HOLLYWOOD, CA — Jutting out of one of Griffith Park’s highest peaks stands the Wisdom Tree, a legendary lone pine that serves as a landmark for hikers seeking spectacular views of the city. And Just like any good attraction in Los Angeles, the Wisdom Tree can cause traffic headaches.

 

A portion of the most popular route to ascend Burbank Peak to the tree, Wonder View Trail, isn’t much of a trail it all — after parking on Mount Hollywood Drive, hikers are forced to walk in the middle of the curvy, narrow Wonder View Drive. Now, city officials are exploring ways to get rid of that perilous portion by constructing a new trail where motor-vehicle traffic won’t be an issue.

 

The plan calls for placing a new trailhead close to street parking on Mount Hollywood Drive, down the hill from the existing trailhead, which is no more than the intersection of Wonder View and Mount Hollywood drives.

 

Instead of walking 1,200 feet past houses and fencing in the middle of the street, hikers would enjoy a dirt trail built parallel to Wonder View Drive. The existing park-access gate where the pavement ends on Wonder View Drive would be closed and a new gate would be built that connects the new trail to the existing dirt portion of the Wonder View Trail.

 

The plan, which was advanced Wednesday at the Los Angeles City Council’s Neighborhoods and Community Enrichment Committee, was one of two proposed for the area in a 2018 city document that outlines ways to improve access, safety and mobility around Griffith Park and the Hollywood Sign. Hikers on Wonder View Drive was one concern officials noted.

 

“This narrow stretch of steep road is precariously impacted with blind turns and it sometimes can be congested with cars, pedestrians, and large shuttle busses or vans,” the report reads. “Congestion in this location is a safety issue for pedestrians and for emergency vehicle access.”

 

The City Council is set to vote on the proposal at an upcoming meeting. If approved, city staff will iron out financing and a full construction plan.

 

The Wisdom Tree has become a popular spot over the last decade after Playboy founder Hugh Hefner donated $900,000 that helped the city purchase 138 acres around Cahuenga and Burbank peaks, saving the area from development and incorporating it into Griffith Park, according to reports from the time.

 

The Wonder View Trail route to the tree is a steep, 1.6-mile out-and-back hike.

 

Hikers leave notes and write in journals at the tree, scans of which are available to view online.

 

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