In the spirit of “Buy Nothing Day,” I went hiking on Black Friday. I did wake up early–not for the Early Bird Specials– my plan was to go to Griffith Park for a hike to the Hollywood Sign. Although I’ve been there before—and wrote about it extensively– Griffith Park never fails to amaze and mesmerize me.

This morning, the views, although not perfect, were much better than the last time I was here.

Although for many who live in major metropolitan cities throughout the world, not having visited a city’s landmarks, popular places, and attractions would seem odd.

In Los Angeles, though, we’re always doing what’s interesting for us and what we deem our passion. And in that, unfortunately, we do miss many of the great things that define Los Angeles. During my hike I briefly spoke with a fellow hiker–who was among the other 40 or so people hiking—who has lived in LA for over 10 years. Despite living here for over a decade, this was his first visit to Griffith Park. I’d hiked to the Hollywood Sign before, but obviously never took this particular route.

Park Ranger Ernie Ybarra led us on a vigorous; and mostly single-file trail hike of 5 miles in length. Done 2x, or in other parlance–up and down–the hike was ten miles long.

Although 10 miles doesn’t seem like a lot, it is. Especially when you’re going up an incline of 1,400 feet, which this scenic pathway does. I’ve already highlighted several of the amazing vistas on the trails to the Hollywood Sign, today I wanted to feature the Griffith Park Visitor’s Center, where today’s hike started.

Griffith Park is one of the largest urban parks in the United States. Its land mass consists of over 4,000 acres, and included within that is more than 50 miles of hiking and equestrian trails.

The entrance to Griffith Park’s Visitor’s Center greets you with an earnest festoon of artistic representations of the Park’s important, extensive, and culturally rich history:

Griffith Park–like many of our early land acquisitions–was essentially gifts, by early Los Angeles philanthropists; but sometimes I really think that they were visionaries.

In this particular case, Griffith Park is eponymous with the generous donation of over 3,000 acres by Colonel Griffith J. Griffith in 1896. According to Ranger Ybarra, it took the city of Los Angeles 6 years to accept the donation because they thought it was too far away from the city– 6 miles!

To truly understand just how valuable this land is, and to help you gleam the now laughable notion that Griffith Park was “too far” from City Hall, or should I say “how far” today’s current Metro Los Angeles is from Griffith Park, below is a map of Los Angeles County. Within the map, I’ve marked the approximate location of Griffith Park:

You can clearly see just how “far” Griffith Park is from downtown, but you can also see that Griffith Park is in the center of it all.

Ranger Ybarra told us he would be conducting more hikes during December; however I was unable to find a list, but if you’re interested in more information please email Ranger Ernie Ybarra at ernie.ybarra at lacity [dot] org.

It’s my pleasure to take this opportunity to thank Ranger Ybarra for the being a fantastic tour guide. I thoroughly enjoyed myself and look forward to the next hike. If you’re interested in the route we took and a few more pictures, below is the GPS of our hike:

Griffith Park

Griffith Park has plenty of opportunities for hiking, horseback riding, concerts, and a myriad of other things to do and places to go within its very own confines.

While Travelin’ Local, I hope you find time to make sure this holiday weekend to try and visit some of the places and areas of interest that we have here in the great city of Los Angeles.

Often times, when I find myself hiking, I’m not always so sure where the trail will go or what I’ll see. The only information I had on this trail, was what the Los Angeles Parks and Recreation site told me:

Special Features: HIKING TRAIL

HOLLYWOOD SIGN

PARKING

TUNNEL/CAVE

As soon as I saw the words “HOLLYWOOD SIGN” and “TUNNEL/CAVE,”

Needless to say I was “All In!” Although I’ve hiked to the Hollywood Sign before, I never tire of seeing it, and as soon as I read the words tunnel and cave, the deal was sealed thrice over.

After grabbing my camera, my water bottle, and my determination, off I went.

Who knew I was going to find public art at the start of my hike. Judging by the looks of it, this patch of concrete is meant as some kind of water run-off system. Someone took their time in spray painting this big green guy.

This shot gives you an idea of what the trail looks like. With wide walkways, many hikers brought their friendly dogs out to get a bit of exercise with their masters. As you can see, I was on the way up, which didn’t surprise me.

What did surprise me is that this trail connects to the same trail I had previously taken to view the Hollywood sign. This time, however, I didn’t turn left when I approached the fire road. I went the other way trending right; I was headed toward the direction which I hoped would take me to Shangri-La—the place where I could actually touch the Hollywood Sign. Little did I know that as the trail goes up, it keeps going up and up, and then some.

Close to the top, the northern views were spectacular. Above is the world famous Forest Lawn Cemetery, where recently, Michael Jackson was buried.

I wasn’t really sure what to expect at the top of this mountain because I had never walked it before. Not armed with enough information to know what was at the top of this mountain hike, I did know that it had a steep inclined and was a long walk–it took 1.25 hours to reach my final destination.

If you haven’t guessed it already, at the top, I found myself at the Hollywood Sign, but in reverse. Yes, that’s the back of the Hollywood Sign’s letters. As I stood there, trying to snap a picture between the fence that prevent visitors from getting any closer, I thought about the people who have climbed the ladder only to jump to their deaths. What was going through their minds? We’ll never know.

If you’re thinking about trying to get around the fence, I’d think again. This gate with all of its camera security is the conclusion to this trail. I didn’t count the cameras, but just in this picture alone, you can see several pointing in all directions.

In case you didn’t know, that’s the Hollywood Reservoir. I can hardly wait to go back on a clear day.

After over two hours of hiking and with the trail behind me, I felt tired but good. Even though I didn’t know where the trail would lead, I left happy knowing a question I’ve had was answered.

To give you a photographic idea of the distance and elevation traversed, I took this shot less than half way up. I’m not sure why it says what it says, but you can clearly see the tower at the mountain’s top– which is the end– in the background.

As for the tunnel and cave mentioned above, I didn’t find it, which leads me to believe either I took a wrong turn, or I took the wrong trail, or both. This of course means that, in the pursuit of journalistic excellence, I’ll be going back. I’m sure that my staff won’t mind. J

This hike also allowed me to try out one of my new gadgets and toys. After searching long and hard for a GPS unit that did what I wanted it to do for Travelin’ Local’s mapping purposes, I finally found the right one to buy, after going through a few lemons:

Hollywood Sign and Bronson Canyon

This is a visual reproduction of my hike, and when you click a particular link, you’ll see a new photo. I’ll still be using Google maps, but I’ll also include some maps on this software as I keep on Travelin’ Local to bring you the best of what Los Angeles and environs has to offer.

For a true LA insider’s look at the Hollywood Hills, try the Hollywood/Highland Travelin’ Local Walking Tour. It’s 3 miles of total LA uniqueness.

[Update] Access for parking for this hike can be found at 3200 Canyon Dr, Los Angeles, California 90068. The lot is small, but if you get there early, you should have no trouble. Happy hiking.

To map your journey to visit the Hollywood Sign, all you have to do is plug your current location into Google Maps for each of the addresses provided in this story. From there, you’ll be able to get directions to each of the Hollywood Sign’s vantage points, from anywhere in the city.

View Larger Map

From here, not only is there a spectacular view of the Hollywood Sign, the Hollywood Reservoir is a must see place to enjoy. Although the map looks like you’re stopping in the middle of the road, there are a few “parking” spots here.

3202 Canyon Lake Dr

Los Angeles, CA 90068

View Larger Map

If you want to do some hiking along with the Hollywood Sign viewing, there is a small parking lot here.

Lake Hollywood Dr & Weidlake Dr, Los Angeles, CA 90068

View Larger Map

Using this map as your guide, follow Beachwood Drive until it ends. Following the Hollyridge Trail, you can get as close to the Hollywood Sign as the trail will take you. I haven’t touched the sign—and I’m not sure if it’s possible anymore because of safety reasons—but let me know how close you can go! The parking lot is small but there is street parking further south if you want to walk. Also the DASH Beachwood Bus Line runs all the way up Beachwood Drive as far as Westshire Dr.

Another great place to view the Hollywood Sign is at the Hollywood & Highland Center. At the Hollywood & Highland Center, you can combine a little shopping and lunch, and stand 4 stories high to view the Hollywood Sign.

For a true LA insider’s look at the Hollywood Hills, try the Hollywood/Highland Travelin’ Local Walking Tour. It’s 3 miles of total LA uniqueness.

Travelin’ Local is just as much about going to the right places, as it’s about the best ways to get there to see the sights and sounds.

Located off the beaten path, the Hollywood Reservoir is located literally in the shadows of the Hollywood Sign. Of the many people I encountered today—most were there to see the sign and needless to say, I also succumbed to the temptation to take another look at this Los Angeles icon.

Background and History of the Hollywood Reservoir

This vantage point is the northern view of the Hollywood Reservoir, a man-made lake built in 1924 to hold more than 2.5 billion gallons of water. With a maximum depth of 183 feet, the reservoir is part of the Owens River Aqueduct system.

The Mulholland Dam was built by engineer William Mulholland, who designed and built the system of aqueducts and reservoirs which provide Los Angeles with most of its water.

The Hollywood Reservoir’s Toyon Tanks

On the northern side of the Reservoir is the site of the Department of Water and Power’s Toyon Tanks facility. The largest of their type in the world, each Toyon Tank holds 30 million gallons and provides enough cubic feet of water for 250, 000 people.

The east side of the dam brings one into a totally new reality and it affords a piercing beauty seldom seen in the middle of Los Angeles:

This calm oasis amid a very large and busy city seems impossible to find, but at the top of the narrow and curvy Lake Hollywood Dr & Weidlake Dr, you’ll find this breathtaking view.

Mulholland Dam’s Masterful Engineering

Water is a very precious commodity, especially in Southern California–which is officially a desert. Water will soon eclipse all other natural resources in importance. Indeed, wars are fought over it; countries created because of it; and economies can’t function without it.

Due to Southern California’s long drought conditions, there have been mandatory changes in Los Angeles’ water usage. Restrictions via a Phased system are now being implemented, and Phase 1 has already been implemented with Phase 2 well under way. City of Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa is recommending the implementation of Phase III as soon as possible.

The Department of Water and Power’s Water Restriction Phased Program includes:

Phase I

• Prohibits hosing sidewalks, driveways and parking areas unless permitted by law.
• Prohibits using water to clean, fill or maintain levels in decorative fountains or ponds unless the water is part of a re-circulating system.
• Restaurants cannot serve drinking water to people unless expressly requested.
• Customers are required to repair leaking pipes and water fixtures in a timely manner.
• Customers can wash cars only with hoses that have a self-closing water shut-off device.
• Prohibits watering lawns and landscape when raining.
• Prohibits watering lawns or landscape between 9am and 4pm
• Customers can be fined if sprinklers allow excess water to flow onto sidewalks, driveways, streets or gutter.
• Hotels and motels must give guests the choice not to have towels and linens laundered daily.

Phase II

• Landscape irrigation allowed Monday, Thursday and Saturday only.
• Using a hand-held hose to water lawns and landscape allowed any day between 9am and 4pm

Phae III

• Landscape irrigation allowed Monday and Thursday only.      Source: LA Times

Travelin’ Local celebrates our physical, cultural, historical, and Southern California Lifestyle. In order to maintain our great city, remember that having a sustainable future, means maintaining its present.

By working together, we can make a difference to conserve our precious water resources for future generations.

]]> http://www.travelinlocal.com/the-hollywood-reservoir-%e2%80%93-las-water-resource/feed/ 9 http://www.travelinlocal.com/the-magical-cliffs-of-the-hollyridge-trail/ http://www.travelinlocal.com/the-magical-cliffs-of-the-hollyridge-trail/#comments Thu, 11 Jun 2009 13:07:10 +0000 Lisa Newton http://www.travelinlocal.com/?p=2329 During my recent hiking foray on the “Hollyridge Trail” to reach the Hollywood sign, I was intrigued by the indelible mark and beauty of the ever ever-present foliage, plants, and growths which garnered most of the hike up the Hollyridge Trail.

The raw power of nature should never be underestimated even as we occasionally ponder its beauty, and take the time to celebrate its impact upon our surroundings.

As these pictures are testimonial to and of–nature creates life where none existed before, even in the absence of an abundance of water or rainfall.

I know that the Hollywood sign and panoramic vistas are one of the main reason people tend to hike the Hollyridge trail; but all is not what it seems.

On top of the Hollywood Hills, city life breathes at the speed of light, but it’s now a million miles away, your latest worries are noticeably absent, and with an artist’s appreciation of texture, line, form, color, and awareness, it’s obvious that the deepest pleasures in life really are free—these wide-ranging, and multi-faceted speckled plants are distinct and beautiful.

Travelin’ Local often brings huge rewards in tiny packages.

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