2025 Hollywood 90068 - 11 mi 36 stairs 2,068 up-steps

Name: 2025 Hollywood 90068 - 11 mi 36 stairs 2,068 up-steps
Start: 2025-10-18T08:30:00-07:00
End: 2025-10-18T14:30:00-07:00
Location: Hollywood/Highland Metro Station

Schedule

Sat Oct 18 2025 at 08:30 am to 02:30 pm

UTC-07:00

Location

Hollywood/Highland Metro Station | Hollywood, CA

Google map of the route:
https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit?hl=en&mid=1PkfUeg9eSAYsCNoAbkQxAgLXiP8
Overview:
This 11 mile, 2 part route traverses 35 stairways, with 2,068 up-steps and 600+ down-steps, with over 2,000 total feet of climb. This is a new route developed for 2024 and later, traverses most the stairways in 90068 that are south of the uppermost tip of the Hollywood Reservoir. This includes the stairways south of the Hollywood Bowl, those in Beachwood Canyon and on Hollyridge, plus the Berendo and Western stairways. I do not have the time or connections to residents to keep up with the many gate code changes in the Whitley Heights area, so I have routed to avoid the many gated stairways in that area.
This is a west to east, point to point route starting at the Hollywood/Highland Metro Station and ending at the Hollywood/Western Metro Station, about 1-3/4 miles to the east. Since the Hollywood Bowl and tunnel under Highland is not always available, it is not part of the event route. Because of difficulties with restrooms in Beachwood Canyon at about 6 miles into the walk, which would be the ideal snack/short lunch stop, we will instead use Gelson's Market; twice! We will stop at Gelson's at about 4.5 miles for a 20 minute extended snack/restroom stop, then do Hollyridge and Beachwood canyon stairs, returning to Gelson's at 10 miles for another snack/restroom stop before the final push to climb the long St Andrews stairway. Unfortunately, this walk is very restroom/snack store poor, so please bring snacks, and a water carrier capable of getting you through 5 miles of stair and hill walking.
Route description:
Part 1 - Hollywood and Highland to Gelson's Market.
The walk starts on the Hollywood Blvd sidewalk in front of the Hollywood & Highland Metro Station, which is at the Hollywood Ovation mall, which has restrooms and water, so please arrive a bit early if you will need a restroom stop.
From the station we will follow the light blue line on the Google map, and tour the stairways in the High Tower neighborhood, Whitley Heights, Fern Dell, ending at the Gelson's Market onb Franklin Ave & Canyon Blvd for our first extended rest stop.
Part 2 - Gelson's Market to Hollywood and Western.
From Gelson's we climb the Hollyridge stairs, then up Beachwood Canyon to the plaza by the Beachwood Store. We will climb 6 stairways with ranging from 118 to 178 steps, endingup on Hollyridge Dr. From Hollyridge we will descend over a mile then climb a 51 step stairway followed by a downhill trip to another rest break at the Gelson's Market on Franklin. After the break, we walk over to and climb the 153 step St Andrews stairway, then loop back down traversing 2 small stairways to Western, then south to the visiting two medium sized stairways before the end at the Hollywood/Western Metro Station.
The station is at the 11 mile mark, which is also the finish.
From the Hollywood/Western Station, you can take the Metro B-Line back to the start, if that's where you parked, or connect to transit by heading to downtown LA to the East.
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Disclaimer:
Event is led by Dan Gutierrez. Please ensure that you are in good health before participating in the rigorous activities that this is. As the organizer, Dan Gutierrez assumes absolutely no responsibility for the participants. If you choose to participate, you assume all responsibility for yourself and agree not to hold the leader, or his designated sweep - the person walking at the rear - liable in any way.
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Google map of the route:
https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit?hl=en&mid=1PkfUeg9eSAYsCNoAbkQxAgLXiP8
Facebook album of the scouting/event photos:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10208763690880988.1073741965.1574017310&type=1&l=2293077599