Cahuenga Peak

Wow this place was pretty nice ! Before coming to this hiking trail I read up on it beforehand and decided to go when I read that it was an easy hike. I’m only doing hikes for beginners at the moment due to my lack of cardio for the past few weeks. It’s definitely a steep hike so this place is quite nice for a workout .
The trail I took was about 3 miles round trip but I noticed there was another trail. I took a few breaks on my way up … If you don’t hike much this can be challenging. I took the one that led to the wisdom tree. Beautiful view once you get up there ! You can see Universal Studios, Burbank, & Downtown LA. Lots of friendly people when I went and lots of cute dogs hiking the trail.
I brought a notepad and pen with me so yes I definitely did leave something at the tree.
I’m so glad I decided to go it’s for sure one of the top hikes I’ve done simply because of how inspired I felt once I got up there.
Address I used:
2984 Lake Hollywood Drive
Los Angeles, CA
Parked on Lake Hollywood Drive. Plenty of parking when I went (Friday around noon). Walk up the hill to WonderView Drive and turn right. If you see doggy dishes with water & a yellow gate you’re going the right way. Keep walking until you reach a tower and keep right. You’ll see some steps and that’s where the trail starts. From there it’s pretty obvious which way you have to go.
Go check it out ! You won’t regret it
Also, bring water ! Especially if the sun is out ! There’s no shade while on the trail.

First time going on this hike today and I loved it! Very steep incline but super short hike. Makes you feel so accomplished once reaching the top! Don’t forget to bring a pen and paper to leave a little bit of your wisdom at the wisdom tree!(:

Get your ass into shape and hike this baby once or twice a week. Trust me, you’ll have a nice bum in no time. The entire hike (3 miles total) is at a steep incline, but you’ll feel so accomplished once you hit the top!
Details, details, details:
— Bring water.
— Wear shoes with traction! Hiking boots preferred. It’s a dirt path and can be pretty slippery, so leave your busted running shoes at home. If your soles have holes, it’s time for a new pair anyways.
— Bring paper & a pen to leave a note at the tree if you so desire.
— Cellular service is solid. Super Snapchat friendly.
— Street parking wasn’t hard!
I noticed some people brought their dogs. LITTLE tiny dogs. I felt the hike with my human legs. How do little dog legs make it up this trail? Be sure to give ‘em water!
Can’t really comment on the view. It was extremely foggy the morning I went. However, the top of any mountain will bring you serenity and peace. So, go already!

TIP: Remember landmarks along your trail so coming back down the route will be easier.
When parking on Lake Hollywood drive there is there are 2 routes. One leading to the tree and another leading to below the Hollywood Sign. The route to the left I believe leads to the wisdom tree. The route to the right leads you to the residential area along with being on and off a dirt road. The route we took was the longer route which consisted of 10 miles round trip. This was my first time hiking this trail and my group had no sense of direction. Luckily, there are plenty of residents walking their dog or going for a walk that can guide you in the right direction. The hike my group took was pretty tricky and easy to get lost. This route is not as steep and has a good incline for most of the hike. About 4 miles in, we saw other groups coming up from another route and we knew we were all headed to the Hollywood sign. Once you reach the top, the view is absolutely breathtaking. The Burbank area is seen behind you while the view of Los Angeles is in front of you. There’s a nice bench on the top as well. It is not completely stable so be careful. I recommend doing this hike.

Awesome hike. Its not super long, but it’s mostly all uphill, till of course you need to come down. Rocks everywhere, so can get a little slippery and uneven. Works out your legs for sure.
Amazing views! Park along lake hollywood like everyone says, bunch of cars already there, at the top head UPHILL, there’s houses, almost looks like you’re going the wrong way but you’re not. Uphill is a right turn if I’m not mistaken, all the houses on the left and theres a gate. Once you make your way up past the residential area there is a big yellow gate, then you know you’ve made it!

This is my favorite hiking trail in LA. The trail itself isn’t too long; however, it is very inclined, making it challenging for some beginners. Park your car for free anywhere on Lake Hollywood Dr, and walk your way up to the trail. This trail is perfect for a leg work out, and the amazing 360 view of LA and valley at the top is worth every sweat, and SO rewarding.
Once you go to the wisdom tree, you will find a box full of notes right under. On the other side, there are random stack of rocks. This place is picture perfect from left to right. You can go further to hike to the Hollywood sign.
+ This hiking trail has been getting a lot of attention, so there will be a lot of people.
+ Make sure you wear sunscreen because they don’t have many shaded areas.
+ Wear the proper shoes because it can get slippery.

Super Fresh when you make it to the Wisdom Tree but getting there is a Bit$h! This hike is like the closest I’ve come to actual rock climbing Ever lol! It’s hella steep, all up hill! And you’ll hear everyone say it’s easier coming down– don’t believe it! I damn near busted my ass on many occasions=-O =-O! Make sure to wear shoes that have plenty of traction, proper soles are a must-​otherwise you’ll be slipping and sliding all over the place! I saw quite a few folks who just gave up trying to get to the top, mostly claiming bad knees! Note– bad knees sit this one out, dont wanna see you on the news! And if you’re scared of heights– stay home lol! It was a challenge, but the end result was so worth it! The views are amazing and the tree with all the words of wisdom, poetry, wishes and rock towers gave it an almost magical feel. Will definitely be back.

Definitely one of my favourite hikes in LA. Steep incline and narrow paths but people are nice and wait for each other to pass, some even help you.
It’s sooooo peaceful and zen up there. You almost feel the energy from the tree.
I seen some inconsiderate boys climb up the tree and take pictures. Seriously! Grow up and have some respect to keep this tree alive. Do they even think when they climb might break branches or damage the tree, of course they don’t nor care, so childish and uncaring!
People, clean after yourself and take your water bottles with you back, donot leave it on the bench or ground.
There are paper and pens/​sharpie around the tree in a box, if you like to leave notes.

Okay so, coming here; I had no idea what to really expect except for some of the reviews I had read about this hike. Yes, it’s challenging but it’s not that bad of a hike once you catch your breath here and there. The view from atop where the wisdom tree is, made my bloody toe worth it. It’s a great experience in the sense that it’s peaceful with a certain level of challenge. We made it to the top in half an hour but got there a little later in the day (10/​11am) so the sun was out and unforgiving.
Bring water, comfortable shoes to walk alongside the mountain, sunblock and maybe a pen and paper to write some wishes or notes. Oh, and a camera. It’s nice up there.

Warning — NOT as easy as it looks! When I came, I was expecting and easy hike just to break a sweat but damn it was much more than that! Came here with my GF on a weekend morning around 9am. Parking was pretty easy to find — definitely no trouble. You’ll see other hikers park as well.
To get to the trail, you go up Wonder View Dr until you see the Yellow Gate and that’s when the hike starts. The hike is pretty steep so its an excellent leg workout! It definitely burns more than the stair-​master. Took us about 30−40min to go up with brakes — it was a pretty hot day in SoCal so we had to take some water breaks. Once you get to the top, shade is minimal under the tree but its pretty cool. Lots of cool rock formations and messages attached to the tree as well.
Overall, it was worth the hike and the sore legs. I would definitely come back.

Definitely not what I expected! This hike was mainly uphill and it was pretty steep. I’ve been dying to hike this the past year and decided to hike this before the new year starts. & of course, visit the famous wisdom tree. The hike wasn’t too bad, but there are parts where it is narrow where you need to be courteous to other hikers. Once you get to the top it was definitely rewarding to see the beautiful view, read inspirational and hilarious little notes/​journals, the stacked up rocks, and the ever so famous wisdom tree.
As for parking, it was pretty easy to find parking at the very bottom of the hill, there’s another hill right before the wisdom tree starts and there are no parking for the public.

I was still recovering from a long & difficult hike to Mt Wilson but decided to hike this «peak» as a shake out hike. The elevation gain is only 872 ft so it’s a pretty easy hike. I went on a Monday and parking was plentiful (Google maps 3052 Lake Hollywood Drive). It was nice that the trail was very sparse. I can see it being difficult to do with a lot more people on weekends. The hike down is a little slippery. I hiked in my trail running shoes & even then, I slipped some.
At the top or even on the way up, don’t forget to look for Hogwarts!

Get ready to climb! This is an uphill, rugged terrain hike. This is a great cool weather hike to do with your pup. There is very little shade so plan accordingly. Parking was easy and plentiful. Read the signs! You can’t park right outside the trail. There aren’t trash bins for dog poop so that is another thing to consider. Perhaps a pre walk is a good idea. The trails are narrow so this hike may be a little annoying if you go at a peak time but everyone was super friendly about taking turns letting people pass.

This trail was so great! The views of LA are amazing. To get to the start of the trailhead, we drove through a residential area. Street parking should not be hard to find on Lake Hollywood Drive.
There’s two main stops on the trail — first at the Tree of Life, or Wisdom Tree, and the second being the famous HOLLYWOOD sign! I think the trail is moderate. There are some steep inclines, but they’re doable. What scares me a little is the type of trail. It’s dusty, sandy, with rocks here and there, but it’s the type of path that you can easily slip on (if you’re me, maybe?). Still, people beast this trail, and I’m not sure how since I would wipeout in the first 10 seconds. Do bring water. There are no bathrooms once you get started. There are Porta Potties with toilet paper, soap, and hand towels on Lake Hollywood Drive, at the entrance to Hollywood Reservoir, so go before you get started.
The Wisdom Tree felt so fitting for the beginning of the year. They have notebooks for you to write your «wisdom» in. I wrote out broadly my hopes for 2016, and it really gave me the sense of like «wow, it’s really 2016 now!» It’s kind of a zen place to sit and build your little towers of rocks, and look over LA, minus the crowds of people. Bring your own pen for the notebooks.
Then, we went to the Hollywood sign. You can get a shot of all the letters from the back. For some reason, I thought you could see it from the front, but no biggie. It’s still cool and the first of these hikes that I’ve done to get me so close to the sign. Btw, there was also another paved trail ending at the Hollywood sign — it looked much easier than this trail.

Address: 3052 Lake Hollywood Drive
+ There was a ton of street parking when I went at 8:15am on a Sunday morning.
+ 3 mile hike roundtrip
+ Steep incline. Definitely not a trail for the light hearted
+ It took us 45 minutes to reach the Wisdom Tree, which is gorgeous against the desert-​y surroundings
+ Bring a pen and add your own notes to the notebook found at the tree
+ BRING WATER!!!

While hiking to the Hollywood Sign it just made sense to check out the Wisdom Tree as well since I had it bookmarked. Please keep in mind that the «Giving Tree» (also has notebooks and journals)
and the «Wisdom Tree» are two different trees. I know a lot of people get the trees confused thinking they are the same and it doesn’t help that the Wisdom Tree is also called «Tree of Life» among other things adding to the confusion, but just double check that the tree you are hiking to is the one you wanted to hike to even though I don’t see why anybody wouldn’t like either tree!
The hike to the Wisdom Tree had uphill moments making for a nice workout like it or not lol. If you are wanting to hike to the tree or sign then a workout is what you are going to get! Definitely dress accordingly and have water. There is barely any shade and a lot of direct sun. I hiked in the late afternoon/​early evening to enjoy the sunset up top, so the hike up to the tree and sign was hot and sweaty while the hike back down was pleasant, relaxing and most of all rewarding! The hike was honestly rewarding from start to finish. While standing at the Wisdom Tree I enjoyed beautiful views of the city and could see part of the Hollywood Sign. Make sure you bring a pen and maybe even a notepad because there is a trunk with tons of notebooks of all sorts that people have written their dreams and wishes in. Some have even written poems or quotes from a favorite song.
A fire scorched most of the mountain years ago and this tree survived. It did get burned some, but still survived. There is a nearby trash can, so please clean up after yourself. This spot has become more and more popular over the years resulting in more traffic up to the tree. It saddened me to see that people have carved initials and other things into the Wisdom Tree. The tree isn’t meant to be trashed and disrespected and I don’t see why anybody would want to do things like that. It would be nice to enjoy the tree for years to come and instead leave behind some pens, pencils or paper in the trunk for others to use.
Keep in mind that if you are parking along Lake Hollywood Dr that parking is only allowed during certain hours and your car will be towed if you are parked outside of the designated time. The parking time changes often, so make sure and check what it is during your visit. Since I parked near Lake Hollywood Park, I went by the time the park was open until.

This review is meant for the trail starting from Lake Hollywood Dr. and Wonder View Dr., which goes to the Wisdom Tree, and continues to Cahuenga Peak and ends at the Hollywood Sign. There is plenty of parking along Lake Hollywood, but it is tow away from 9 pm — 6 am. If you need further details, look no further than Modern Hiker’s write-​up for the Wisdom Tree hike, but the trail is quite easy to follow.
This is the perfect trail for someone who wants a quick yet challenging work out. Even though it’s only 3 miles, the steep and rocky roads in the first mile were enough to make me second guess my thought that this would be a casual hike. However, I got started at 7 am, and I was pretty much done by 9… and I thought I took my time.
The Wisdom Tree is very LA. Not only does it have its own Instagram, but there was a trash can up there filled with Starbucks cups. It really is interesting how it’s the only tree up there, and I guess I would have felt a sense of solitude and peace had it not been for the teenagers taking selfies and blasting «eat the booty like groceries» there with me. The geocache with all the notes is a cool idea, but someone needs to take better care of it! It was open and a bunch of notes were lying around the ground like trash. There were a bunch of bugs around too, so perhaps bring bug spray.
If that’s all you want to see, turn back around. But you can continue along the ridge to see more great views of LA and go on to Cahuenga Peak. Honestly… not much to see there. it’s the most ho-​hum peak I have ever come across. Go further though, and after a challenging little part, you’ll find yourself by the gates surrounding the Hollywood Sign. I had never hiked there, so it was a pretty cool experience that is unique to LA. You could go the easy way up here, but the long way was a lot more rewarding.
TIPS: Go early! By the time I headed back, there were DROVES of people, and this is one of the less packed trails. Stay hydrated/​protect your skin! There is not much shade on the trail. Happy hiking!

Nearest parking spaces are along Lake Hollywood Drive, with the intersection of Wonder View Drive. There are no signs, but after you parked, make a RIGHT on Wonder View Drive. Go straight until you see the yellow gate. This will lead you to the entrance (right side) where you can see a plaque of a mushroom.
Hiked this trail on a 100 degree weather, and I underestimated it. It’s a short hike but it was all uphill! The heat was insane but managed to do it within less than an hour. Of course, we had the tree to ourselves. To get to the wisdom tree, after all the uphill, you will encounter a T trail and the tree and all the cairns are on the left side. You can easily spot the tree. We added more balancing rocks and left some positive notes and quotes: D
Head east, and you will reach the back of the Hollywood sign. Overall, challenging yet short hike. Steep incline but the views are amazing. Please don’t leave your trash there! Some hikers left paper bags and canned drinks; there’s a freaking trash can nearby, how hard is it to throw it there?

This short and sweet 3 mile hike is one that I thoroughly enjoyed and would love doing again. The beginning of the hike is rocky and steep, so just because it’s short, don’t expect it to be a walk in the park! Since there’s not much shade… at all, I was sweaty before I was even half way up!
The path to the tree is very obvious and clear so you never end up second guessing yourself… if you do, you’re not hiking right. When you reach the tree, there seems to be another path taking you further up. I’m not sure where that leads you, but I’ve been reading some reviews that say it’s an additional trail. Perhaps Hollywood sign?
The tree is truly a sight! The moment we got there, dragonflies were flying all over the place! It overlooks… Hollywood (?) and reminds me bit of Grandmother Willow. You go there, sit on the log, bring out a pen and scribble thoughts into the notebooks that people have brought over the years. It’s a way to find yourself and find your soul. Right by the tree is an area where people have stacked rocks. It’s fun to try stacking one or 2 piles yourself, but it’s also something beautiful just to look at.
Street parking only from what I saw, and most people will park on Lake Hollywood Dr. Can’t tell you exactly how we got there exactly, but John T. says to map to 3052 Lake Hollywood Drive, LA… and I trust John T. when it comes to hikes!
TIPS:
1) Hydrate! This is a very hot and dry hike during the summer tim. Even though it’s a short hike, make sure that you bring lots of water.
2) Bring a pen, or a little tag and some string to leave some love or thoughts on the tree
3) Make sure to take pictures because tree and those rocks are quite the photo-​op!
4) Wear a hat, and wear lots of sunblock.
5) There isn’t a lot of shrubbery, so I didn’t have to worry about plants rubbing on my legs. Shorts are fine.
6) Bring light snacks so you can have a little bit of an energy boost when you get to the tree.
This hike was short, yet gave me a great workout. It’s got a beautiful view and some neat photo-​ops! I’d love to see where the other trail leads, so I can’t wait for next time!

Don’t really branch out to hike other mountains beside San Gabriel Valley mountains. But, for you… Wisdom/​Magic tree, I shall! :)
Background: Only standing tree that did not get burned down from 1997 forest fire that terrorized more than 817 acres in and around Griffith Park, including Dante’s View and Captain’s Roost. You’re truly amazing!
Footwear: Shoes with traction is a must. If you don’t, it’ll be a long day of slipping and sliding. Just be cautious of where you are stepping.
Parking: Free parking, but can’t park between 9pm-​6am on Lake Hollywood Drive.
Hike: Wisdom/​Magic Tree
Trailhead: Park along Lake Hollywood Drive. Actualy area to start the descent to the trailhead is at the intersection of Lake Hollywood Dr and Wonder View Dr. You’ll walk a little ways on pavement until you see a yellow gate.
–Tip: Phung D. gives you a great tip that was very useful to me and my other hiker friends that went with me. Run this address on MAPS on your android… 3052 Lake Hollywood Drive, Los Angeles CA. So grateful for her. :)
Distance: Roughly about 3 miles (1.5 going up…1.5 going down).
Trail Directions to Wisdom/​Magic tree from trailhead:
1) Go around, under, or over the yellow gate. Most likely you’ll make it easier on yourself by going around it. :-P
2) After you see a telephone tower, keep right to start descending up (you’ll see a rock that use to have a plague on it. Now’s it’s just been graffiti over with a punisher (comic) looking design. If you go left, there’s lookout area to see DTLA to the south and burbank mountains to the north.
3) Pray to anybody! The steep single track incline trail begins! You’ll be cursing inside your mind and be huffing and puffing like me… if you’re not fit.
Tip: Take some breaks and drink some high quality H2O.
4) Trail will eventually split into three paths. Take the left and you’ll noticeably see a single tree… just hanging out and waiting for beautiful hikers to come for guidance and enlightenment. Bring a pen and write on books or notepads that have been left from others. This place is also great for selfies and to checkout the scenic view of the mountains and DTLA.
Happy Trails and have a BEAUTIFUL day!