Trail Review: Wonder View Trail to the Wisdom Tree and the Hollywood Sign
Parking: street parking along hillside road at trailhead.
Distance: 3.0 miles out and back
Difficulty: Challenging
Sitting atop a peak on the western side of Griffith Park is the Wisdom Tree, a singular tree that survived the 2007 Hollywood Hills fire. And not too far away to the east is the famous Hollywood Sign. If you want to see both landmarks in one hike, then the Wonder View Trail is for you!
If you have checked out the recent Hollywood Reservoir review, you'll see that the parking for both the Reservoir and the Wonder View trail are the same. It's free street parking along a road that descends down a steep hill. If you can, you'll want to park near the top of the hill for this trail. Once parked, head to the intersection of Lake Hollywood Drive and Wonder View Drive, and then to the right, up the hill on Wonder View Drive. You'll be on a paved road and pass through a part of the neighborhood before reaching a gate. Head through the doorway in the gate and onto the dirt path.
For a short time, the path is quite wide and will take you to an intersection near a power line structure. The Wonder View path is to the right where all the signage is (The Tree of Life path is to the left).
This is where the trail gets difficult. You'll gain almost 600 feet in elevation in about half a mile. We did this trail in the Spring of 2023 after all the rain so it was also extremely overgrown with wildflowers in some parts. It made the trail really pretty, but it also made it a little bit more difficult to get through. If you have allergies, this might not be a good time to hike this trail. Your body WILL be touching numerous wildflowers.
You'll quickly climb up above the surrounding neighborhoods and also get a pretty nice view of the Hollywood Reservoir in the distance. It was extremely hazy on our hike, but on a clear day, you can see so much more!
It's a steep climb, but soon you'll get to the crossroads where the Wisdom Tree is just off to the left and the Wonder View Trail continues to the right. We stopped at the Wisdom Tree first, but if you want, you can also continue on the trail to the Hollywood Sign and visit the tree on the way back down.
The Wisdom Tree is a nice resting spot. The tree itself provides a little bit of shade, there is a water bowl for dogs and a book to sign for humans, and a very patriotic American flag which was a fairly popular photo op for people. Since the tree sits atop a peak, you also get a pretty nice 360 degree view of the surrounding areas.
Once we relaxed for a little bit at the Wisdom Tree, we continued following the Wonder View Trail which takes you up and over the ridge to the east. It's definitely not as difficult as the first part of the hike, but there are still some steep sections and one or two spots where you need to scramble up or down some rocks, so it's still a bit of a challenge.
It's about 0.8 miles from the Wisdom Tree to the Hollywood Sign. You'll pretty much be able to see the Mount Lee Radio Transmitter tower (which is just behind the sign) the whole time so you'll know you're getting close as it draws near. After some ups and downs across the ridge, and right before getting to Mount Lee, you might happen upon a fork in the trail that brings you to an overlook that I thought was quite random: The Hugh M. Hefner Overlook. It's a super quick detour and not the greatest lookout point as it's got fencing blocking some of the view. But there is a plaque!
Shortly after the overlook, you'll come upon the paved road of Mount Lee Drive. This is where the trail meets up with the much more popular path to the Hollywood sign that originates down at Bronson Canyon. Just follow the road up to the right and it'll soon bring you past the radio tower, to the top of Mount Lee and a viewpoint which sets you behind the famous signage. It's a popular destination so be prepared to share the space with others.
Note: This hike only gives you a view of the Hollywood Sign from the back. If you are wanting to see it from the front, there are other ways of hiking to the sign that include frontal views.
Once done at Mount Lee, head back the way you came, and feel free to take a rest at the Wisdom Tree again as you pass by! Also be careful on the steep sections on the way down. The dirt can make it easier to slip on a down slope!
Bottom Line: A challenging hike to two fun landmarks in Griffith Park. The views (when it's not super hazy) are really good.
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