How to Hike to The Hollywood Sign

Why is the hike to the hollywood sign so tricky?

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No, it’s not altitude sickness you need to worry about. Since early 2017, those pesky squillionaires that live in the surrounding neighbourhood have successfully shut down the most popular, easy trails. Residents were upset with hikers parking on narrow, winding streets to access the trails and disturbing their (expensive) peace and quiet. It got a bit nasty with private security firms, fake signs and misleading Google Map locations but was finally resolved after a lawsuit filed against the city resulted in the North Beachwood Drive entrance being shut to the public for good (see fails below).

So we decided to skip all of that and head to the trails from Canyon Drive. While this route is a little longer, it does avoid all that squabbling and the general risks associated with jumping fences. So for the less coordinated and law-fearing citizens, here’s how we did it…

How to Hike to the Hollywood Sign – the basic map.

1. The Starting Point – Canyon Drive

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Set your GPS/Uber for 3009 Canyon Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90068. This is the crucial part, turn onto Canyon Drive from Franklin Avenue or North Bronson Avenue and drive the one mile north on Canyon Drive. Do not, I repeat, do NOT try to access Canyon drive from Hollyridge Drive. This was our/our Uber driver’s mistake on our first attempt. There is no through access thanks to a nice big iron gate with aggressive signs all over it – see fails below.

Once you have parked or been dropped off at the end of this road, enter the trail by walking straight past the gate and onto the wide dirt track, also known as the Brush Canyon Trail. Getting to this point is reason enough to celebrate but don’t get too excited, there’s still over three miles and a thousand feet of elevation to go on your hike to the Hollywood Sign.

1. Drive through these gates and find a park as close to the end as possible – note the sign that says ‘this gate closes at sunset’.

2. Turn left onto the Mulholland Trail

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The first part of the hike is pretty uninspiring. It’s mostly just an uphill, wide dirt road exposed to the sun and without much of a view… but it gets better, I promise. After walking for about a mile (1.5 km), you’ll arrive at a junction with the Mulholland Trail. Turn left and follow the sign to the Hollywood Sign.

This is around the time that you get your first good look back over LA. As you continue along the Mulholland Trail, intermittent sightings of the Hollywood Sign will let you know you’re on the right path.

2. Turn left and follow the sign to the Hollywood Sign.

3.  Keep right at the fork and head up the hill

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In just over half a mile, you’ll find yourself at a fork in the road. The downward path is known as the Hollyridge Trail that starts at Beachwood Drive – you know, the easier option most people used before the legal battle / access restrictions. Well there’s no easy route to the top, as they say (well, not anymore, anyway).

Make sure you keep right and head up the hill. Don’t be distracted like us by the sign that says ‘Hollywood Sign’ with an arrow pointing down the hill. As beautiful as it would be to hike a mountain walking downward, this unfortunately is not the case. Keep right or curse the sign as you walk back up the hill 5 minutes later.

3. Ignore the sign and keep right.

4. Turn right and head to Mt Lee Summit

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Another confusing sign. I know it says ‘Hollywood Sign’ with a arrow pointing left. This is for a good photo spot of the sign from the front. You can see what that detour looks like below under the heading *. You’re actually aiming for Mt Lee Summit, for the views from behind the Hollywood Sign. So turn right and head up the paved road/path.

4. Turn right up the hill for views from behind the Hollywood Sign.

5. Celebrate with views over LA

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Even if you haven’t endured a few failures along the way, surviving the hike to the Hollywood Sign and witnessing the amazing views toward Downtown LA are reason enough to celebrate. So strike a pose and let everyone know you made it! The return journey is a lot easier, thanks to our friend gravity so there’s plenty of time to enjoy the views along the way. Note that when you make it to the bottom, you may have to walk a little way past the entrance gate to get phone reception / data coverage to order your Uber / Lyft / Taxi etc.

That accomplished feeling!

* Detour for the best views of the Hollywood Sign

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The one downside to hiking to the Hollywood Sign is that you only see it from behind. And as cool as a shot with DOOWYLLOH is, this slight detour is totally worth it for more of a classic front on shot. At the intersection of 4. Follow the sign to Hollywood Sign [Camera Image] and head 0.4 miles downhill for what we think is the best shot looking up at the Hollywood Sign. You might notice that this is extremely close to the ‘Derona Drive’ fail (A. below), the temptation of which is just too strong for some people. But, try your best to not be that person.

Take detour * for this view of the Hollywood Sign.

The Fails – Don’t Try These At Home

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Because we like to tell it how it is, we also love sharing our fails so you can avoid repeating our mistakes… and enjoy a good laugh at our expense. So don’t do any of the following:

A. Deronda Drive

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I think this might have been the original ‘battle ground’, as tourists tried their best to park as close to the Hollywood Sign as possible. But that ship has long since sailed and I wouldn’t be parking my car in enemy territory and jumping any fences, if the signs here are anything to go by…

Deronda Drive: the gates are there for a reason it would seem.

B. North Beachwood Drive

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Here lies the most commonly attempted fail. Mainly because it’s only been shut since early 2017 when the local council made it officially off limits. We saw plenty of people jumping the fence and living life on the edge but we, obviously, wouldn’t recommend such an approach.

North Beachwood Drive: The dream is over for this short-cut.

C. Hollyridge Drive

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This one is for anyone taking an Uber who doesn’t want to be rudely thrown out at this rather creepy gate and be told you are ‘close enough’ to Canyon Drive. While Google Maps might suggest this to be true, it turns out with this gate closure, you aren’t anywhere near where you need to be. If this happens, you might as well walk back down the hill for 20 minutes until you get phone reception, call another Uber and head to Canyon Drive. Or, if that is totally traffic-jammed because a John Legend charity concert has now started, try again another day. Yes, this happened.

Hollyridge Drive: Don’t try and come this way to Canyon Drive.

We want to hear from you!

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If you’ve recently completed the hike to the Hollywood Sign – we’d love to hear some of your top tips in the comments below or on social media. And, if you’ve fallen victim to one these, other or new fails/challenges then let us know and we’ll warm the rest of our tribe!