Fryman Canyon Park

Hiking at Fryman Canyon Park

Fryman Canyon Park is a 122 acre park located in the Hollywood Hills. It has great views of the canyon and down into the city. The main access point is located on Mulholland Drive at the Nancy Hoover Pohl overlook. Pohl was a 60 year resident of the canyon and fought to keep the parkland and helped to establish the connecting Betty B Dearing trail. The Dearing trail is one of the most used trails in the eastern Santa Monica Mountains.

Short Loop

We started with the Betty Dearing Trail, had a quick jaunt on the Briarcliff Fire Road and then finished with the Dearing Mountain trail. This kept us out of the neighborhood but still allowed for an excellent hike. We went counter-clockwise which took us down into the canyon first. The morning fog and marine layer was just starting to break and reveal some of the surrounding sights but still keeping some as a mystery.

The trail itself was somewhat narrow, with a bit of single file hiking, but it was well used and easy to follow. The dry summer had made the dirt hard packed but it did crumble a bit near the edges. The descent down to the fire road is a long looping trail that really showcases the inside of the canyon before the flat fire road at the bottom.

Back to the top

The trail back up to complete the loop is a little hard to find if you aren’t looking for it. It is about a half mile after hiking on the fire road. This section leads to the majority of the incline of the hike. The incline is short, about a tenth of a mile, but the gain is real! Almost 200 feet of elevation including inclines that make it to a 22% grade! That was enough to get me begging for a break! Luckily, there is a small bench after the hardest part of the incline.

After the bench, the trail switchbacks its way back up the hill. This is much less elevation gain over the last seven-tenths of a mile. The switchback portion of the trail also has a lot of tree coverage and shade and one big surprise. On one of the switchbacks I was surprised to see the remains of an old van, which had been almost completely reclaimed by the earth but was definitely still visible, resting halfway down the canyon! A little above is a section of Mulholland called the “Dead Man Overlook” and

The Views

The Fryman Canyon hike isn’t very long at just under 2 miles, but I was astounded by some of the views that were found in that short time. To start, the views looking outside of the canyon are pretty great once the morning fog burns off.

Two things really impressed me about the hike though. One was how quiet it was, and the other was how much nature was around so close to homes and the bustle of Hollywood.

It was like we were able to disappear into this separate little world. Away from the cars and endless traffic. So close to the city but also so far away.

I am not sure what I expected in the hills above the second most populated city in the country. I definitely wasn’t expecting this mix of flowers, trees and nature to start my day and my first trip to Los Angeles.

Meet your Heroes!

There is a phrase that states, “Never meet your heroes”. The theory is that people you see in movies, social media, sports or other levels of popularity, won’t hold up when you meet them in person. Since I was in LA, I figured I would put that to the test and I invited actress Serinda Swan to join me on my hike. We had met briefly through Instagram in the past and it was my first time in LA and didn’t know my way around so I figured I would ask. She accepted and we had a lovely hike together.

Serinda was great and explained some of the history of the area that we were hiking. It was more like hiking with an old friend. We caught up on life, she gave me the appropriate amount of grief for struggling up the hill and she was the perfect hiking guide for my first visit to Los Angeles. If you have a minute, check out Blueprint.kids, the non-profit that she co-founded and is very passionate about.

Distance and Elevation

If you don’t have the AllTrails app you might want to check it out, I really love mine. It records your progress and is a great way to search for hikes that are nearby and gives you difficulty measurements. According to AllTrails today’s hike was around 1.80 miles and had a total elevation gain of about 377 feet including undulations. That put the high point at around 1,146 feet. Note that the high point is actually at the start of the hike! I was also moving for a total 47 minutes.

I am a Pro member of AllTrails and love it. If you are interested in the platform, please consider using my affiliate link for AllTrails. It gives me a small commission with no extra cost to you.

Effort

This is a great little hike to get the blood flowing. There are some flat sections and a nice big hill. We did the shorter loop that concentrates the elevation into mostly one short section which can be a challenge if you aren’t prepared. I am going to rank this one as a moderate hike. Even though it is short, the elevation and terrain make it a little bit of a challenge.

Terrain

The trail at Fryman Canyon Park is well defined but can be narrow at times. Also, the dry trail did crumble a bit on the edges if you got too close. That can lead to slips and falls so make sure to stay towards the center. There isn’t a ton of cover but there are some shady spots. Still probably want to have some sun protection for the open areas. Shoes with some decent tread are recommended to deal with the inclines and hard packed dirt.

Access to Fryman Canyon Park

There are several places to enter Fryman Canyon Park, however, we started off of Mulholland Drive. There were about 10 parking spaces and some plaques at this location which made me feel like it was the main access point to the park.

Wrapping up the hike at Fryman Canyon Park

I really enjoyed my hike at Fryman Canyon Park. This was the last hike I did before having to catch my flight but I wanted to squeeze one more quick one in before I left. I was really surprised by both the beauty and quiet of the trail so close to neighborhoods. The hike was short but it did have its challenges and i was never so happy to find a bench!

Big thanks to Serinda for joining me on this one. She was such a gem to chat with and take me through the hike.

I have added this hike and all of my hikes to the interactive map page you can find here. If you have any suggestions for hikes or comments feel free to email me at fatmanlittletrails@gmail.com or you can follow me on any of the below social media platforms. Happy Hiking!

Gallery of Fryman Canyon Park