Hike Behind the Hollywood Sign
Growing up in LA I always vowed to climb the letters of the Hollywood Sign one day! As I grew up and realized how dangerous and expensive that adventure would be I decided the next best thing would have to do. HIKE IT!
The Hollywood Sign hike is one of those iconic hikes that you need to do at least once in your life. It’s a popular hike, and for good reason, it is extremely beautiful. On your way to the Hollywood Sign you enjoy the natural wonders of one of our favorite places here in LA called Griffith Park, also one of the largest urban parks in America. If you want to find out how to get up behind the sign keep reading!
Griffith Park
The trails climb through the chaparral of the Santa Monica Mountains, You’ll get the views of not only the Hollywood Sign, but also of Los Angeles, the San Gabriel Mountains, and Hollywood as you make your way up to the sign (actually, you end up right behind and above it) to Mt Lee (1,709 feet). There are some steep sections on the hike, but thousands of people of all shapes and sizes hike to the Hollywood Sign, and you can too!
Getting to the Hollywood Sign Hike
There’s a lot of conflicting information about where you can and cannot get into the hike. This hiking guide is up to date and verified.
Use this trailhead address: 3200 Canyon Dr, Los Angeles, CA, 90068, USA.
Best Time to Hike Behind the Sign
When you’re planning your Hollywood Sign hike, we’d recommend doing it as early as possible! We started at 430am and are so happy we did. Griffith Park is open 24 hours. The hike gets very crowded. If you do go early, try to go on a day where there’s no marine layer (clouds).
There are a few routes to hike to the Hollywood Sign, and this is the shortest and easiest official one, and it also offers free parking.
Just a heads up, there’s a sign that says the gate to the parking lot closes at sunset. Use the lot after dark at your own risk.
Conflicting Information
If you read any directions referencing the Sunset Ranch or Beechwood Drive entrance, it’s no longer open. A group of homeowners didn’t want hikers using the public sidewalk in front of their houses, so they erected a locked gate to block public access to the park. For now, use the legal directions in this guide to get to the Hollywood Sign, the Beechwood entrance is closed.
If you Google directions to the Hollywood Sign, you will be routed to the main part of Griffith Park, which is nowhere near the Hollywood Sign. That’s because the Hollywood Sign Trust worked with Google and Garmin to override any directions, bringing you miles away to a Hollywood Sign “viewing platform.”
These directions bring you to the actual trailhead that lets you hike to the sign.
Parking
Check for parking in the lot closest to the gate.
Trail Head
At the end of the road past the lot is a gate. Go ahead around it and continue up the road.
Keep heading straight past the gate, avoiding the side road. The pavement ends and the trail turns to dirt. You’ll come to a concrete dam. Stay on the wide dirt trail and avoid any small side trails.
Worth The Climb
Now there is some work to do, It’s a pretty long hike up. The trail climbs up toward the Hollywood Sign. Take your time and enjoy the beautiful surroundings.
At around 1.1 miles, the trail Ts into another trail. Make the left.
There’s a sign at this junction pointing you in the right direction.
You get a little break, the trail heads down hill and you can catch your breath. At about 1.7 miles, bear off to the right.
You’ll have some nice views of the sign as the trail curves around the bends. It may look close but you have a while to go.
Stay on the Trail
Stay on the main wide trail, avoiding and small side trails up or down the hill.
At just after 2 miles, you come to the paved Mt Lee Road. Make the right and start going up again.
You’ll climb away from the Hollywood sign. That’s okay, you’re going up around the side of the mountain.
You’re heading to that radio tower in the distance. Almost there. Enjoy the views of the high mountains to the east..Stay on the wide trail as it curves left, avoiding the trail to Cahuenga Peak.
When you will see this sign and you are almost there!
At the top, you dead end into a fence with a bunch of security equipment. Go to the fence and hike to the left.There’s a little dirt trail that leads you to the real summit.
Views from the Top
Congrats, you just did the Hollywood Sign hike. From here you will have awesome 360 degree views of LA. On a clear day you’ll be able to see Catalina Island out in the Pacific.
Enjoy the summit and get your shots.
Turn around and hike back down the way you came up. Resist the urge to climb down to the letters, it’s a minimum $1000 fine. Enjoy the hike back downhill, you earned it.
This was such a fun hike to do with friends! Let us know if you would hike To The Back of The Hollywood Sign?