Don't Overlook This Overlook!

Hike Fryman Canyon in Hollywood for Beautiful Views of the San Fernando Valley

Woman at Nancy Hoover Pohl Overlook in Hollywood, taking in the views of San Fernando Valley

If the new year still feels a bit topsy-turvy to you, embrace a hike with ups and downs (quite literally) that provides some inspiring perspective too. Head to the Nancy Hoover Pohl Overlook in Hollywood and explore a less-traveled trail through Fryman Canyon that covers just over 1.5 miles, just under 400 feet of elevation gain, and just about the best views of the San Fernando Valley.

Nancy Hoover Pohl was a local environmentalist who fought to preserve Fryman Canyon and surrounding parkland—so you can thank her for this vista-filled adventure. Park at the lot (or in adjacent street parking) and immediately get panoramic valley views among the benches and interpretive signs. Most visitors are satisfied with this overlook, but take the dirt trail to start your hike to a different vantage, starting with a descent to a junction where you’ll take a sharp left to keep going down into the canyon via a narrow trail with quick switchbacks amid a peaceful forest. At the low point you’ll cross a stream and then begin to make up the lost elevation. Look for the colorful car ruin that borders the track.

After a surprise climb, the trail heads north and plateaus, reaching your next junction. To the left, the trail continues into the canyon for multiple miles. Take the right path but stop at the bench where you’ll also find hanging chimes. The valley view from here is lovely.

Woman sitting at bench in Fryman Canyon overlooking the San Fernando Valley view

The trail descends again and eventually reaches a neighborhood, where the path becomes wider and is flanked by bamboo and pines. The flat segment doesn’t last long, as it turns south and ascends quickly. The vistas remain throughout and are great into the canyon as well. At just past the 1.5-mile mark, you reach the overlook and lot. Take another look at this truly unique and expansive perspective of the SFV before heading home. Thanks, Nancy!

To get to the Nancy Hoover Pohl Overlook lot and trailhead, take the US-101 to Laurel Canyon Blvd. and exit south. Take Laurel Canyon Blvd. for 3 miles and take a right onto Mulholland Dr. After 0.7 mile, find the overlook, trailhead, and lot on your right (or find street parking nearby). Dog-friendly!

Trending Stories NorCal

View all Stories
  1. Serene Las Gallinas

    A serene stroll alongside marshland, passing ponds and grasses frilled in seasonal wildflowers, with Mount Tam a beacon in the background … how nice. As part of the esteemed Bay Trail, San Rafael’s Las Gallinas Valley Birding Loop and Wildlife Ponds comprises about 3.5 miles of wide-open trail.

    View
  2. Paint Brushy

    This time of year you’ll have good reason to head for the hills—the electric-green rolling hills of Brushy Peak Regional Preserve in Livermore. This 4.5-mile loop hike is like stepping into a plein air painting.

    View
  3. Sponsored

    2025 POST Wildflower Walks

    Get flower empowered! POST’s complimentary 2025 Wildflower Walks guide blooms with the best places to see a variety of florals across the Peninsula and South Bay this spring.

    View
  4. All right, Almaden!

    Take a trip through time on this 5-mile loop in Almaden Quicksilver County Park. Explore the ruins of an old cinnabar mine and enjoy the first hints of wildflower season.

    View

Trending Stories SoCal

View all Stories
  1. Sponsored

    Weekend in Reno Tahoe

    Weekend plans? Reno Tahoe! Just a few hours by car or a short flight away, Reno Tahoe springs to the moment with great ways to combine adventure and relaxation in its beautiful mountains-meets-desert setting.

    View
  2. Hiker walking along the North Bluff Trail on Santa Cruz Island, Channel Islands National Park

    Purely Wild

    Channel Islands National Park lives up to its nickname as “North America’s Galapagos.” This less-traveled national park is an undeveloped and isolated series of five dramatic and distinct islands reached by boat. Hike the largest of the islands, Santa Cruz.

    View
  3. Woman hiking the South Kaibab Trail in the Grand Canyon

    Truly Grand Day Hike

    One of the best spring day hikes in the Grand Canyon? See layer upon layer of the park’s grandeur—including the river—on this 3-mile (one-way) journey to Skeleton Point via the South Kaibab Trail.

    View
  4. A woman stands amid an array of yellow and purple flowers at Descanso Gardens in Los Angeles

    Petal Paradise

    Tulips, lilacs, and daffodils—flower power is in full bloom at Descanso Gardens in La Cañada Flintridge. Sprawling across 150 acres surrounded by mountains, the gardens are putting on their best show right now.

    View