How to Get Behind the Hollywood Sign & Where to Park
Getting to the top of Hollywood sign is as easy as it gets! There are a ton of different ways to get behind the sign but the Hollyridge trail is the most popular one that we’ll be doing together.
Duration of hike from parking to the Hollywood sign: 1 hour and 30 min (We’re very out of shape. That time length is for slow hikers who does a couple of quick rest stops. Hence, you can probably do it in an hour.)
Duration of hike from gate to the Hollywood sign: 1 hour
All in all, the trail is pretty straightforward.
So first, parking!
Where we parked: by 6000 West Glen Oak St., Los Angeles, CA 90068.
As expected, you can’t park next to the entrance gate from sunrise to sunset. It’s a residential area, so unless you know someone that lives there, you’re going to have to park further.
The place is a hot spot for the cops. The ‘No Parking’ sign is up every 5 seconds so there is no way that you can argue that you didn’t see the sign.
I’d say that Glen Oak St. was the closest free parking we saw with no ‘No parking’ signs.
After parking, walk up to the intersection of Beachwood Drive and Glen Oak, follow that road up until you reach the gate. It was uphill but not steep at all. It took us 20 minutes from our parking spot to reach the gate. (but again we are slow hikers!)
The Gate
So here is the gate and your REAL starting point. Just walk up and its okay to open the door if it is closed.
Hikers, follow the right arrow.
After the gate, you will walk up and catch sight of the Sunset Ranch in a small Hollywood-style sign. If you want to go horseback riding at the Sunset Ranch while seeing the Hollywood sign, that would be cool but make an appointment in advance. If you came to hike, the sign (on photo above) clearly illustrates that you should turn right and officially start your hike.
Do the Hollyridge Trail and work your way up.
The key is to always walk the uphill path and always look for the signs that says ‘Hollyridge trail’. Follow the arrows and you’ll be good.
Turn right once you reach the pavement
As soon as you see a paved road (picture above), make a right and work your way up again. You’ll soon start seeing a fence and spot the big H-O-L-L-Y-W-O-O-D letters immediately.
You’re finally on top!
The second you reach the top, it’s heaven! You’ll get to see the Hollywood sign from a different perspective and feel the breeze after a long hike. From the top, you could also spot the Lake Hollywood Reservoir and have a clear panoramic view of LA.
There is also an American flag on top. You can feel that sense of accomplishment and feel all patriotic while you are behind the most iconic sign of Los Angeles!
Well, that’s it for now! May you all enjoy this hike!
