Griffith Observatory to Mt. Hollywood & Baby Bell - June 22, 2016

I love it when by job intersects with hiking. This week at work I was responsible for helping facilitate meetings with leaders from around the country. Several of them enjoy hiking so it’s always on our radar to see if we can take a hike on one of the evenings. It worked out for Wednesday evening. The only one who is able to hike this time was Jeff. Griffith Park, as always, is our venue of choice, and we decide on the classic hike from the Observatory to Mt. Hollywood and beyond.

We leave the office in Echo Park at 6:21 and drive the five miles to Griffith Park. We are thankful to find a parking place on West Observatory Road just short of the Charlie Turner Trailhead. I’m pleased that a beautiful sign and map has been erected at the trailhead. Good job, parks people! Signage in Griffith Park has been horribly deficient for years. It’s labeled as Sign No. 19, so that suggests that there are more!

6:49 PM - Begin hike heading north on Mt. Hollywood Trail from the Charlie Turner Trailhead. The temperature is pleasant and haze mutes the views. There are lots of people on the trail. We stroll along and enjoy good conservation and the rugged scenery lit with the warm glow of the late afternoon sun. We cross the bridge spanning the Vermont Canyon Road tunnel and veer left following the main route. Soon I realize I neglected to turn onto the shortcut trail that climbs straight up the ridge. Oh well, I guess we’ll walk the long switchback. Views of the grand observatory open up.

As we approach the end of switchback leg, we hear wheels screeching below on Mt. Hollywood Drive. There is a strong smell of rubber. We go to the edge of the trail and notice it’s a yellow Hummer. It backs up and repeats the maneuver. We realize it’s a film shoot as we spot a camera truck. Griffith Park is used a lot for filming (and Mt. Hollywood Drive is normally closed to vehicular traffic).

At the switchback there are stone benches and a monument marker. It reads, “The Tiffany & Co. Foundation Overlook.” I’ve not been here since September 2013, so these are new to me (since I usually take the shortcut, the last time I was here was with Jeff and Loren coming back down in the dark; on that hike we hit Mt. Hollywood and Mt. Bell).

The Tiffany & Co. Foundation Overlook With visionary support from The Tiffany & Co. Foundation and contributions from people worldwide, Cahuenga Peak, the backdrop of Hollywood, is preserved for generations to come. Enjoy the view!

We switchback heading east. It’s always sad to see rocks defaced with graffiti. The parks department works hard at covering it, but one tag—painted over at least two previous cover-overs—begs to be abated. The horrific scourge of graffiti in our population centers in “modern” society is compelling evidence that humankind is not evolving. Homo sapiens are de-evolving into Neanderthals and there is seemingly nothing that science and modernity can do to stop it (perhaps a theological explanation should be considered).

We are enjoying good conversation as our view over the vast L.A. sprawl to the south expands. Above us, Mt. Hollywood is accented with tiny figures.

We reach the six-point junction south of Mt. Hollywood at 7:20. A new sign has been posted here as well: Sign No. 13. It points left and right to either main route to Mt. Hollywood at .4 mi (to the left through Captain’s Roost [.1 mi.], and to the right through Dante’s View [.2 mi.]). And it points left (west), back to where we came up (.7 mi to Berlin Forest; 1 mi. to the Griffith Observatory). What the sign doesn’t mention is the two routes heading south down the ridge (the shortcut to the bridge and to Bird Sanctuary, although one is shown on the new map). And it doesn’t show the steep route that heads directly up the ridge to Mt. Hollywood. The small print at the bottom of the sign reads, “You are in an urban wilderness. For you safety and to protect the habitat, please stay on designated trails.” I guess that means they would prefer we don’t use the popular shortcut. We’ll, that’s going to be our route, so sorry, sign.

We turn north and begin to climb the well-worn path straight up. A guy is playing with a remote control car. Lots of California buckwheat is in bloom, about the only thing I’ve seen blooming today. The route is really steep, but always a fun way to go.

7:34 - Mt. Hollywood (1625’). I love this place. There are always people here; 13 right now. The massive human sprawl to the south is muted by haze. The grand observatory sits impressively on the mountain below. The soon-setting sun silhouettes Mt. Lee and the Hollywood sign to the west. To the northeast the majestic San Gabriels span the horizon with their sun-draped peaks. To the north Baby Bell calls to us. We linger for a few minutes and soak in the splendid location.

We leave the summit at 7:45 and head northeast on the wide dirt road. I’m hoping to get sunset shots from Baby Bell. That is about as far as we’ll get today. At the Captain’s Roost junction another new sign has been erected: Sign No. 11. And at the four-point junction north of Mt. Hollywood is new Sign No. 10. These are nice! The sun is nearing its disappearing point behind the peaks to the west. We continue straight along the ridge-divide and head north toward the Bells. The sun casts a warm glow over Glendale to our northeast. We’ve lost the sun behind Mt. Chapel but I’m calculating we’ll see it again once on top of Baby Bell. Our pace is deliberate now. We transition left unto the rutted path that skirts Baby Bell, then turn left to follow the ridge to the summit.

8:01 - Baby Bell (1570’). We’re just in time to photograph the setting sun as it dips below the distant horizon to the right of Mt. Chapel. There are two guys here and they snap our picture. Sometime I’d like to learn the story behind the hexagon-shaped foundation. This is Jeff’s first time on this peaklet (on our hike in September 2013 with Loren, we skirted Baby Bell so that we could have enough time to peak out at Mt. Bell with adequate light). We enjoy our 360-degree view over the rugged parkland and the vast megalopolis beyond. There is peacefulness as night falls on L.A. Looking north to the site of the long-gone Grand Central Airport in Glendale, and looking northeast to the zoo parking lot and the former of site of the Griffith Aviation Park, I share a little history with Jeff. Such aviation luminaries as Martin, Boeing, and Douglas had their roots here (see my Beacon Hill hike description for more).

We leave the summit at 8:13 and head down the northwest ridge route. At the dirt road we turn right and traverse along the north flank of Baby Bell. At the site of the short-lived Griffith Park Teahouse, I reminisce about its clandestine appearance on June 30, 2015. We continue around the peaklet then retrace our steps along the ridge-divide heading south. Lights twinkle in Glendale. Nightfall displays its beauty. I’m really enjoying Jeff’s enthralling story about a recent adventure he had on the Appalachian Trail…oh the lessons we learn while hiking!

At the four-point junction north of Mt. Hollywood (Sign No. 10), we opt to turn left (east). At Dante’s View there’s another new sign (Hogback Trail at Dante’s View, Sign No. 12). I encourage Jeff to drink from the fountain. He declines by saying he has water. I tell him he has to drink from the drinking fountain…because it’s here, and L.A. tap water is so robust. We take a short walk through Dante’s View before continuing on. It’s nearly dark now.

We reach the five-point junction at 8:52 and decide to go straight down the ridge shortcut. The ambient light is sufficient for our steps. I don’t recall if I have been down this route at night, but I failed to anticipate how tedious and precarious it is in the dark (I attempt to use my headlamp but I prefer the ambient light). A sea of lights covers our southern panorama. We safely negotiate the steep, slippery route and at the junction to Bird Sanctuary are rewarded with a reasonable path. Headlights stream up Western Canyon Drive. The observatory is bustling. Back at the bridge we retrace our steps past the Belin Forest and to the Charlie Turner Trailhead.

9:22 - End hike. The place is teeming with visitors. Back at the car we navigate to Sunset and Orange in Hollywood and cap off the evening at In-N-Out. It doesn’t get better than this!

Epilog - What an enjoyable hike. I never get tired of this amazing urban wild place with its endless possibilities. In the nine years I’ve been hiking in Griffith Park, I’ve not repeated a hike. With the vast web of trails, I’ve been able to cobble together various trail sections and destinations to create a different hike each time. This hike was similar to previous hikes but distinctly different. Jeff was great company and it’s always a privilege to host our out-of-down guests.

  See Hiking Griffith Park at Dan's Hiking Pages
 (includes links to my other blog posts for hiking in Griffith Park)

Relevant trail descriptions for this hike at Dan's Hiking Pages:

• Mt. Hollywood (1625') via Griffith Observatory and Charlie Turner Trailhead with options to Mt. Bell and more
• Brush Canyon to Mt. Bell (1582’) and more

PREVIOUS > Beacon Hill and Glendale Peak in Griffith Park - Feb. 15, 2016

Observatory to Mt. Hollywood & Bell in Griffith - Sept. 19, 2013

In June I had the opportunity to host three out-of-town work colleagues on a hike to Mt. Lee and the Hollywood Sign. They had a great time. Two of them were back in town this week for a meeting and so once again they just had to go hiking in Griffith Park. The classic hike from Griffith Observatory to Mt. Hollywood seemed ideal. And adding Mt. Bell took it beyond the normal tourist mode to being a real hike. I had just hiked to Hollywood and Bell early this mouth, but today’s hike will be very different.

Their meeting ran a little long, so we weren’t able leave our office in Echo Park until 5:40. After driving the five miles to the observatory parking lot, the lot was full, but thankfully a space opened up down the road pretty close to the trailhead.

6:10 p.m. - Begin hike at the Charlie Turner Trailhead. The temperature is quite pleasant, even a little cool. Lots people on the trail. The sun is low in the sky nearing its. 6:53 sunset and casts a warm, yellow glow. The marine layer from this morning leaves a haze in the air limiting our visibility. After the bridge we leave the main trail and take the narrow path up the ridge, as is always my preference. We’re really enjoying ourselves as we climb higher. When we reach the junction of Vermont Canyon Trial, we decide to keep climbing up the ridge. Arriving at Charlie Turner Trail and the six-point junction presents another option. The guys are good with skipping the road to continue straight up the ridge, which I’m happy about because the sun is dipping rapidly. Up we climb. It’s really steep but fun.

6:37 - Mt. Hollywood (1625’). What a great destination! There about 15 people here. I would have loved treating my guests to a spectacular view but we can barely see the downtown skyline today. We take pics of the three of us to memorialize our ascent. We’re having a great time. I talk the guys into continuing onto Mt. Bell, a real peak. We leave the summit at 6:45 and head northeast on the wide dirt road.

As we reach the four-point junction and head north along the backbone, we get our last views of sun setting behind the distant Santa Monica Mountains. We think about Mt. Lee where we were three months ago near sunset. The Bells call us north. We veer left onto the use path but skirt Baby Bell for time sake. We now enjoy twilight views of Burbank and Glendale. We arrive at the saddle east of Mt. Bell and proceed up the steep, narrow path to the summit.

7:05 - Mt. Bell (1582’). My favorite peak! The guys agree that this summit is well worth the extra effort. Night is falling and Burbank and Glendale come alive as a blanket of twinkling lights. A full moon rises as an orange ball on the eastern horizon. The beauty of twilight here is stunning. Pictures don’t quite capture it. We savor the experience. We leave the summit at 7:14,carefully climb down the steep, slippery path lit with the last lumens of daylight, and put our feet on flat ground in 4 minutes.

We retrace our steps and enjoy a pleasant stroll down the road as darkness brings out a sea of lights in the valleys below. We reach the four-point junction at 7:30 and choose to turn left (east) and take the route past Dante’s View. Still lots of people on the trail. A stream of headlights are coming up the roads to the observatory. The full moon glows brighter as it rises higher. I often hike solo, but there is also something special about sharing the experience with good company. We follow Charlie Turner Trail all the way down.

8:10 - End hike. What a delightful two hours! This place is swarming with people. The guys are surprised how busy it is. We stroll over to the observatory for a brief visit. A telescope offers us a view of Neptune, some 2.8 billion miles away! That’s amazing!! We drive away at 8:35 and head down Western Canyon Drive. Cars are parked along both sides of the road for at least a half mile. We cap off the evening at In-N-Out. It doesn’t get better than this!

Epilog - What a great time! It never ceases to amazing me at the new and special experiences that this remarkable park continues to serve up.

  See Hiking Griffith Park at Dan's Hiking Pages
  (includes links to my other blog posts for hiking in Griffith Park)

Related hikes in Griffith Park:

• Mt. Hollywood via Griffith Observatory hike description at Dan's Hiking Pages
• Mt. Hollywood, Mt. Bell Hike - 10-10-10 (via Griffith Observatory) - blog post
• Western Cyn to Mt. Hollywood & Bell in Griffith - Sept. 12, 2013 - blog post

NEXT > Bee Rock and Mt. Bell via Old Zoo Park - March 13, 2014
PREVIOUS > Western Cyn to Mt. Hollywood & Mt. Bell - Sept. 12, 2013

Western Cyn to Mt. Hollywood & Bell in Griffith - Sept. 12, 2013

In the six years I’ve been hiking in Griffith Park, I’ve not repeated a hike. With the vast web of trails, I’ve been able to cobble together various trail sections and destinations to create a different hike each time. My first and only time to hike up Western Canyon was on May 14, 2010 to the observatory to celebrate its 75th anniversary. So today’s hike will be a first for me as I hike from Western Canyon all the way to Mt. Hollywood and beyond. The convergence of having the car for an early morning meeting at work, decent temperatures, and an itch to hike in Griffith Park occasioned this outing.

I leave my office in Echo Park at 3:17, jump on the 101 Freeway, and head north. I exit Hollywood Blvd. and navigate my way to Fern Dell Drive off Los Feliz Blvd. I decide to park in the residential area adjacent to the park so that if my timing is off, I won’t have to worry about hurrying back to my car to avoid the consequences of the park’s “no-parking after sunset” rule (today sunset is 7:03). It’s 86 degrees.

3:45 PM - Begin hike from trailhead across from The Trails Cafe on Fern Dell Drive. Cross a couple bridges and walk north through the Ferndell picnic area. I love the mature sycamores and their shade. Soon I reach a confluence of trails at the bend of Western Canyon Drive (across from the large parking lot). I stay right and continue north on Western Canyon East Trail. The sun is warm as I leave the shady canopy. Mt. Hollywood stands majestically at the north end of the canyon. There is virtually nothing in bloom and vegetation is parched…a huge difference from the lush greenness and life of spring. I always wonder why the early guardians of the park felt compelled to carve all these wide dirt roads though this rugged natural space.

Soon I reach the junction where the west route joins and I continue up. I eyeball narrow use paths and ponder future exploration. Over my shoulder the Pacific Ocean and Catalina Island begin to reveal themselves through the Canyon’s v-shaped month to the south. My road bends east and south as it makes its final ascent to Western Canyon Road. Just before the road, I veer right to visit the splendid lookout terrace. Its strategic location is ideal for spending a few minutes scanning the opposite canyon slopes and examining the use paths dropping into the canyon from the west ridge. One of these shall be my return route.

4:30 - Leave the lookout terrace and walk the couple hundred yards to Western Canyon Road. I cross the paved road to continue up the trail. Within a couple minutes the Hollywood sign on Mt. Lee to the west comes into view. A few more minutes brings me to Charlie Turner Trail where it crosses the Vermont Tunnel. Views to the east and southeast open up. I pick out a few landmarks, including my office building in Echo Park. A ribbon of bluish-gray haze defines the distant horizon.

I cross the bridge and veer right, departing from the wide dirt road, and begin to climb the narrow path up the south slope of Mt. Hollywood. I always prefer this route over the wide dirt road. The climb is steep and the sun is warm. I love the amazing views of the rugged parkland and sprawling metropolis. And in spite plenty of foot traffic in the park today, it’s easy to feel a degree of solitude and escape.

Arrive at junction of Vermont Canyon Trail coming up from Bird Sanctuary to the east. Choose to take the path straight up the ridge rather than baring left on the gentler route. It’s steep but I’m enjoying the workout. Six minutes more delivers me to the five-point junction south of Mt. Hollywood. I have three choices to get me to Mt. Hollywood, but I’m a hiker so I choose the middle one and continue up the steep ridge. This is the good life. The summit looms above.

5:07 - Mt. Hollywood (1625”). I love this peak. What an amazing panorama! Always people here. Visibility is pretty clear today. I chat with a young man and woman and point out various landmarks. I notice several small trees have been planted along the south edge of the summit. As these grow it will decimate the view. Gotta get that fixed!

5:35 - Leave the summit and head north. Pass the four-point junction and walk along the ridgeline toward the “Bells”—Baby Bell and Mt. Bell. I enjoy great views east while the view west is hazed by the late afternoon sun. I veer left on the use path and decide to skirt Baby Bell for this trip. I spot the old control tower for the long-gone Grand Central Air Terminal in Glendale and think about the early days of aviation in So Cal (see my Beacon Hill Hike description for more). I arrive at the saddle east of Mt. Bell and three minutes gets me to the summit.

5:52 - Mt. Bell (1582’). I love this peak too. I’ve climbed this summit more times than any other peak in Griffith Park, probably because of its central location. And I’ve encountered another person up here only once. Great panorama to the north and east. I take particular interest in photographing the Verdugo Mountains where I was two weeks ago. Zoomed in on Mt. Hollywood, there are 12 people there now, with one hanging upside down.

6:02 - Leave summit and head west I’ve got one hour till sunset. A five-minute scramble delivers me to the road about 70 yards from the saddle west of Mt. Bell. I continue down, take a shape left, and arrive at paved Mt. Hollywood Drive. My original plan was to descend via Brush Canyon Trail, climb the ridge past Bronson Caves and drop down into Western Canyon. But I’m running out of daylight so I proceed down the paved road. The golden hour provides wonderful warm light for pictures. With great interest, I gaze down into Brush Canyon since I recently spent many hours completing my Brush Canyon hike description. I spot some routes worthy of exploration.

6:42 – Reach the ridge that separates Brush Canyon and Western Canyon. Across the canyon Griffith Observatory basks in the glow of the setting sun. I turn right (southwest) on the dirt road that follows the ridge town to water tank 116. In a couple minutes I turn left onto a spur ridge to check it out. A use patch heads down into Western Canyon which I had considered as an option, but ruled it out for this hike. Back at the ridge road I continue down. I arrive at the water tank to watch the sun set behind the western hills.

Now time to descend a ridge. I first I have to climb a steep knob which I hadn’t ascertained from the aerial photo. Shortly beyond the knob the path drops precipitously down a rock face. This is my route!!?? Eeeek! I take a big breath of courage and begin to carefully pick my way down using feet, both hands, and butt. After a tense few minutes I safely reach a saddle. I spot a group of several others climbing down behind me. I turn left and take a brushy path 100 yards to Western Canyon Road. Feels good to have my feet on solid pavement. My plan had been to descend another use path from this road down to the canyon bottom, but as darkness settles in, I opt to head down the paved road instead. After a few minutes down the road, a path heads down the slope. It looks doable. I take it. Four minutes delivers me safely again at Western Canyon Road at the bend where the parking lot is. My pace is relaxed now as I stroll through the picnic area under the sycamores. It’s dark now and there is a peacefulness here.

7:37 - Trailhead. That was fun! There are several cars still here and I wonder about the timing of officials in enforcing the “closed-at-sunset” ordinance. I know that they do ticket and tow, so I wouldn’t gamble leaving my car here into the dark. I stroll back to my waiting car parked safely out of the park zone.

Epilog - What an enjoyable outing in my beloved Griffith Park! I love exploring new routes. I’m learning to never underestimate the park trails and that being diligent to plan off-trail routes is a good thing. And I love to experience day turn to night and to watch the human sprawl turn to a sea of twinkling lights.


  See Hiking Griffith Park at Dan's Hiking Pages
  (includes links to my other blog posts for hiking in Griffith Park)

Related Hikes in Griffith Park:

• Ferndell to Griffith Observatory hike description at Dan's Hiking Pages (including trail map and directions to trailhead)
•  Griffith Observatory 75th - May 14, 2010 - Hike from Ferndell and Western Canyon - Photo album with 45 photos with captions

NEXT > Mt. Hollywood and Mt. Bell via Griffith Observatory - Sept. 19, 2013
PREVIOUS > Mt. Lee Hike in Griffith Peak - June 25, 2013