The Brush Canyon Trail — Attraction in Los Angeles

Really great hike with fantastic views of the Hollywood sign from both above and below. The Brush Canyon Trail is open, but the caves are closed and the Wisdom Tree is closed. Here are a few notes based on our experience.

Getting there/parking: We arrived at 7:05am on a Saturday and got one of the last parking spaces in the lot that is further down the road (there is a very small one with maybe 10 spots further up but we didn't even try for it). There are two port-a-potties available. Something to keep in mind, the lot tapers down toward the end and it looked really very tight for a lot of cars. When we left at 10am, the roads were a mess. Once street parking begins, the road becomes so narrow that is was very difficult for two cars to pass each other. I even suggested we tuck the side mirrors in avoid hitting another car as we were leaving, even though we were driving a small sedan and not a large truck. And yes there is "plenty" of street parking, but I didn't see a single available spot on our way out for about a mile. So arrive early to get a good spot!

The hike: The hike itself is super easy. The whole thing is a fire road with a gentle incline. Once you get close to the sign, you will see a trail sign that says "" The first is the viewpoint from the bottom of the sign, and the second is above the sign. We did both. On Lee Summit, the area at the top is very small so it might get uncomfortably crowded on busy days. The Cahuenga Peak trail is closed. At the top, there is a massive gate blocking it's entrance. In total, we hiked 7.8 miles, I did 15,500 steps (I am 5'5") and it took us 3 hours. On the way up at 7am it was not too crowded which was nice, but once we started hiking down we were passing tons and tons of people. A lot of people were not obeying the mandatory mask rules (there is a huge sign stating this at the trail entrance) which made things a bit uncomfortable at times. I would say get there as early as possible for the best hike! Also, there is no shade so keep this in mind when planning out water or if you are bringing a dog.

Fun fact: Once you get towards the top, you are on a ridgeline with views on both sides which was amazing! Also, you can see the Disney Animation studios! I brought binoculars which we used to check out the studios as well as the Getty Museum on the opposite side of the ridge. The weather was perfect, the views were spectacular, and seeing the iconic Hollywood sign was wonderful. Highly...

5.5mi | Easy | 1,145ft - Brush Canyon Trail is a wide, flat trail with gentle elevation gain, providing increasingly impressive Southerly views of Los Angeles and the surrounding area. Head right at the junction with the paved Mount Lee Drive and continue upward to the summit along the Northern flanks of the mountain.

You can often find yourself sharing the trail with horse riders taking a tour offered by the Sunset Ranch Hollywood. I even spotted a couple of coyotes on my morning hike up Brush Canyon.

The trailhead is just north of two parking lots - one large, and another smaller one a little further up the road. Be mindful however that the popularity of this trail means that the lots can fill up quickly - particularly at weekends.

The hike will lead you behind the Hollywood sign and to the top of Mount Lee. The sign itself is fenced off and under video surveillance but there are plenty of opportunities for mostly fence-free photography. Also check out the Hugh Hefner Overlook just off the junction with Wonder View Trail. Hefner was a strong supporter for conservation of the Hollywood sign and hills.

Mount Chapel Side-Trip: Returning along the narrow Mount Chapel trail is actually a shortcut when compared to the Brush Canyon Out & Back. You could also save some elevation gain by circumnavigating Mount Chapel with a use of a bypass trail on the Southern flank. Reaching the summit of Mount Chapel requires a little rock scrambling, and descending back to the Brush Canyon Trail can be a bit steep but nothing someone of average fitness wouldn't be able to handle.

Sign Lookout Side-Trip: There's a great photo-op in front of the Hollywood sign near the Mount Lee Trailhead if you're prepared to hike an additional mile. Where Brush Canyon Trail meets Mount Lee Drive, turn left downhill and proceed to a gate. Don't go through the gate, but head back uphill to your right and you'll reach the lookout point.

Bat Cave Side-Trip An extra side-trip marked on our map and located near the Brush Canyon trailhead is the ½ mile round-trip hike to Bronson Caves, which was the filming location of the Bat Cave from the 1960's Batman TV show. When we were there the caves were covered by construction fences, but we're still glad we...

I was looking for the best way to get to the back side of the Hollywood sign and in my opinion this is it.

First of all parking wasn't an issue because there are 2 lots before the trailhead. There's a bigger parking lot at Tai Chi Chuan - Bronson Park and a smaller parking lot closer to the gate for the trail itself. Since we went around 8am on a Thursday, we were able to get into the smaller lot closest to the trailhead.

Another thing we avoided was annoying the residents who live near the Hollywood sign. Residents on Beachwood Dr. have been known to complain about tourists, and both The Hollywood Sign Trail and Wonder View Trailhead still go into residential areas even if you do park near Lake Hollywood Park.

The Brush Canyon Trail itself is a long, steep climb up to the Hollywood sign, but the path is wide, you're surrounded by nature, and the views are amazing.

To get to the back of the Hollywood sign you go up the Brush Canyon Trail, turn left onto the Mulholland Trail, then turn right onto Mt. Lee Dr. which will then wrap around itself so that you can see the back of the Hollywood sign. Just make sure to go up the dirt hill behind the Hollywood sign so that you can get a view of the sign above the chain link fencing.

I've read other reviewers say this already, but I'll just say it again: Wear good hiking shoes and bring a lot of water.

My friends and I were lucky enough to go on a day that was cool and overcast, but even then we were pouring sweat and needed to take breaks to drink water because it is such a steep climb. Going back down was way easier, but even though it's steep and takes a long time, I thought it...