The Hollywood Sign Trust lists two places to view the Sign: Ovation at Hollywood and Highland, and the Griffith Observatory. The patch of gravel at Canyon Lake Drive is not one of them. Google Maps calls it the "Hollywood sign lookout," and according to the Los Angeles Times, it exists because in 2011 then-Councilman Tom LaBonge cleared brush around 3100 Canyon Lake Drive to give visitors a place to take pictures.
Fifteen years later, that spot sits at the center of a public nuisance complaint. About 100 residents of Hollywoodland, Lake Hollywood Estates and Hollywood Knolls filed it on Monday, Oct. 26, against the City of Los Angeles, Mayor Karen Bass and Councilmember Nithya Raman, whose district covers the neighborhood. Thanksgiving weekend and the December holidays come next, and those are the busiest days on the hill. Most of what the city has done so far was set up for July and August.
Three city-owned places, one request
The complaint keeps its focus narrow. It names three locations on city property, then widens to the streets and sidewalks of the surrounding neighborhoods.
| Location named in the complaint | What it is | What the residents ask the court to do |
|---|---|---|
| The Viewing Site, Canyon Lake Drive | The 2011 roadside clearing near 3100 Canyon Lake Drive | Declare it a public and private nuisance |
| Lake Hollywood Park | Rec and Parks park at 3160 Canyon Lake Drive, open sunrise to sunset | Declare it a public and private nuisance |
| End of Deronda Drive | The vehicle and pedestrian gates | Declare it a public and private nuisance |
| Streets, sidewalks and other public property in the three neighborhoods | The surrounding hillside street grid | Declare them nuisances and order remedial measures |
The residents want an injunction. They are not asking for money. Their attorney, Ilan Wurman, told the Times that a court order would leave the city to decide how to fix the problem. He offered two possibilities: replant vegetation at the Canyon Lake Drive lookout, or follow Paris's approach to managing crowds around the Eiffel Tower. CBS Los Angeles reported that the complaint asks the city to keep the area "free of obstructions, health hazards, fire risks and other public nuisances." These are the residents' allegations, not findings by a court. The full complaint runs 32 pages if you want to read it yourself.
The city's current tools were built for summer weekends
The measures already in place are concentrated on a few months of the year:
- Parking signs. In mid-May 2026, the city posted new signs restricting parking on weekends and holidays, CBS reported.
- Weekend deployments. Raman's office said it arranged and paid for LAPD and LADOT deployments every Friday through Sunday from the Fourth of July through Labor Day, which increased ticketing and towing. The office told CBS that it used discretionary funds and called this "the largest investment" it has made on the issue so far.
- Peak-period policing and tour buses. The mayor's office said LAPD adds units and traffic officers during peak congestion, keeps regulating tour buses, and worked with LADOT on a traffic plan for the area.
Of those three, only the parking signs specifically cover holidays outside of summer. The funded weekend deployments ended on Labor Day.
The city's own traffic cameras show how much the volume has grown. Over a 13-day stretch in July 2025, about 42,000 vehicles passed through the neighborhood. In the same 13-day window in summer 2026, the count was more than 48,200, an increase of roughly 15% in one year.
The counts come from July, but residents describe holidays as the worst time. One Lake Hollywood resident told the Times that the crowds get worse around the holidays. Over Fourth of July weekend, she said, a drive to the grocery store that normally takes about eight minutes can take more than 45.
A planned pilot targets peak days and holidays
Raman's office told CBS it has identified funding for a pilot aimed at peak visitor days and holidays:
"Building on those deployments, we have also identified funding for a pilot Hollywood Sign Traffic Management Plan that will test a new approach to staffing and traffic control on peak visitor days and holidays, along with a study of longer-term solutions for access and congestion in the area. We're moving forward with that work now, so a plan is in place ahead of the 2028 Olympics."
The office described two parts: a pilot to test a new staffing and traffic-control approach on peak days, and a study of longer-term access to the Sign. Its stated goal is to have a plan in place ahead of the 2028 Olympics, and the Times reported that the pilot will be tested before then. Back in May, Raman told CBS that adding bathrooms in the area was "in active discussion" and that the city had brought in a consulting firm to look at the traffic complaints. The Times reported that her office said it can't comment directly on active litigation. Her statement said neighbors living beneath the Sign "shouldn't have to absorb the gridlock and safety risks that come with [visitors] on narrow hillside streets."
The measures already on the ground for holidays are the weekend-and-holiday parking signs and the city's general peak-period policing. The other big variable is where people end up when they come to see the Sign.
The holiday dates that pull crowds around the hill
The Sign isn't the only draw this season. These dates bring people into Hollywood and Griffith Park:
- Saturday, Nov. 14: Griffith Observatory Public Star Party, 2:00 to 9:45 p.m., plus a Sunset Walk & Talk from 3:30 to 6:00 p.m.
- Thursday, Nov. 26: The Observatory is closed for Thanksgiving.
- Sunday, Nov. 29: The 94th Hollywood Christmas Parade, which closes out Thanksgiving weekend.
- Saturday, Dec. 19: Another Public Star Party, 2:00 to 9:45 p.m.
- Monday, Dec. 21: Sunset Walk & Talk, 3:30 to 6:00 p.m.
- Dec. 24, 25 and 31: The Observatory has shorter hours on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve and is closed on Christmas Day.
You can confirm these on the Griffith Observatory calendar. On days the Observatory is closed, one of the two official viewpoints is unavailable, and people looking for a view of the Sign go elsewhere.
Where to send your houseguests
When out-of-town family asks where to get the Sign photo, you can point them to the places the Hollywood Sign Trust recommends.
Griffith Observatory has views of the Sign and the city, plus free parking. The Trust notes that this makes it accessible to visitors of all physical abilities. Ovation at Hollywood and Highland has a view of the Sign right next to the Walk of Fame and the TCL Chinese Theatre handprints, so guests can do the whole Hollywood checklist in one trip.
If they'd rather skip driving, the Trust suggests the DASH Observatory bus, run by LADOT Transit. On weekends it leaves from the Vermont/Sunset Red Line station every 15 minutes between 10 a.m. and 10 p.m. and stops at the Greek Theatre, the Observatory, and viewpoints and trailheads along the way. The Trust lists the fare as 50 cents.
For guests who want to hike, the Trust lists three authorized routes, from easiest to hardest:
- Mt. Hollywood Trail: easy, 5.3 miles
- Brush Canyon Trail: easy, 6 miles
- Cahuenga Peak Trail via Wonder View: hard, 3 miles
All three follow Griffith Park hours, sunrise to sunset, every day of the year. The Trust asks hikers to stay on authorized trails and notes that the Sign itself is fenced and monitored by cameras around the clock. Lake Hollywood Park keeps the same sunrise-to-sunset schedule. The Times reported that before the pandemic, most of the park's visitors were locals walking their dogs.
Wondering how the lawsuit and the pilot could affect your street, or what buyers are asking about homes near the Sign these days? Homes by Meghan and Christine keeps up with the hill block by block, and we're happy to talk it through over coffee. Make that move. Get your free home valuation.
