The best ways to photograph the iconic LA Hollywood sign up close

Everybody knows how to see the Hollywood sign: look up. But getting a good view of it — or figuring out how to get close — is surprisingly complicated.

Where to see the Hollywood sign in LA

We spent a day testing some of the most popular ways to see Los Angeles’ most recognizable landmark, from Hollywood Boulevard and Griffith Observatory to hiking into the hills behind it.

The first thing to know is that the best route depends on the kind of view you’re after.

Easiest option: Ovation Hollywood

If you’re already sightseeing on Hollywood Boulevard, Ovation Hollywood is probably the easiest option. Head up to the fourth-floor bridge and you’ll get a clear view of the sign without making a separate trip. The tradeoff: you’re still a considerable distance away.

Better all-around option: Griffith Observatory

For a better all-around Los Angeles experience, Griffith Observatory is hard to beat. The DASH bus can take you up for just 50 cents, and from one stop you get views of the Hollywood sign, the observatory and the city below.

Classic option: Lake Hollywood Park

If what you really want is the classic straight-on Hollywood sign photo, Lake Hollywood Park gets you surprisingly close with almost no effort.

Behind the sign option: Mount Lee Drive

But getting behind the sign is where things become more complicated.

One option is the roughly three-mile hike up the mountain. It includes steep, exposed climbing and can be a demanding way to reach the viewpoint behind the letters.

The surprising discovery is that you don’t have to climb over the mountain at all.

If getting as close as possible is the goal, approach the sign from the Deronda and Mulholland side instead. There is no visitor parking at the entrance, so getting dropped off is the easiest option. From there, you already have an extremely close front-facing view of the sign.

Continue up Mount Lee Drive and you can reach the same viewpoint behind the Hollywood sign without making the much harder climb from the opposite side of the mountain.

And if you want an even closer look at the front, continue walking past the houses from the Mulholland and Deronda access point, where the trail runs up beneath the sign.

So, which Hollywood sign view is best?

For the easiest tourist stop: Ovation Hollywood.

For the best overall LA experience: Griffith Observatory.

For the classic photo with almost no effort: Lake Hollywood Park.

Download The California Post App, follow us on social, and subscribe to our newsletters

And if your goal is simply to get as close to the Hollywood sign as you legally can, get dropped off near Deronda and Mulholland and walk in from there.

You can get incredibly close to both sides of the sign — without spending your afternoon climbing over an entire mountain only to discover there was a road on the other side.