Conventionally, if you're on foot and heading for mass transit, the way you return from the Hollywood Sign is to walk about 3-4 miles down Beachwood Canyon for the various options listed on the Transportation Info Page. However, you can also go cross-country, through Griffith Park, and reach the Observatory - and the DASH shuttle - after a walk of about 3.1 miles. The shuttle will take you down Vermont Avenue, where you can catch the Red Line or the Number 2 bus at Sunset.

The first part of the walk can be a little tricky, though since we'll all be descending, somebody who knows can point out the trailhead. You'll traverse the northern edge of the park, beneath Mt. Chapel (little more than a water tank, really), until you reach paved - but car-free - Mt. Hollywood Drive. From there, it is a 1.9 mile walk downhill to the observatory.

Major cautions are water and heat; poison oak; getting lost, since it might be late; and missing the last shuttle.


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