Best Scenic Overlook of Los Angeles

If you want to find the best views of the Hollywood Bowl, the Griffith Park Observatory, the Hollywood Sign, downtown Los Angeles and the ocean all from the same spot, then head on up Mulholland Drive to the Jerome C. Daniel overlook.

Also known as the Hollywood Bowl Overlook it is located at 7036 Mulholland Dr, near where it reaches Cahuenga Blvd.  It’s quite easy to get to and find, just punch in Jerome C. Daniel to Google Maps and it will come right up with directions.  It’s a turnoff with about 6 or 8 parking spaces. This isn’t just a dirt turn off spot on the road, it’s an area the city has improved for your viewing pleasure with a paved parking lot, stone walls to keep you from falling off the edge and telescopes to get up close and personal with what you are looking at.

From the parking lot level, you overlook the Hollywood Bowl, the Hollywood Freeway and downtown Los Angeles. On a clear day you can see all the way out to the Pacific ocean.

There is a set of flagstone steps leading up a couple of flights to a circular lookout point on the top. Here your view is expanded to be able to have an almost 360 degree view of the city. From here you also have a clear view of the Hollywood sign, and the Griffith Observatory. This was a popular spot for the tourists from the tour busses stopping on the overlook to pose for pictures with the Hollywood sign in the background.

If you want a very closeup view of the Hollywood Sign, then you can head east on Mulholland Drive further to the location just beyond Lake Hollywood Park we describe in the link.  However, while you are much closer to the sign, you won’t be able to see any of the other views you will from this overlook.

Parking is free. There are very few spaces, but people don’t stay long. As I pulled into the lot it was full. But two cars were also backing out of their spaces at the same time.  This seemed typical during the time I was there.  Spaces seemed to free up as they were needed.

The trick is to find a clear day to go up there. Between the fog that rolls in each morning and the smog that is part of our daily lives, that is rare. But even on one of the smoggiest days this year the view was still worth it!

The Hollywood Bowl Overlook is one of several scenic overlooks on the fifty five-mile Mulholland Scenic Parkway, which is one of the most famous thoroughfares in the country. It was constructed in 1924 as a scenic road that would transport city dwellers to the mountains and beaches.

In closing I’ve come to realize that a number of travel bloggers are visiting my site to learn where the best things to do in Los Angeles are… as well as where to find the best photo ops in LA.  So I’m starting to include information that might be helpful.  Below you’ll see the camera gear I personally use to get great photos.  I also host this site using Siteground.  That was a choice made after extensive research to find the fastest host with the best WordPress support.

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