New Year’s Day at Griffith Park: A Hike to Remember
Introduction
New Year’s Day was exceptionally bright and warm, the sort of day we could brag about to shivering relations back east, if we felt like rubbing it in. As I parked at Griffith Park at 10 a.m., in the lot above the Greek Theatre, the temperature was already in the mid-60s.
The Hike
For decades, I had, like much of Southern California, studiously ignored this 4,200-acre amenity. Last year, though, armed with Casey Schreiner’s "Discovering Griffith Park" guidebook, I made 10 solo hikes. On the first, an easy one around the Hollywood Reservoir last January, a rare thing occurred in Los Angeles: I bumped into someone I know. That was my friend Adriana Chavira, who was returning to her car after hiking to the Wisdom Tree.
The Mount Hollywood Trail
This year, I decided to join Adriana for a joint hike. We were going to tackle the Mount Hollywood Trail, one of the park’s peaks. Joining us was a friend of Adriana’s, Ersula Martell, who was fitted out in a David Bowie T-shirt and walking a bit slowly after recent foot surgery.
The Berlin Forest and the Fire Road
We set off up Vermont Canyon Road and Observatory Road toward Griffith Observatory, from there heading north through the Berlin Forest. Created in 1967, it’s dedicated to the bond between the two sister cities 5,795 miles apart. Having visited Berlin, which is home to my former Claremont neighbor Naomi Kresge, I was delighted to be seeing this local connection to that city.
The Fire Road and the Dalmatian
As the trail turned to dirt, ahead of us a man walked a dalmatian on a leash, an eye-catching sight. "We’re on a fire road," Adriana said of the wide, rustic path. "If it’s a fire road," I said, "that explains the dalmatian."
The Switchbacks and the Tiffany & Co. Overlook
Switchbacks made the ascent relatively easy. We took brief pauses at Captain’s Roost, a volunteer garden whose name sounds like a seafood restaurant, and at the Tiffany & Co. overlook. Its westward view offered the best glimpse of the Hollywood Sign on nearby Mount Lee before the trail took us east.
The Summit and the Tom LaBonge Panorama
Finally, we reached the former Mount Hollywood Summit, known since 2021 as the Tom LaBonge Panorama. That’s named for the councilman who died earlier that year. The peak, 1,625 feet high, offers a 360-degree view and was a favorite spot of LaBonge’s.
Conclusion
Our hike took two hours, gave us an elevation gain of 650 feet, and saw us walk 4 1/2 miles. Adriana said it was the easiest hike she would do this year. Ersula agreed it was no sweat. I envied them. And I hope your 2025 is off to as glorious a start.
FAQs
Q: What is the Griffith Park?
A: Griffith Park is a 4,200-acre park in Los Angeles, California.
Q: What is the Mount Hollywood Trail?
A: The Mount Hollywood Trail is one of the park’s peaks, offering a 360-degree view from the Tom LaBonge Panorama.
Q: What is the Berlin Forest?
A: The Berlin Forest is a 130-acre forest in Griffith Park, dedicated to the bond between the two sister cities 5,795 miles apart.
Q: What is the fire road?
A: The fire road is a wide, rustic path in Griffith Park, used for hiking and fire access.
Q: Who is Tom LaBonge?
A: Tom LaBonge was a Los Angeles city councilman who died in 2021, and the Tom LaBonge Panorama is named in his honor.
