Hiking matters #310: Mt. Hollywood and Los Angeles’ Griffith Park

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – The day after Thanksgiving, my Uncle Larry and Aunt Maricar took me to the ‘must-see’ sights of L.A., including the Hollywood district and the Griffith Park, which had a nice view of the county. I had no plans of hiking, but when we saw the trailhead to “Mt. Hollywood” just beside the parking lot of the Griffith Park Observatory, I quickly agreed to their suggestion of a quick hike.

The 495-meter Mt. Hollywood is just adjacent to Mt. Lee, where the world-famous Hollywood Sign is located. Geographically, it is part of the Santa Monica Mountain Range. One of our motivations to do the hike was to see the sign a bit closer. Mt. Hollywood is a favorite running, hiking, and equestrian trail and is thus an easy hike with wide trails. Manny Pacquiao, it is said, has even visited Mt. Hollywood — or at least, the trailhead.

After the hike, I met with one of my dear hiking friends, Chelo Bendicho, a member of the Visayan Voyage team with whom I last hiked in 2009. We had a nice dinner near the Staples Center in downtown L.A., and made plans for a Half-Dome hike sometime in the future. Then, that was the end of the beautiful day.