Los Angeles

THE HOLLYWOOD HILLS are ripe for exploration. Downhill, there are the restaurants, theaters and shops Hollywood is famous for. Up on the ridges are a multitude of celebrity homes exuding elegance, charm and glamour that harks back to the heydays of the 1920s and ’30s.

Going between these two worlds, we stumbled on fascinating old stairways that connect the narrow, winding streets of the Hollywood hills. They’re easy to miss, hidden between high garden walls and profuse vegetation. They twist past charming English cottages, Art Deco mansions and Mediterranean villas. The stairs allow peeks into backyards as lush as rain forests, and others as stark as deserts.

Because these stairways are little-known and hard to find, part of the fun is discovering them. Part is climbing them. The rewards at the top are the views and the knowledge that you’ve had a real workout.

Here are four fun routes to discover.

The Beachwood Stairs

HIKE 1: EAST OF BEACHWOOD DRIVE

If you’ve seen movies with a palm-lined street and the Hollywood sign in the background, they were probably shot on Beachwood Drive. This street leads to Hollywoodland, a community of fine houses developed in the 1920s. The granite-and-concrete stairs, built at the same time, are stunning.

Starting at picturesque Beachwood Village, walk up Beachwood Drive about 100 yards. Watch for the tree-overhung stairs on the right—between a tall fence and a large house. They lead to Westshire Drive, where you turn left to meet Beachwood again. Continue up Beachwood to where a large pine tree on the right overhangs the street. That marks the base of the highest stairs of the area: 175 steps. If you make it to the top, you’ll be on Hollyridge Drive. Turn left to reach Beachwood again.

Continue up Beachwood, which winds along the canyon wall toward Sunset Ranch (you can rent the horses), and you’ll be at the head of the Hollyridge Trail. From there, the vast trail system of Griffith Park is open to you, including paths to Griffith Observatory and the Hollywood sign. (You can’t reach the sign, though.) On a clear day, you’ll have a magnificent view of downtown Los Angeles and Santa Monica Bay.

HIKE 2: WEST OF BEACHWOOD DRIVE

Start again at Beachwood Village and walk up Beachwood Drive. On the left, just past the intersection with Woodshire Drive, is a magnificent granite stairway.

At the top of these stairs is winding Beldon Drive. Turn left. Just past the intersection of Rogerton Drive are two short white posts that mark the beginning of more stairs. These end at Durand Drive. Make a left, and at the “Y” go up Flagmoor Place. Keep going up, around what looks like a huge, high-walled stone castle.

On your right is a small parking area and a trailhead with a spectacular view of Lake Hollywood. If you continue along the trail you’ll reach Mulholland Highway.

By the time you return, you’ll be ready for some refreshments. The Village Coffee Shop in Beachwood Village is charming, open seven days a week and frequented by movie stars.

The Camrose Stairs

HIKE 3: THE STAIRS NORTH OF CAMROSE DRIVE

Now you’re west of the 101. This is the easiest hike, with modest houses nestled in dense foliage. Each stairway leads to an intersection of narrow walkways, which leads to another stairway. The area is so compacted some residents have to park in garages on streets below and take a private elevator in a concrete tower up to their homes.

From Highland Avenue, walk up Camrose Drive and turn right on High Tower Drive. Climb the stairs on the left, marked Los Altos Place, between shady gardens to Broadview Terrace. Turn right and continue up the walkway, which takes you past the tower and to Alta Loma Terrace.

To walk to the famous Hollywood Bowl, continue to the right down Alta Loma Terrace, through a parking lot, and turn left on Highland Avenue. Walk up Highland a short way and see the bowl and its Art Deco statuary.

HIKE 4: THE STAIRS SOUTH OF CAMROSE DRIVE

These stairways are steep and less attractive than the others but offer fabulous views.

Walk up Camrose Drive from Highland Avenue. Turn left on High Tower Drive. The street is short, but cunningly hidden stairs begin on the right side of the dead end. Climb and top out at Glencoe Drive, cross the street, and continue up the next stairs, which end on Paramount Drive.

To finish this hike, turn right on Paramount and walk down Camrose. To lengthen it, go up Camrose, turn right and walk along Sycamore Avenue for less than a mile. This takes you to Yamashiro Restaurant (open for dinner at 5:30 p.m. seven days a week) and its beautiful Zen garden.

If you keep to the right of the restaurant parking lot and walk downhill, you’ll reach Franklin Boulevard. Turn left, walk one block, and you’ll be at the famous Magic Castle, a Victorian Gothic mansion turned into a private magicians’ club.

From various viewpoints on both these hikes, you can see into the hearts of Hollywood and Los Angeles. Some notable landmarks are the Cinerama Dome Theater (now Arclight Theaters) and the Roosevelt Hotel. They are also within walking distance.

Hollywood Boulevard is four blocks south of Camrose. You’ll find legendary eateries such as Musso & Franks there, as well as numerous other restaurants and cafés. The new Hollywood & Highland complex, where the Academy Awards are held, has several places to eat.

If You Go

Beachwood: From the 101, exit Gower Street and go north to Franklin Avenue. Turn right on Franklin and left on Beachwood Drive. Continue for about 1 mile. Drive between the two granite pillars (also a historical cultural monument) that mark the entrance to Beachwood Village. Park on the street.

Camrose: From the 101, exit at Highland Avenue and go south to Camrose. Parking is allowed on side streets, but difficult. There is a parking lot at the Hollywood Heritage Museum, on the east side of Highland, across from Camrose (street name changes to Milner Terrace).

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