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Mt. Lee, the Hollywood Sign and Bronson Caves

April 10, 2013 By Jeff H 23 Comments

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Hollywood Sign

img
Trail Details
Distance: 7.5 miles
Time: ~2-3 hours
Difficulty: Moderate
Elevation gain: 1,003 ft
Dogs: Yes, on leash
When to go: Year-round
The Hollywood Sign is a Southern California icon. The historic sign began it’s life as a real estate developer’s advertisement, but took on a life of it’s own. Today it’s a symbol of the importance of the entertainment industry in Los Angeles. Seen in movies and TV, and instantly recognizable around the world, the Hollywood Sign is a quintessential sight for tourists. And it’s also a great hike!

I moved up to LA from south Orange County in 2012, and when look down my street, I can see the Hollywood Sign on the hills a few miles away. It’s a very popular hike (you’ll see lots of other people on the trail), but in spite of that, it was on my “must-hike” list, especially now that I’m living so close.

A Brief History of the Hollywood Sign

HollywoodlandThe original sign was build in 1923 by Los Angeles Times publisher Harry Chandler as an advertisement for his upscale “Hollywoodland” residential development. The development went bust — a casualty of the Great Depression — and the sign fell into disrepair. The “H” fell over, and the sign now read “OLLYWOODLAND.” It finally became city property in 1944.

After the war, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce spruced up the sign, removing the “LAND” and repairing the toppled “H.” And again, it slowly fell into dispair. By the mid-70s, it was in bad shape, and in 1978, Hugh Hefner organized a fundraiser to restore the sign. A wacky range of celebrities stepped up to sponsor a letter, ranging from Alice Cooper to Gene Autry and Andy Williams.

The Trail

There are several routes to the sign, but this one is great because it also takes you on a short side trip to the Bronson Caves — famous for use as the Batcave in the 1960s Batman television series. Yes, this is the cave that you saw the Batmobile speed out of on it’s way to fight the villans of Gotham, and you can hike right through them!

Getting to the Trailhead

Park at the end of Canyon Drive. There is parking inside the boundaries of Griffith Park, but when it’s full, you can also park on the street along Canyon Drive. Observe the signs, and be sure not to block any driveways.

Canyon Drive

The trail begins in a busy park area popular with families for the playground, the trees and the picnic areas.

Brush Canyon

It’s very pleasant, and makes a great place for an aprés-hike picnic.

Before heading up to the Hollywood Sign, look for a turnoff towards your right (east). This is the short out-and-back spur to the Bronson Caves.

Turnoff to Bronson Cave

Follow this dirt road about 1/4 mile and you’ll see the caves off to the left.

Approaching Bronson Cave

The term “cave” is a misnomer. They are actually man-made tunnels leftover from a quarry operation in the early 1900s. The tunnels served as the setting for the Batmobile’s speedy departure from the Batcave in the ’60s, and has also been used for various photo, TV and movie shoots over the years. A fitting side-trip for our hike to the Hollywood Sign, and a great place for dramatic tunnel photos.

Inside Bronson Cave

Exploring the tunnels doesn’t take long, since it’s pretty short, but it’s fun and worth the short side trip. Retrace your steps to Canyon Drive, then continue your trip up the canyon. Keep heading north along the road and you’ll reach a point where it becomes a fire road chained off to cars.

IMG_8479

Continue on and you’ll begin climbing up and above the treelined canyon.  Most of this hike is exposed to the sun, so bring a hat and sunscreen (you can thank me later).

Exposure

The first junction will be at the top of the canyon, where you will turn left (west) on the Mulholland Trail. This is a relatively level trail — a nice break after a good climb out of the canyon. Follow this westward and it takes you to the Hollywood Sign.

IMPORTANT NOTE: There are two additional trail junctions you will pass along the way: the Beechwood and Mt Lee trails. Bear right at each of these junctions. This will seem counterintuitive — at the second junction, you’ll feel like you’re moving away from the sign (which is true, for a moment). The trail to the top actually goes around the north side of Mt. Lee in a spiral, so stick with it.

Bear right here

Along the way you’re rewarded with great views of Los Angeles and the valley, from the Pacific Ocean to the San Gabriel Mountains and beyond.

When you reach the Hollywood Sign, you’re actually behind and slightly above. The sign itself is surrounded by a security fence (with cameras). Don’t bother trying to climb over for a closer look. No, you cannot sit in the letter “O” and dangle your feet like you’ve seen in the movies.

But don’t stop there. Follow the spiral road to a short trail to the summit of Mt. Lee. This is where you’ll have the best shot of the famous sign, and the city beyond.

Soak it in, and when you’re ready, retrace your steps to Canyon Drive. You’ve just tasted a bit of LA history! 

This is a fun trail to take visiting friends and family on. Not a wilderness trek, but rich with history, great views of the city and fun to talk about afterwards. Cap off your hike with a picnic near the trailhead, or do like we did — and head to Go Burger on Sunset and Vine.

Trail Map

© OpenStreetMap contributors
Download file: hollywood_sign.gpx

Photo Gallery

Click on any photo to view a larger version. You can also leave comments on any photo.

Canyon Drive
Turnoff to Bronson Cave
Approaching Bronson Cave
Heading to Bronson Cave
Inside Bronson Cave
Brush Canyon
Exposure
Brush Canyon
Panorama
Bear right here
Panorama of Forest Lawn
Radio Towers on Mt Lee
Hollywood Sign
IMG_8497
Back down
Back down Brush Canyon
IMG_8479

More Hollywood Sign Trail Resources

  • Get to the trailhead parking on Google Maps.
  • GPS user? Download the GPX file
  • The Hollywood Sign Trust – Great resource for more details on the history of the sign.
  • Live webcams of the Hollywood Sign
  • Other Perspectives
    • Hiking Griffith Park – Mt. Lee to the Hollywood Sign – ModernHiker
    • Hollywood Sign and the Batcave in Griffith Park – Greene Adventures
    • Hollywood Sign & the Batcave – California Through My Lens
    • Three Ways to the Hollywood Sign – An overview of alternate trails, via LAist
    • Hiking to the Hollywood Sign – Gadling

Griffith Park Weather Forecast

The location could not be found.

Filed Under: Trail Guides Tagged With: 6-8 miles, Batcave, Batman, Bronson Canyon, Bronson Caves, dog-friendly, Griffith Park, Hollywood, Hollywood Sign, moderate, Mt. Lee, summit, The Hollywood Sign, Trail Guide

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Jeff H

About Jeff H

I'm an avid hiker and backpacker. My wife Joan and I are on the trails every weekend. I started SoCal Hiker to share my passion for outdoor adventure.

Comments

  1. Josh says

    April 10, 2013 at 1:30 pm

    I loved this hike. I really want to do it again from some of the other directions though. It is just so cool to be able to be above the iconic sign.

    Reply
    • Jeff Hester says

      April 10, 2013 at 1:40 pm

      @Josh, there’s a rugged single track route that Casey wrote up I’d like to try. It’s actually much shorter, but more demanding. Just say when and I’m there!

      Reply
  2. Josh says

    April 10, 2013 at 1:30 pm

    Also the tunnel shot is ridiculously cool…

    Reply
  3. Jeff Hester says

    April 10, 2013 at 1:49 pm

    And thanks. It’s fun seeing how everyone captures these icons locations. I wish I had thought to pose my better half as a silhouette at the end of the tunnel. Next time…

    Reply
  4. Brad Trnavsky says

    April 10, 2013 at 5:07 pm

    Holy cow! I was just there last week and would have done this if I had known about the Batcave!

    Reply
  5. Jeff Hester says

    April 10, 2013 at 5:09 pm

    Next time, Brad. Next time. It’s not going anywhere. 😉

    Reply
  6. Greta Boris (@FitnesInsideOut) says

    April 10, 2013 at 10:38 pm

    Hey great idea! Thanks for the tour. I wonder if that’s the tunnel they used in Invasion of the Body Snatchers – it looks like it.

    Reply
  7. Oscar Gonzalez says

    April 12, 2013 at 10:31 am

    This is awesome! I’ve been there before and didn’t know all the background info you shared… and the hike looks great too. I’d want to just go and explore the bat cave.

    Reply
  8. nikkifrankhamilton says

    April 12, 2013 at 11:57 pm

    Love the bits of history that you shared…all new to me…love bits like this! The pictures are incredible…what a beautiful day trip!

    Reply
  9. Jenny says

    February 20, 2014 at 10:55 pm

    Are your estimated times meant for round trip on the hike? Or just one way? (:

    Reply
    • Jeff HJeff Hester says

      February 21, 2014 at 12:44 am

      That’s for the round trip. The times are just my own experience. You could do it faster or slower. The key is to hike your own hike.

      Reply
  10. Jenny says

    February 21, 2014 at 1:24 am

    Thanks Jeff! I’m so glad I stumbled upon your website! I’m doing this hike in the morning! (:

    Reply
  11. Jason says

    April 14, 2014 at 4:08 pm

    Are mountain bikes allowed on this trail?

    Reply
    • Jeff HJeff Hester says

      April 14, 2014 at 4:19 pm

      Sadly, no. In Griffith Park, there is no mountain biking. Bikes are restricted to paved surfaces only.

      Reply
  12. Tyson Kingsbury says

    April 20, 2014 at 7:44 pm

    Is the 6-8 miles round trip or one way? We are going soon and trying to figure out time frame.

    Reply
    • Jeff HJeff Hester says

      April 21, 2014 at 7:00 am

      Tyson, that’s round trip mileage. All of my trail guides show the total mileage, never just half way.

      Reply
  13. Tyson Kingsbury says

    April 21, 2014 at 7:04 am

    Awesome. Thank you. We are going today. Thanks for the guide.

    Reply
  14. Tyson Kingsbury says

    April 21, 2014 at 5:05 pm

    We did it today. It was great and your directions and details were right on.

    Reply
  15. Pablo Fagioli says

    February 13, 2015 at 6:11 am

    Jeff, thanks for this detailed guide. I followed your indications and had no trouble getting up there. Taking back to Argentina a nice photo of the sign and a better story to share. Thanks again.

    Reply
  16. Leslie says

    September 24, 2015 at 11:08 am

    Stroller friendly??

    Reply
    • Jeff HJeff Hester says

      July 30, 2016 at 6:22 pm

      Leslie, it is — if you have a jogger stroller. The trail is mostly dirt road with some gravel and bumpy sections.

      Reply
  17. Kelly says

    July 29, 2016 at 1:57 pm

    Hi, any chance there is an address to GPS to get to the right location. I’m from Orange County and want to make sure I start in the right location.

    Reply
    • Jeff HJeff Hester says

      July 30, 2016 at 6:21 pm

      No problem! I’ve added a link in the post, but here it is on Google Maps.

      Reply

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