Distance: 2 miles
Elevation Change: 266 ft
Temperature Day of Hike: 80 degrees
Directions: From Franklin Avenue, head north on Beachwood Drive. Once you pass the Beachwood Café (Beachwood and Westshire) park anywhere.
Abby: On Saturday, Sasha sent me a text with a link to the Hollywood Stairs Circuit and asked if I was up for it on Sunday. We’d been talking about trying an “urban hike” for a while, so despite my feelings for running stairs, I agreed. When we parked at Beachwood Canyon, we weren’t sure of cell phone service, so we sat for a bit to take screen grabs of the route.
While Sasha did this, I googled how many stairs and it was in the 800’s. From the car, the trek to the first set is a small climb up Beachwood Canyon Drive. When you reach the stair case, you meet a set to haul up. Per my Google search, this was 124 steps. At the top, you are greeted by signage directing you to the right for the second set.
As you continue up the canyon to the second set, take advantage of the incredible views of the Hollywood Sign and Downtown LA.
The second staircase was a bit hidden, but since we knew the address markers, we were able to spot it, and make our way down. At the top of the second set, we were welcomed by more beautiful views of Downtown LA and now the Griffith Observatory. Once we reached the bottom, we continued on to the third set.
Sasha: When we started the blog, we really set out to find and explore hikes in the LA area that didn’t require too long a drive, but were still challenging. The past month has been pretty hectic for both of us, so we were excited to take the opportunity to find a local “hike” that would take us to a neighborhood we weren’t too familiar with. The idea of the urban hike really appealed to us too – we were hoping to use some of our hikes as excuses to explore urban Los Angeles.
The third staircase was probably one of my favorites – it is a divided set that apparently was once home to a water feature that has been converted to planters. We descended 138 steps, and found our way back to Beachwood Drive, where we found staircase number four.
The fourth staircase was hidden between houses on Beachwood Drive, and at 144 steps, was the first of the more challenging ascents. This staircase was a little overgrown and steep, so we definitely were grateful for the just in case handrail. Both Abby and I have been known to take a tumble on a hike, so we were fairly cautious on the steep, narrow stairs. Once we got to the top of set four, we were treated to more spectacular views of the city. From the top, we headed back to Beachwood Drive, to find the largest ascent, staircase five.
Abby: At 176 steps, the fifth set was the most challenging, in my opinion, so I was eager to see what was next on flight six. It was a nice descent back to Beachwood Drive, although as Sasha said, the steps were super narrow, so I took them a little slowly to avoid an “Abby fell down the stairs on a hike” story.
Sasha:
The blow by blow directions:
From the intersection of Belden Drive and Woodshire Drive:
- Head north on Woodshire Drive to staircase 1, on the left just before 2795 Woodshire Drive and ascend 124 steps.
- At the top (Belden Drive) head left.
- At the fork in the road, bear right (Flagmoor Place) and at the intersection at Durand, continue uphill on Durand.
- Staircase 2 is located past 2954 Durand; descend 117 steps.
- At the bottom of set 2, you will be back on Belden Drive. Continue on Belden, cross Rogerton, and find staircase 3 just before 2950 Belden Drive. Descend 138 steps.
- Once you reach the bottom, cross Beachwood Drive and head to the right.
- Staircase 4 is located after 2800 Beachwood Drive; ascend 144 steps.
- At the top of set 4, turn left and head downhill on Westshire. Once you reach Beachwood, continue on, crossing Belden to staircase 5.
- Find staircase 5 after 3020 Beachwood Drive. Ascend 176 steps to the top.
- At the top of set 5, turn right onto Hollyridge Drive. Continue on Hollyridge past Pelham, and find staircase 6 just past 2831 Hollyridge Drive. Descend 149 steps.
- You’re done! Take a break at the Beachwood Café, or reverse the series for a more challenging hike.
Pro’s:
– Amazing views
– Quick and challenging
– Not too crowded
– Easy for us to get to
Con’s:
-Stairs were a little narrow
– May need to do it a few times to really feel a burn
Holy shit view factor: 6/10. The views aren’t totally unique to the hike, but always beautiful
How good your ass will look after: 8/10. Climbing stairs is no joke.
Post hike grub spot: Beachwood Cafe. We decided to stop there because it was close, and because we saw Secret Service hanging out outside. We were hopeful to see Hillary, but were unsuccessful in that endeavor.
Two Girls One Climb 