Hike to the Hollywood sign is short but steep
Of the hundreds of hikes in Southern California, the trek to the Hollywood sign is among the most iconic.
Wait. Wasn’t climbing up to the Hollywood sign made illegal years ago?
Indeed it was, and the white, 45-foot-tall letters are now protected from vandals by a chain-link fence.
Today, the closest you can get to the Hollywood sign is behind it, looking down from the top of Mt. Lee.
Throw in some great views of Los Angeles, and it’s totally worth the trip.
(Jump to trail stats.)
I’ve rated the trail moderate for hikers with Parkinson’s disease. It’s really more like an uphill walk instead of a mountain hike, at least until the final steep push near the top.
But first, a bit of history.
The Hollywood sign was constructed in 1923 as an advertisement for the homes being built in the hills below it. It was even lighted up for a time.
The sign was supposed to be up for one or two years, but it’s still standing after a century. The cellphone/radio tower was a later addition.
There’s a main trail to the top of Mt. Lee, but it has a few different starting points. The Unshakable Husband and I took our car up a winding street through a lovely neighborhood to the trailhead on Canyon Lake Drive.
We arrived early in the day to beat the crowds, and we were lucky to find street parking near the trailhead, avoiding “no parking” areas. A ticket isn’t the kind of souvenir you want to bring home from Tinsel Town!
Later, when we drove back down after our hike, cars were lining the curbs for several blocks.
The trailhead is just a dirt lot that’s blocked from cars. Be sure to read the trail rules.
As we started out, we got our first view of the Hollywood sign, up to the left.
The road at first was packed dirt and was easy to follow. For most of the way, the trail measured anywhere from 8 to 12 feet across alternating between dirt and asphalt.
Parkinson’s tip
Asphalt paths usually are great for people with mobility challenges. However, outdoorsy folks who use wheels to get around might find it difficult to finish this trail due to the sharply upward slope at the very end.
Soon we found ourselves walking right through a neighborhood with some attention-getting homes. To be honest, being so close to people’s houses felt a little awkward, like we were intruding.
But it’s perfectly legal to be there, and it’s just part of life for the residents to see strangers stroll past their front windows.
Parkinson’s tip
Be aware there are very few benches or comfortable places to rest on this trail. But the trail is wide enough to sit down off to the side if needed.
We saw bikers, trail runners, people filming with large movie cameras, family groups, oldsters like us, and people wearing sandals that looked horribly uncomfortable for hiking.
When you find a gate, go through it.
Except this one — go around it.
When there’s a major fork in the road, go right.
The trail begins to wind around the canyon where there is a lot of sun exposure. Summer heat can be brutal.
Parkinson’s tip
It may be a short hike, but carry water with you anyway — more than you think you’ll need. Being dehydrated can make Parkinson’s symptoms go cuckoo.
The views of Los Angeles were looking better the higher we got.
Eventually the trail led us around the back of the mountain, where there were new vistas. A bonus was the shade on the trail for a short while. We kept going up, and the up got steeper!
I definitely slowed down here and was breathing pretty hard.
At the end of the final push, the trail went sharply left, and we got our first glimpse of the big letters of the Hollywood sign from behind.
To get to the very top, there’s a short dirt path to climb.
And then … it’s photo time!
Our total time going up and down was less than two hours.
See my one-minute video.
Hike info
PD difficulty level (see chart): moderate
Distance: 4.6 miles out and back
Elevation gain: about 800 feet
Trailhead location: approx. 3700 Canyon Lake Drive
Cell phone service: yes
Bathrooms: none
Emergency medical support: within 20 minutes from trailhead, city emergency services available too.
Costs: none
Road access to trailhead: Trailhead is next to the street, so how close you can park to it depends on how early you arrive.
Insider tip:
We were glad we arrived before 9 a.m. It helped not only with parking, but we also could avoid the heat of the day.
(Go back to top)
This looks like a really fun hike to take! Its amazing to see the air they have to breathe in LA. Thanks for the virtual vacay!