W6/CT-037 Cahuenga Peak

 My trip to southern California was coming to an end, but I had time for one more peak before going to the airport. I chose Cahuenga Peak, probably best know for the Hollywood sign on it's side. I, however, did not go to the famous sign.

Views on the way up.

I hiked in from the west, parking on Lake Hollywood Drive, just past (south of) the intersection with Wonder View Drive. This seems to be the official parking for recreation in this area, with parking allowed on both sides of the street all the way down the hill. Since it was a weekday, I was able to park fairly close to the top. The first part of this hike is a walk up Wonder View Drive. At the end of the houses there is a fence, with a gate to allow pedestrian access.  Just past the water tank, the trail turns off the fire road and starts to climb.

Well signed trails.

This area seemed to be part of Griffith Park, and was very well signed. I took the Burbank Peak Trail up to the ridge. The trail was much rougher than I was expecting for a park so close to LA. It is basically a giant switchback up to the ridge. On the ridge, I made a short detour to Burbank Peak and the Tree of Life. Its a tree, and I still haven't figured out why it has that name. Once I was satisfied with the tree, I went up the Aileen Getty Ridge Trail to the summit. There is not a lot of space on the summit, but I found an out of the way place to put up my end fed.

Set up on the summit.

The cell service was not very good compared to what I was expecting. Its possible I was just in a bad spot though. I made contacts on 17m, 20m, and 40m. I thought I might get a lot of people on VHF, so I was disappointed to only get five QSOs on 2m. It was warm in the sun, and I had a plane to catch, so I didn't spend too long hanging out on top. On the way down a family stopped to ask for directions. It amazes me how many people will go out hiking with no idea what they're getting into. 

Trailhead: Lake Hollywood Drive, near Wonder View Drive.
Website: SOTA Site.
Maps: AA6XA SOTA Hikes map.
Route: Walk up to the top of Wonder View Drive. Go through the gate, then up the Burbank Peak Trail to the ridge. Follow the trail to the summit.
Red Tape: None. Make sure to obey the "No Parking" signs. 
Video: ham_bitious YouTube