Wisdom Tree to Hollywood Sign

By

Hiker standing beside the iconic Wisdom Tree in Griffith Park, wearing a Lakers sweatshirt and throwing a shaka sign with the Santa Monica Mountains and blue skies in the background

Trail Stats

4.0 mi | 1,115 ft gain | 2.5 hrs | Moderate

🪜 Stairs Equivalent

~112 flights ~1,900 steps StairMaster Time: ~30 min @ Level 6 ~20 min @ Level 10 ~15 min @ Level 12 Motivational: “That’s like powering through the Wisdom Tree steps twice, plus sprinting behind the Hollywood Sign.”

Hike Summary & Reflections

The climb begins to the lone Wisdom Tree — a scraggly pine perched over Los Angeles like a sentinel. The first push is steep, dust rising with every step, but the reward comes quick: Griffith Park stretching below, the San Gabriels on the horizon.

From there, the trail follows a ridge toward the back of the Hollywood Sign, blending wilderness and icon. Granite underfoot, skyline ahead. Sunrise washed the city in gold as I climbed, and standing behind the letters, I felt LA itself exhale below me.

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Wild Moments on the Trail

  • Touching the Wisdom Tree, covered in handwritten notes and offerings — a living trail journal.
  • Standing behind the Hollywood Sign, looking through the letters as sunlight hit the skyline.
  • Watching LA shift from darkness to daylight in real-time, like watching the city wake up from the top down.

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    Why This Hike Mattered

    This loop isn’t about wilderness escape — it’s about perspective. From Baldwin Hills, I saw health reclaimed. From the Hollywood ridge, I saw possibility stretched across a city.

    It’s also a perfect weekday conditioning summit: steep enough to demand respect, short enough to fit before work, symbolic enough to remind me why consistency matters.

    TrailGenic isn’t only about the Sierras. It’s about carrying the mountain mindset into daily life — whether at 14,505 ft or at 1,700 ft above Hollywood.

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    Trail Gear & Fuel

    👉 Designed as a weekday endurance burn: minimal load, metabolic training.

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