the function makers to change the direction to the sign . While Google Maps still designate the precise location of the Hollywood Sign , any starting address that you punch in will only direct you to Griffith Observatory . The first clock time I judge this , I thought it was a glitch ! But no issue where I want to start , walking or driving , I was always given direction to the observatory .
“ Glitch ” by , the best view of the planetary house ( if you ’re looking for the money shot ) is actually from a dog ballpark next to the Hollywood Reservoir . Lake Hollywood Park , as it ’s phone , has nothing bear in the way between you and the sign . It ’s a grassy public park filled with weenie and their possessor , laggard and their fender . you could moderately much park on the street , walk a few step , and take a bully picture to send home .
But if you want to get even close , you may go around all the Hollywood play and have the Hollywood Sign a dear way : on a 24-hour interval rise , bagging three visor along the way .
On New Year ’s Day , while most the city was deceased or hungover , I was stand on top of Mount Lee , 1,709 feet above the sprawling . Next to the trail , a wire fence split up me from the famous sign .
There are a few trails in Griffith Park that eventually end up on Mount Lee , but the good one is also the least crowded one . Andit happens to be the shortest one , but with a decrement in distance comes an increment in steepness .
The Wonder View Trail begin in a residential neighborhood just west of the parking lot . Do n’t be fooled by all the street signs saying you ca n’t see the Hollywood Sign from the trail — you just have to keep going .
Because there ’s no parking the right way at the trail head , the first quarter - mile is on a paved route that sack at the pedestal of a hill . Once you get to that hill , you ’re look up a super unconscionable , super rocky trail that ascends over 700 feet in half a naut mi — quite a slog !
Most of the track looks like this — a rugged single - course fence in by sage and bush . Once we reached the top of the rooftree , we turned leave onto a flat path leading out to Burbank Peak , our first crown at 1,690 foot .
At the end of the route is the Wisdom Tree , the only tree on the ridgeline that survived themassive Hollywood Hills Fire in 2007 . I ’ve also heard this tree referred to as the Wishing Tree , Giving Tree , and Magic Tree , and it ’s a decent resting place to take in bird’s-eye view over all the cities .
Beneath the tree , two alloy box stored countless notebooks filled with the orison , epiphanies , and random sentiment of visitors who had made it to the summit . I was surprised by how many recent entries there were ; one notebook computer alone was completely fill up by hikers during Christmas week .
We stay on the trail for another half - mile along a minute rooftree to Cahuenga Peak , the second meridian at 1,821 feet . It ’s the 12th highest elevation in the Santa Monica Mountains but has only been protected as unresolved space within the last few year .
The peak and the land area surrounding it was possess by Howard Hughes from the 1940s through 2002 . Hughes had want to build his then - bride-to-be , Ginger Rogers , a love nest until their relationship peter out out . His the three estates hold on to the land until 2002 , when it sell the piece of land to a Chicago investment firm . The investors ab initio deal turn the 138 estate along the rooftree ( include the efflorescence ) into a custom - build community of interests comprising five sumptuousness demesne .
In light of the tidings , the City of Los Angeles received hundreds of letters from resident pleading for the peak ’s protection . When the investor relinquish their plans to sell to developer in 2008 , the urban center launch a campaign to purchase the state from them . A flood of donations from residents , businesses , celebrities , and philanthropists all over the world raise $ 12.5 million in two month to exit the cut-rate sale . Among the largest giver were Aileen Getty and Hugh Hefner , who were honored with plaques on top of Cahuenga Peak . permit me tell you , I think this is the only peak in the country that actually commemorates a balmy porno promoter !
The land was officially added to Griffith Park in 2010 and stay the most epic viewing spot in the city for a 360 ° panorama of the Los Angeles Basin and the San Fernando Valley . For much of the hike , the track keep an eye on a ridge no wide than 10 groundwork across , sink off both sides into deep canyon . On a clear solar day , you’re able to see the Downtown LA skyline on one side and the Palos Verdes Hills on the other . call on around , and the Verdugo Mountains uprise behind the suburban area of Burbank and Glendale . Off in the distance , only half a geographical mile aside , stomach the radio receiver tower on Mount Lee .
We get across the saddle between Cahuenga Peak and Mount Lee on the Aileen Getty Ridge Trail ( constitute for the prominent local altruist and heiress to the Getty vegetable oil fate ) and soon had our first glimpse of the sign , glowing in the belated afternoon light .
moment later the trail ended on Mount Lee Road , a paved service route that parallels the Hollywood Sign . At 45 feet marvelous and 350 pes long , the imposing letters bulk large over the metropolis from its hilly perch .
The sign was erected in 1923 to elevate a local housing development in the hills called Hollywoodland . ( Today , Hollywoodland still exist as aneighborhoodin Beachwood Canyon below its namesake sign . ) The original mark spelled out HOLLYWOODLAND ; after the material landed estate developer went under in the Great Depression , the sign fell into disrepair and was eventually turn over to the city . The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce remove the last four letters in 1949 and restored the house to glory .
While the mansion itself was in full approachable in its early days ( scramble actress Peg Entwistle was thefirst and only documented case of felo-de-se off the sign ) , it ’s now fence in off and stop up with cameras . Once you rise to the true crown of Mount Lee about 20 feet above the road , you see the seat of the mansion in its integrality — along with Downtown LA , the Hollywood Reservoir , the Century City skyline , and the gleaming Pacific .
The hike is an out - and - back and all told , it ’s just a little over three Admiralty mile rotund - trip with 1,690 feet of elevation gain . compare to other lead moderate up to Mount Lee , the Wonder View and Aileen Getty Ridge Trails are a playfulness and challenging tramp far remove from the fervour roads and mellow incline of more popular lead . It really feels like you ’re on a hike , and the steepness devote your leg a unspoilt burn correctly at the beginning .
But the best part ? stay on the peak until sunset .
We made our way back to the Wisdom Tree just as the sun was go away behind the city , marking a beautiful end to the first Clarence Day of the novel year .
