Wisdom Tree & Hollywood Sign Hike

Nothing gets me quite excited as a new adventure! What makes me even more excited is being able to be outside in nature, get some quality exercise, and catch up with a friend all at the same time! I’m pretty much the queen of adventure multi-tasking… #winning. Anyways – I hiked from the Hollywood Reservoir to the Wisdom Tree to the Hollywood Sign this past weekend and am excited to share with you the details on this hike and how you can see these beautiful sights for yourself. This hike was roughly 4 miles roundtrip and took us about 2.5 hours to complete. My old co-worker and friend Linh and I parked on Hollywood Drive as it intersects with Wonder View Road. A good address to put into your GPS would be 3052 Lake Hollywood Blvd. Park your car along Lake Hollywood Blvd. and then walk up Wonder View Road (visitors are not permitted to park near the fancy houses on Wonder View Road). Walk all the way up the road, past the gate, and then enter the trail head from the dirt road.

The trail is pretty steep and it is uphill almost all of the way. Make sure you bring some hiking shoes with a great grip (I personally love my Merrells – not the cutest style but SO worth it to be comfortable on trails with rocks, dirt, etc.) because a lot of the dirt/rocks on the trail are pretty loose and you wouldn’t want your adventure to get turned upside down by a bad fall. As you make your way up the steep trail, you will fall in love with the views! As you reach new heights you will be able to see the Hollywood Reservoir, the downtown LA skyline, and the Griffith Observatory far off in the distance. You will follow the trail all the way up to the Wisdom Tree, which is about 0.8 miles from the start of the hike (according to Yelp). The Wisdom Tree has become a legend in LA - it is the only tree left standing after a bad fire roared through Griffith Park in 2007. Sounds pretty holy if you ask me! This is the perfect place to snap some pics because not only is the tree itself beautiful, but you will have 360 degree views of our beloved city. Also, there are two boxes underneath the Wisdom Tree where hikers can leave special notes for future visitors. I think this is a special touch and makes the experience more meaningful for those who leave and read the notes of wisdom. As we were leaving the Wisdom Tree, there was even a group setting up for a proposal with balloons, pictures of the happy couple, and all their close friends/family. How sweet is that? :)

When you’re at the Wisdom Tree, you’ll also be able to see the back of the Hollywood sign, which you can continue hiking to if you’re up for it (obviously I'd recommend it, because you're already half way there!). If so, continue on the trail heading up the mountain toward the sign. It's about the same distance from the tree to the sign as it is from the trail head to the tree. This section of the hike is definitely a little steeper and more rugged, so go slow and take your time. Head down to the paved road and you can see an awesome view of the famed Hollywood sign behind a chain link fence. Get your camera/phone out because this is the ideal place to snap a few pics before making your way down the same trail that you just entered from. As we were heading back from the Hollywood sign, we got caught in the most magical rain, lightning and thunder storm. At first I sort of freaked out and thought, “AHHHHH what do we doooooo?!” but then I realized there was nothing we could do but laugh, enjoy mother nature’s timing, and do our best to be safe as we made our trek down. I’m thankful for the crazy storm because I got some great pics of the lightening and have never heard thunder as loud in my entire life. Pretty damn cool if you ask me. I’m just glad neither of us were struck by lightning and made it down in one piece! Whew. How's that for an adventure?!

I loved this hike because the trail was pretty empty, the views were incredible, and it was a challenging workout. I love that LA truly has SO many different adventures to offer, and this has been one of my favorites so far. Grab your hiking shoes, a buddy, sunscreen, camera (and a selfie stick if you insist – do you!), and hit the trails, my adventuring friends!