Hidden Sidewalks: Walk #34, Beachwood Canyon


When I was researching fun activities in southern California, I came across the book Secret Stairs: A Walking Guide to the Historic Staircases of Los Angeles by Charles Fleming. Believe it or not, at one time LA was not the freeway-strewn, drivers' paradise (!) that it is today. People who lived up in the hills needed a way to get down to schools, grocery stores, and the transit lines--trolleys, streetcars, buses, etc.--that then existed in Los Angeles. These staircases served that purpose, and though they are little used or known about today (my friends who live in SoCal hadn't heard of them), they are public property and are there for our walking pleasure. My hat is off to Charles Fleming for all of his research and impeccable descriptions. He has put together 42 walks comprising more than 275 staircases. On this trip, I did two of the walks. I liked them immensely, and hope to do others on return trips. Mr. Fleming is so precise in his directions that this frequently lost traveler had no problems navigating the walks. The photos in this post are my own, but the information I will share comes from Mr. Fleming's book. Let's get started. . . 


One of the reasons that Hollywood was a good landing spot for me is that it was close to several of the stairway walks. The starting point for the Beachwood Canyon walk was 1.6 miles from my hotel. I got to pass beautiful residences and flowering plants and trees on the way.



This stone arch marks the beginning of the Beachwood Canyon walk. It was built to commemorate the housing development then called Hollywoodland.


Many stars, including Humphrey Bogart, made their home in this new development.


This famous sign originally had a LAND on the end of it.


This first flight of stairs, made out of the same granite as the Hollywoodland arch above. I love secrets and mysteries and hidden places. As I began the walk, I felt like I was headed out on a treasure hunt! Where will these stairs take me?


Loved those handrails, especially on the way up!



Got to see some great Hollywood homes on this walk.



Here is one of many faux castles throughout the hills.









Looks like a big pink ship!








The staircases pass so closely by people's homes.












Fleming describes this double set of 148 stairs as the "granddaddy" of Beachwood stairs. Water used to flow in between, where there are now planter boxes. Below are some other views of this twin staircase.









A plaque at the bottom of the double staircase, giving its date of construction as 1928.




More granite stairs leading to great views.






Griffith Observatory.






Big city skyline. I think the haze is from the fires.






Lake Hollywood.






This gold scallop shell is a sign of the Camino de Santiago in Spain. John, Luke, and I walked 110 miles of the Camino in 2016. This secret staircase walk is another type of Camino.



The final staircase on this walk. In all, this walk has 861 steps and covers 2.6 miles.








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