Even though it’s not far from where we live in Van Nuys, I had never explored the Lake Hollywood area for two reasons:
- There are no dogs allowed, despite it being entirely paved and fenced in
- The parking/business level is ridiculous
So when our run club had the weekly Sunday run schedule there, I wasn’t enthused but knew I had to check it out despite a head cold that developed after hiking Mt. Baden Powell.
At 7am, the parking was fine and the weather was moody keeping things cool. I went off alone, following the twist and turns of the route all around the lake, then up into the hills. The Mulholland Dam and the bridge over it were nice to finally see in person after reading about it via the St. Francis Dam Failure. I was definitely surprised to see a ton of deer early on – since there is fencing all around the lake I have to assume they are trapped in, though with plenty of food and water? Right before I turned back to finish I ran into two ladies who were continuing on a short detour to see the Hollywood sign. I hadn’t yet been to it from this side (only from Griffith Park) so I decided to join them.
We passed one of the coolest garage doors I had ever seen, then unexpectedly came upon a herd of goats! While it’s fairly common knowledge locally that goats do brush clearance for fire prevention, I had never actually seen them in action let alone in such an urban area. They seemed pretty content chewing on the bushes around the trail, other than one that had to be leashed to the herder who wouldn’t stop “screaming.”
We continued on past “the Last House in LA” (not as cool as the name makes it out to be), and onwards to the sign to snap a few pics.
From there, it was downwards back to the starting point to enjoy a spread of almond croissants, home grown tomatoes, chips, and cold drinks! Even though I was hesitant to go and definitely slowed by the cold, I ended up being very glad I went, especially since I took the next few days to recover fully. That said, the place was getting very crowded when we left, and because they don’t allow dogs I won’t be back any time soon.
- Trip type: Trail Running
- Distance: 7.02 miles
- Altitude Gain: 551 ft
- Length: 1 day
Glad you finally got to visit the lake. Put this on the list for my next visit – I too have never been there. I’d also like to visit the San Francisquito dam site, which I think is visible from the road. Not much left, some concrete rubble. The after run treats sound great, croissants chips and drinks. I did read in Google reviews that many people (illegally) take dogs here anyway – ha. Those are some big ol goats.