Early in this year (2017) I was really keen on making day hikes as often as possible. Los Angeles and California in general have a ton of trails, and again I have been using the All Trails app (free download) to find some great hikes.

On this particular day, I thought getting close to the Hollywood Sign would be fun. I had yet to try any hike that involved the infamous landmark. Just off of the 101 Freeway heading into Burbank, the Cahuenga Peak Loop is a trail that starts at the western edge of Griffith Park and lends itself to great views. Admittedly, this was a harder hike than others I have done this year. It was a pretty steep incline to the top, but well worth the work. You can see a few landmarks from this vantage point: the LA skyline, Lake Hollywood or the Hollywood Reservoir, and The Griffith Observatory:

Once you reach Burbank Peak (aka Cahuenga Peak), you are greeted by other hikers and the Wisdom Tree. I'm not sure where the tradition of stacking rocks on hiking trails began, but Burbank Peak also features a bunch of loose rocks and hikers have cleverly stacked and balanced them. It makes for a good foreground with the LA Skyline in the background. If you turn to the north, panoramic views of The Valley can be found. If you look closely, you can see the world's largest IKEA store just off of the I-5:

Afterward, if you wish to continue towards the Hollywood Sign, you head east along the Aileen Getty Ridge towards Mount Lee. Along the way there are more great views of Lake Hollywood and the landscape overall. The large radio tower signals your destination at Mount Lee. Your reward for the ups and downs and more steep inclines is your view of LA from behind the Hollywood Sign. This day hike ended at Mount Lee where a giant American flag made for an interesting foreground-background perspective with the LA Skyline: