Notes from Los Angeles

Our desert camping trip, Death Valley National Park, October 23–24.

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Our desert camping trip, Mojave National Preserve, October 22–23.

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Our desert camping trip, Joshua Tree National Park, October 21–22.

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Walk 21: Upper Beachwood Canyon:

Beachwood Canyon works hard to maintain its rural, small-town vibe, even though its population is about as Hollywood as you can get. The neighborhood’s origins reflect this conceit; in 1923, developer S.H. Woodruff created the development in the rustic hills north of Hollywood and erected a garish, four-story sign proclaiming the development to be “Hollywoodland.” The last four letters have since been removed, and the remainder of the sign has been treated to the occasional facelift over the past 80 years. Today the gleaming white letters remain one of the most recognizable landmarks in the world.

At the time of development, Woodruff hired European stonemasons to construct roadside walls and six long stairways out of wrought iron and stone to interconnect the residential streets of Hollywoodland. This walk will seek out and conquer every one of these steep flights, so be sure to bring plenty of water and wear comfy shoes.

All six stairways are captured above. We took a slight detour after the first flight to view the reservoir from Durand Drive.

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