Hollywood Sign

First time hiking here and I didn’t expect it to be «that» long. It wasn’t like long long but I just thought it would be shorter lol. It was a good hike, got me worked up. There are multiple trails so it was hard for us to know which trail was the best trail up the Hollywood sign. We ended up overshooting the hike and we hiked to the top and ended up behind the sign. But we made it to the top. The view is nice and it oversees LA downtown. There are horses on the trail and you will see droppings! It’s best to go early to not get to burn by the sun.

I hiked to the top of Mount Lee from Beachwood Drive. Total mileage was about 1.8 miles. pay attention to the parking signs and the rules that they set into effect. Park and lock your vehicle, taking time to stow things out of sight (lock what you dont need in your trunk BEFORE you get here… use your head).
Once you walk up through the gate continue up the paved road until you see a path leading off to the right and uphill. This is the route that you want to walk. if you are determined to stay on the paved trail ypu will waste your time and energy, as it will ead you to the Sunnyland Ranch.
So take the path to the right and follow it up, up, up. It will soo offer fantastic views of the area on Griffith Park as well as views of L.A., Hollywood and Santa Monica.
Soon you will arrive at T intersection, that at the end of April had a sign posted describing distances to different destinations on it. From the sign, if you go to the right you’ll notice that the trail leads downhill a shirt ways and then around a curve and back around directly across a ravine. I’m not sure where that leads to but I would guess perhaps Griffith Park Observatory. That’s fine if you’re trying to go there but, this review is trying to get you to the Hollywood sign, so turn left and head up the hill. the trail continues to weave its way around the outcrops and hoodoos on a wide sandy road. Soon you’ll reach an intersection with a paved road… If you were paying attention as you walked, you wouod have notice that making a left would bring you to a water tank. You don’t want to do that. So make the right and weave yourself up and around on the road. Before you know it you’ll be looking into the San Fernano Valley. Keep going… the road ends at the aerial towers BUT, a small trail I’ll take you the last few yards up to the summit. On the way down the road you’ll notice a large rock that has a placard on it. just to the left of that their lead to small Trail to the summit of Hugh Hefner overlook. There is even cheap laptop that you can take a photo with. how was are you posed with Hugh Hefner’s black, well that’s up to you. LOL. just be careful getting from the Hefner overlook back down onto the paved road as the scree (sand and small pebbles) can send you sliding on to your butt or worse.
This has been something that I’ve wanted to do since I was a small child growing up in New York area. It was a major bucket list check mark for me.
I want everyone to know that it was worth every step I took to get up there. This is going to sound crazy but, it took me 13 times to come here to get to the summit. L.A. has so much to offer that I would often get distracted enroute to this hike. Other days it was the weather that turned wet or. cold (I wasnt prepared for that so I aborted the hike before even setting out). Not to mention that the traffic is horrendous and that delayed me. more than once. Another time I started the hike too late AND from Griffith Park Observatory parking lot (MISTAKE). Anyway, the epitaph here reads that I stood atop the summit, with my long time dream converted into an
goal.
So, let my tale motivate you. Don’t let anything discourage you if this is something you really want to do. Oh, and even if you make it up to the gate, start the hike and you don’t feel like you want to go all the way up… at least go up far enough to get so you take a photo of the view (take aphoto of the furthest point that you hiked to). Then promise yourself that you will make a serious commitment to coming back and trying to go a little bit furtherthe next time (use that photo to remind you of how far you went the first time).
Good luck and happy hiking!

I like the Cahuenga peak trail. Way cooler to go up this path. It’s 3.0 miles roughly. Anyways it’s the Hollywood sign. You have to visit at least once.

Had guests over from Australia, they said they want to see the Hollywood sign from close. It has been a very long time since I «hiked» to the sign, so we agreed to come here. And for me, a good hike start early in the morning! The problem that it is only for me. No one agreed to wake up. Eventually they did.
Started climbing, navigating between horses left over… At some points it got really incline, but not something I haven’t seen in my backpacking days. It was beautiful from the top. But I think once very few years will be just enough.

First thing first, do yourself a favor and pack at least 1 or 2 bottles of water, sunscreen, and definitely GO PEE FIRST before you start the hiking trip to the Hollywood Sign!!! There’s no public restroom anywhere along the way, at least not one that I could find, so please don’t pee on the side of the trail, it does stink up the area!
Just a quick clarification, this review comes from a pure tourist. I’m not expert of this area in any way. Hence, my confusion and about 30mins being lost finding my way to the bottom of the Hollywood Sign, even after doing my «research» by reading some of the reviews here. I have to give credit to LA cops for being pretty helpful by pointing me to the right direction lol.
The easiest way, and the only way I know to get to this location: look up on your GPS/​Map for the intersection of Franklin Ave and Beachwood Dr, if you can’t find it, look up Svelte Men Barbershop, it’s right next to the intersection of those 2 streets. Follow Beachwood Dr heading away from the highway until you hit the dead end of the street. You can easily find a spot to park along the street, just make sure to read the sign for restriction on the weekend, as well as parking your car the same direction as traffic. They enforce the parking policy very strict here.
Once you have parked your car, start heading toward the gate at the very end of the street. There’ll be some security personnel sitting there during the open hours. It’s free to get in btw. Talk to the security person if you have any question. The pedestrian door is unlocked during open hours. Don’t even bother or spend time wondering about how you can get thru the big door to drive your car up to the sign if you happen to see some cars coming in and out of there. You won’t have access to it, plus, it’s a lot more fun to hike up to the sign, I promise ;).
The whole route to the front and back of the sign both, going up there and going down, total a lil over 4miles. Give yourself a minimum 2hours to do this. The route is easy to maneuver, with high incline of course, but with the beautiful scenery and so many distraction, it won’t feel that long at all. Plus you’d want to stop and take pictures or just to appreciate the view along the way.
The hardest part of the whole hike is the first .25mile or so at the very beginning. After that, the trail continue to have a nice slightly incline the rest of the way. Once you get to the big opening of a T intersection and start wondering which one is the right way? They are both the right ways. If you make a left turn, it’ll take you to the front view of the Hollywood sign. You can only see it from far away, I want to say maybe a good 300−400meters away. If you make the right turn, it’s a longer walk to the back of the sign than to the front, but it’s so worth it and it brings you much closer to the sign than the front view. It takes you to much higher ground and same location as all the antennas and big towers that you could see from far away at the beginning of the hike.
Neither one would give you the option to get close and personal to the sign. You’re not supposed to anyway. If you do try to climb out to the sign and get caught, you will be fined and prosecuted. So be careful if you do attempt that ;). I’d recommend to do both, front view and back view of the sign. Like the saying «save the best for last». it’s probably better to go to the front view first, since it’s a shorter hike, plus, you’d want to spend much more time at the back view once you get up there, I guarantee.
They also offer horseback riding to go along the trail. I don’t think the horses go all the way to the top of both views tho. They have their own route i believe. It’s nice to experience some horseback riding there, but I still think it’s nicer to work those legs and hike up to the sign ;).

I’m not the most in shape person. I like to pretend that I work out 3 to 4 times a week but it’s more like 1 to 2 times a week average. Maybe less.
I’m not a nature person. I don’t know what I would do if I saw a rattlesnake in the wild. There’s also horse poo all over this trail.
But my friend invited me to hike up to the Hollywood Sign and I figured, why the hell not!
This incline is no joke! According to mapmywalk, we gained 756 feet in elevation. We stopped to catch our breath often. But it also wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. It took us one hour to climb our way to the top and take in this wonderful view for the next 30 minutes:
Totally worth it!
…and hello!?! It’s the Hollywood sign! I’m an LA native and I’ve never been this close to it before!
The 30 minute walk back down the hill is easy. The only thing you have to worry about is dodging the horse poo.
Total hike time: 2:01 hours
Total distance traveled: 4.35 miles
That feeling you get when you power through a challenging workout: VICTORIOUS! Seriously, I was feeling that endorphin high for days :)

Started as a promotion to sell land by Hollywoodland Realty, the Hollywood Sign was basically a huge billboard that turned into a signature part of Los Angeles tourism and beacon for aspiring talent. Please note that there is no way TO the sign but just BEHIND and above the sign. There’s no touching the sign. There’s no standing next to the sign for a photo.
There are multiple ways to get behind the Hollywood Sign listed from best to worst:
+ Tree of Life Trail (4 out of 5 stars): The best route to the sign is from the west along the 3.2 mile roundtrip Tree of Life Trail (see
). Park away from the homes on Lake Hollywood Drive, walk east and up Wonder View Drive, go past the water tank, turn right to start on the Tree of Life Trail (marked with one of the few signs in Griffith Park), visit the Tree of Life, enjoy the 360-​degree view on top of Cahuenga Peak which has a better view than at the Hollywood Sign, and then arrive at the sign. Most of the trail is a real hiking trail and not a service road. This is also the steepest way to the sign.
+ Bronson Canyon (⁴⁄₅): The second best route is from the south along Bronson Canyon (see
). Drive as far north as Canyon Drive goes to find the trailhead. The 5.8-mile roundtrip path includes dirt roads, paved roads, and foot trails. A nice benefit is a side detour to the Bronson Cavern which was used in the old «Batman» television series (see
).
+ Griffith Observatory (³⁄₅): The sign is also reachable from the east by starting at Griffith Observatory and walking along Mt. Hollywood Drive. The path is mostly paved until reaching the crestline which turns into a real trail. The 6.2-mile roundtrip from Observatory parking lot can be shortened if starting from Western Canyon Road. Drive north on Western Canyon like going to the Observatory. Look for two picnic tables on the left side of the road just as the road turns east towards the Observatory. Park here and start the hike by going up the trail at the picnic tables.
— Hollyridge Trail (²⁄₅): Although this is the most common way to the sign, it is one of the worst and should be avoided. The 3.4 mile roundtrip hike starts in a residential area at Hollyridge Drive and Beechwood Canyon (see
). Not only will parking here annoy the homeowners, the trail stinks with plenty of horse poop on the dirt road and more odors coming from the horse ranch.
— Mt Lee Drive (²⁄₅): The trailhead starts at Mt Lee Drive and Deronda Drive. Although the shortest route, I’ll never go this way because it’s completely paved and requires parking in a residential neighborhood. This is not a hike but a walk.
Like most trails in Griffith Park, there are very few signs (aside from the big and obvious one that says «Hollywood») for direction. Try to find the path on a map (like Google Maps) before going or follow the flow of people as most are going to the Hollywood Sign. Finally, go on a clear day because without the view, it’s a boring hike.

Finally! After decades of visiting L.A., I finally did this touristy thing. Listen to the masses when they tell you to ignore the signs. The signs lie, I tell you. They LIE! But many tourists were seen giving up. Some of them were so close too, but they gave into the fear of the unknown. The GPS can only get you so far. Your sense of adventure (and direction) will carry you the rest of the way.
For clarification, I am referring to the area where you can park, get out, and take a great picture with the Hollywood sign as your backdrop. I am not referring to the hike that takes you into the hills where you can (try to) actually touch the sign. I’m all about preservation, so I’ll leave that alone.
The directions included with this listing will lead to a family-​friendly, easily accessible, jail-​free, yet awesome photo op. However, there is a plan B route. Look up directions for the Lake Hollywood dog park. Once you arrive, walk up or drive up that hill to the designated «posing station.» Anywhere in that area is good though. Happy touring, and remember: the signs lie!

Picked up a friend at LAX and we decided to hike up to and above the HOLLYWOOD sign. Great workout. Lots of places to stop for photos. Take water and plan on 3 Miles up and 3 miles down.
The views can’t be beat! Don’t miss this. Even if you are a local. It’s sooooooo iconic!

For those interested in hiking up to the sign, read this blog —
It’s an awesome view and I am glad we did it.
NOTE: New ordinance at Beachwood St — no parking allowed on weekends from 8 am — 5 pm!
Consider having someone drop you off to the start of hiking spot or take a cab/​Über to the spot on the weekends.

This is a really great one time trail. We’ve been out here for 3 years and have yet to see the Hollywood Sign in person so it was a fun experience. As for the trail itself, I feel like it lacked direction. Obviously this is going to be a big spot for tourists and there was like zero signage for directions. There are multiple paths to take but no information on where they lead so it’s a guessing game of which ones lead to the sign. We took two trials the first led us to the trail that goes to the peak and goes behind the sign with an awesome view of the LA skyline and the other led in front of the sign. There was a third path that we did not take that looked like it went very far into the mountain toward the observatory.
There is horse poop on the trail because there is a horse trail ride offered nearby but it’s not unbearable.
There is no distinct parking just first come first serve on the side streets I saw some ppl walking from two miles out. There is also no port-​a-​potties available anywhere either.
The trail has a pretty hearty incline if you are not in shape but this is an easy trail and very fun for the experience. (:

Such an iconic landmark in LA. There are many different vantage points you can get of it and if you do your research online you’ll probably be able to find the best ones. I noticed that there was a pretty good (but far) view of the sign at the Nokia Theater, for those of you not willing to drive closer. If you do want to get closer, I highly recommend driving to the following address:
3149 Canyon Lake Drive
It’s right at Lake Hollywood Park and provides great unobstructed views of the sign! Honestly, it’s the best view I’ve ever seen of the sign out of all the times I’ve attempted to get pictures of it.

Just remembered I went to the hollywood sign a few years ago. I took pictures, but wasn’t until I got home I realized that I didn’t know how to take proper night photos. It was night time, so there was little traffic, but if I had known what I know now to increase exposure time, or had a better camera I could have taken much better pictures!
It’s quite a drive trying to find the right hills and right roads, it wasn’t easy the first time to get there, especially at night, even with GPS. I found a random address of the pictured location on a random blog when my gps took me in circles in the neighborhoods below for hours.
It worked! There are a lot of winding roads up the side of a mountain. The view on the other side overlooks the valley, you can see for miles.

The Hollywood Sign is so cheesy, yet so breathe taking at the same time. You would think it’s one of the most recognizable images in America.
Unless you already live in the Hollywood Hills, there’s a good chance it’s going to be a big, fat biatch to get there. It’s going to suck. You are going to lose cell signal. Your ears may pop. You may get a little dizzy going up the hill. You may get lost. You may even wonder why you are going to see a stupid sign in the first place.
Then you get there. You see the magical words that say «Hollywood.» You take your selfie. You find some kind folks to take your group shot. Maybe you even take a hike.
And it will all be worth it.

This is how LA does hiking… Wide paved roads instead of real dirt, parking in way overpriced residential areas that are not friendly to the tourist population, huge fences and gates, tons of trash and destruction everywhere (which makes me not blame the local residents’ tactics and feelings much).
I’ve hiked the Hollywood sign a few times on a few different routes. I’ll let you decide if you consider it «hiking.» I’m sure by my intro, you can probably deduce how I feel about it. So does that mean you shouldn’t do it? No. It is one of those «do it at least once» things, for the picture at least. If you go at a good time on a good day, that is. This last trip, I took a friend from Alaska during her long layover at LAX. We were both hoping for a bit of sun and 75ish degree temperatures. Well, we picked the one morning in LA that had low clouds and offered zero visibility of the valley. Basically, it was a walk up a steep road, avoiding horse excrement looking at chain-​link fences.
The Hollyridge Trail (off Beachwood Drive) also offers very very little to no shade, so I would not recommend it on a hot day if inexperienced.

Many years ago when I was doing some work in the Burbank area, my customer showed me the super secret back way to get close to the Hollywood sign. It involves a drive past Lake Hollywood through a residential neighborhood. Up at the top, you’ll find a couple of hard scrabble areas usually attended by some enterprising person with an ice cream truck. There’s space to park a car and you can get your pictures of the Hollywood Sign over your shoulder and if the smog isn’t too bad, a nice shot of downtown Los Angeles.
Enjoy!

Park on Beachwood up until Westshire. After that, you need permit parking on weekends from 8 am-​6 pm (the locals love us, guys). Make sure to go to the bathroom beforehand as there were no bathroom facilities available where we started from.
The hike starts off steep at the beginning, levels out, and then from there, steadily inclines. Overall, very little shade and lots of horse poop. We decided to take the path that lead us behind the Hollywood sign, but unfortunately, there’s a fence, so it’s difficult, making it difficult to take a decent picture.. Altogether, it was a 3 hour hike round trip.
Next time, my friends and I will take the other path so we can actually get a picture closer and right below the sign.

I took an adventure out here last year with my sister, and on our first day (we landed in LA the previous night), I requested we visit the Hollywood sign.
I had assumed I could just find a simple route to the sign, we would drive up, and that would be that. Alas, it was not that easy. First, we ended up somewhere that you could in fact see the sign, but not very close. Also, there were warnings for rattlesnakes and that just made me want to poop my pants and get the heck out of there. So, our adventure continued.
My sister’s then-​boyfriend drove us up some long, steep, winding roads, and we got much closer. With a short 1-​minute hike after parking, we were able to achieve a much better view of the sign AND Los Angeles. It was simply breathtaking! Plenty of room for multiple people to be up there, but there is NOT a gate or fence around the ledge, so please be very very careful if you bring children with you.
Definitely a must-​visit as a tourist!

If you’re sneaky enough to find your way up there (we were), you will not regret it. Such a cool thing to see in person, especially being from across the country where I usually only see it in movies. Truly an awesome thing to get to see. Go to the Hollywood Sign if you’re in LA!
X’s and O’s!
J

The Hollywood sign is one of the iconic Southern California landmarks that everyone should see up-​close at least once. I trekked up the Hollywood sign several times before and the trail I chose always depended on the average fitness level of the group I traverse with. The hikes themselves will provide great city views and a clear look at the Los Angeles reservoir. All in all a great adventure! Do not fear, there is a trail for you.
Here is the 411 on how to get to the back of the sign. I won’t get into details as the trails are to be reviewed on an individual basis.
Trails —
Easy: Holyridge Trail (3.5mi round trip 750ft elevation gain)
Trailhead is located at the top of Beachwood Drive: 3400 N. Beachwood Drive, 90 068 (34.129 346, –118.314 735)
Moderate: Bronson/​Brush Canyon Trail (6.4mi round trip 1100ft elevation gain)
Trailhead is located 3200 Canyon Drive, 90 068 (Griffith Park) (34.124 879, –118.313 517) You can locate it by going north of the 101 freeway and North on Canyon drive.
Glute-​Bustin’ Joint-​Crushin’: Cauhuenga Peak/​Wonder View Trail (3mi round trip 925ft elevation gain)
Trailhead is located up Wonder View Drive (NOTE: There will be a sign saying no access to Hollywood sign — THIS IS NOT TRUE, the trail will lead to the sign) No real address, its near the intersection of Wonder View Dr. and Lake Hollywood Dr. 90 068 (34.133 131, –118.336 451)
The sign itself is the hike endgame, I would rate this a 4.5 (round up) since you can grab better city views from the Charlie Turner Trail. Nice hikes to be have, minimal shade, and high possibilities of warm winds. Finish and reward yourself with a breathtaking view at the summit of the city of the stars.

Est-​il bien utile de présenter les lettres HOLLYWOOD? Je pense que quand on est devant, c’est le moment ou on réalise qu’on est bien a la City of Angels! Cette ville du cinéma, ces sigles qui vous montrent que vous êtes bien la!
Alors passé ce moment symbolique vous vous rendrez compte de plusieurs choses:
— que c’est haut
— que vous vous tapez une randonnée poussiéreuse au milieu de nul part pour voir 9 lettres
— que vous avez quand même une belle vue une fois arrivé en haut
— que c’est galère une fois proche des lettres de prendre toutes les lettres ensemble (paie ta photo!)
A faire pour le symbole, quand même :)

Gar nicht so einfach zu finden War irgendwie ein sehr schönes Gefühl von den Hills aus ein paar Fotos zu machen Muß man als LA Touri mal gemacht haben

Naja, sind eben nicht mehr als ein paar Buchstaben die auf einem Hügel stehen. Zumal diese in der Realität wesentlich kleiner sind als in den Medien dargestellt wird!

Passage obligé quand on passé par Los Angeles.

Man muss es einfach mal gesehen haben, einmal reicht dann aber auch.

Le fameux, l’unique, que l’on peut voir dans a peu pres partout dans hollywood, et meme dès universal studio. Il faudrait etre aveugle pour né pas le voir! Qu on ait un portable ou un gros appareil, la photo s’impose.

Puh, also vom Walk of Fame aus sieht man es auch… man könnte es aber auch einfach mal für né Werbetafel auf nem berg halten. also besonders ist daran mal gar nichts. klar, wenn man sowieso schon mal da ist… den Enkelkindern kann man im Notfall auch noch davon erzählen (ob die das spannend finden ist die Frage) und wenn nichts mehr geht Diashow mit Freunden daheim. die finden das ganz sicher NICHT spannend ;)

Ich finde nicht, dass es so richtig was besonderes ist… Aber ja, wenn man in der Ecke ist, kann man schon hinfahren und ein paar Erinnerungsfotos schießen. Allerdings kann ich mich grundsätzlich für diesen Hollywoodhype nicht begeistern, vielleicht liegt es daran.

L’emblème de Hollywood qui se voit de loin !! Vous né pouvez pas le manquer.
Nous avons fait un tour d’hélicoptére et donc vu ces lettres de très près, c’est un peu impressionnant quand même.

Las famosas letras estan super lejos hasta en donde mejor se ven, sin ningun atractivo en especial.

Leider konnte ich mich nicht in einen Buchstaben setzen — es gibt keinen legalen Zugang zum Hollywood Sign.
Zu finden ist es eigentlich ganz einfach, immer grob in Richtung Griffith Park und dann fotografieren, fotografieren, fotografieren

Desde Griffith Park es desde donde mejor se divisan las tan famosas letras de Hollywood. Aunque realmente son mucho mas pequeña de lo que siempre nos hubieramos imaginado

Als ich das erste Mal in den 90gern in Hollywood war und das Hollywood Zeichen sehen und fotografieren wollte, hatte ich keine Ahnung von wo aus man die beste Sicht hatte.
Umso größer war mein erstaunen weil kaum ein Einheimischer wußte wie und wo man zu dem Zeichen hinkommt.
Schließlich habe ich mich empirisch angenähert und ich glaube das 143 Foto war dann das beste weil am nähesten.
Heute ist das Zeichen wohl eines der meist fotografierten in Hollywood und die Leute wissen schon wo es ist ;-)