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This is not a conditioning hike. My hikes are designed to give everyone an opportunity to enjoy the trails. As a team, we stay together and hike as fast as the slowest hiker, sometimes it could be me. We will stop at various points to wait for the slower hikers.
Today’s hike is 5.25 miles with an elevation gain of 780’. We will begin and end the hike at the historic Trails Café on Fern Dell Drive. We will meet at 8:30 and start at 8:45. Give yourself time to arrive and find parking, it can get crowded. Watch for No parking signs.
Bring 2 liters of water, snacks, electrolytes, hat, sunscreen. Wear good hiking/walking shoes, bring poles if you need them.
Beginning at the Café, we will hike the West Trail for about a mile before crossing over W. Observatory Road. After crossing the road, the West Trail merges with the Mt. Hollywood trail that leads up to the top. Bring your cameras because you’ll definitely want to take pictures of the breathtaking views of Los Angeles. We will continue down the Mt. Hollywood trail and stop at Dante’s View, the Berlin Forest, and the George Harrison tree before reaching the Griffith Observatory. At the observatory, we will hang out for awhile and walk around its grounds. On the last leg of our hike, we’ll continue down the Observatory trail end our day at the Trails Café with lunch and a slice of pie. The sandwiches are really good and Huell Howser loved their pies.
After lunch you can go home or walk through the Ferndell Nature Trail, a shaded dirt path also known as Griffith Park’s Enchanted “Nature Museum.”
LInks:
* AllTrails map: https://www.alltrails.com/explore/map/trails-cafe-to-mount-hollywod-9b8ef27
* Trails Café: https://www.facebook.com/TheTrailsCafe/
* Huell Howser at Ferndell and the Trails Cafe: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NW3-EpGiICk&t=9s](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NW3-EpGiICk&t=9s)
* Dante’s View: [https://www.larchmontbuzz.com/larchmont-village-life/dantes-view-griffith-park/](https://www.larchmontbuzz.com/larchmont-village-life/dantes-view-griffith-park/)
* George Harrison Tree: [https://daytrippin.com/2016/11/27/special-tree-dedicated-to-former-beatle-george-harrison-in-los-angeles/](https://daytrippin.com/2016/11/27/special-tree-dedicated-to-former-beatle-george-harrison-in-los-angeles/)
* Berlin Forest: [https://modernhiker.com/hike/hike-to-berlin-forest/](https://modernhiker.com/hike/hike-to-berlin-forest/)
* Griffith Observatory: [https://griffithobservatory.org/](https://griffithobservatory.org/)
**Details:**
* Parking: Free on street. Watch for No parking signs.
* Restrooms: In the park near the Trails Café, and at the observatory.
* Route type: Out & back with two loops
* Trail: Fire road
* Difficulty: Beginner – fit beginner
* Dogs: allowed on the trails and on the lawns outside the observatory
* Water Fountain: Maybe at the Café and at the observatory
* Known Dangers: Rattlesnakes, slip-‘n-fall
**Address:**
Trails Café: 2333 Fern Dell Dr, Los Angeles, CA 90068
**Google Map Coordinates:** 34.113949, -118.307704
**Google Map:** https://www.google.com/maps/place/34%C2%B006’50.2%22N+118%C2%B018’27.7%22W/@34.1139534,-118.3079776,116m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x0:0x2060558ccbd8391b!8m2!3d34.113949!4d-118.307704?hl=en&authuser=0
**Directions from Interstate 5:**
Take exit 141 to Los Feliz Boulevard. Go west on Los Feliz Boulevard for 2.4 miles. Turn right on Fern Dell Drive and look for roadside parking near the cafe.
**Directions from the 101 Freeway:**
Take exit 8 to Hollywood Boulevard. Drive east for five blocks on Hollywood Boulevard and turn left up Western Avenue. After crossing Franklin Avenue, Western Avenue goes up a steep hill, turns to the right, and becomes Los Feliz Boulevard. Make the first left on Fern Dell Drive and look for roadside parking near the cafe.
