To hike in Hollywood sign is not on our list and this is just a random hike which we only made a call to check if they're open. Looking from the hikers' website, there is an easy, moderate, and difficult trail. All of which start at Griffith Park so when we saw the sign to Hollywood Trail, we proceeded the first mile of inclined steps. At 5:30am there were already lots of joggers and hikers. After a mile of walking, we figured we had the wrong path and couldn't find the Brush Canyon that we're supposed to start. Luckily we met a local and pointed us to the direction leading to the Hollywood sign. We then continue with our walk instead of going back to the starting point. We just went forward connecting different trails, ended in a dirt narrow path with although short but challenging ascent, some little rocks and nothing to hold descending and ascending from Hollywood Mountain to Mount Lee.
There are some parts that are really narrow. Bunnies, stinky beetle, and birds of different species kept us company. We were very careful of rattlesnakes because all trails in California are their ground. Luckily, nothing showed up. If mountain lion had only one reported attack in a hundred years, 300 rattlesnake bites are reported in California each year.
I managed to take a short video from my cellphone and put it in my backpack. I know, I know. Well, I'm trained to walk inclined steps when I was a kid even carrying heavier stuff than my weight.
Seeing the communication tower at Mount Lee where the Hollywood sign is, kept us moving and we're pretty sure we're going the right way.
Finally, above the Hollywood sign after a walk roasting under the scorching heat of the sun and my almost sunkissed skin, well sunburned if I was not fully covered of my SPF protected shirts.
Taking a little break figuring the adventure we had. It was totally exhausting but lots of fun. I swear it won't be as rewarding if you take a hitch ride or a shuttle bus up there.
Taking more pictures at a 45-foot-tall aluminum letters reading DOOWYLLOH from behind the HOLLYWOOD sign for I don"t know when I'll be coming back again, maybe some easy or more difficult trail if not a challenging one.
Going back to Griffith Park, we figured we take another route but we ended in the wrong path again and found ourselves in front of Hollywood sign which added again another mile of inclined steps. It took us like 7 hours as we started 5:30am and back at 12noon with lots of rest and stops.
Trails going back lead us to Mulholland Fire Road which is almost paved road and wider. There's more hikers, horseback rider and cyclist. My daughter joined us in this hike which I never doubted of her strength. She's an athlete.
Hollywood Sign rank from easy to difficult: The Mount Hollywood Trail, the Brush Canyon Trail, Cahuenga Peak Trail, and there's more to discover. The trail that we took is not in the above list as we just connected the trails from Mt. Hollywood to Mt. Lee where Hollywood sign is. We reached Mt. Lee summit, 1,708-foot, above and behind the sign. It normally takes 3 hours or more for a 6.4-mile hike if we headed the Brush Canyon Trail. Checking my trail stats app, it took us 9.2 miles and made 22,164 steps. Not bad for my goal for the day.
Overall it was an awesome experience with a little adventure. Now we already knew where these trails are connected to, well a little bit. It's good to get lost sometimes and it's rewarding when you finally reached the peak. Truly the rewards pay off after the hardest climb, this time I made it to Holywood, so very close to my Hollywood dream, literally, I could even touch it, only if there is no fence around it.
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