Cahuenga Peak
| Cahuenga Peak | |
|---|---|
Cahuenga peak (left) and Burbank peak (right) | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 1,821 ft (555 m) NAVD 88[1] |
| Prominence | 1,030 ft (310 m)[2] |
| Coordinates | 34°08′13″N 118°19′33″W / 34.136977578°N 118.325820847°W[1] |
| Geography | |
| Location | Los Angeles County, California, United States |
| Parent range | Santa Monica Mountains |
| Topo map | USGS Burbank |
Cahuenga Peak (/kəˈwɛŋɡə/ ⓘ) is the 12th-highest named peak in the Santa Monica Mountains and is located just west of the Hollywood Sign. Cahuenga Peak is the highest peak in Griffith Park.[3] It provides a spectacular 360-degree panorama of the Los Angeles Basin and the San Fernando Valley.
History
Howard Hughes acquired the peak and surrounding acreage in the 1940s with plans to build a house for Ginger Rogers. However, Rogers ended their engagement and so the area was left undeveloped.
Conservation
In 2002, a group of Chicago-area investors purchased the 138-acre (56 ha) parcel along the ridge including Cahuenga Peak from the Hughes Estate for $1.675 million ($2.93 million in 2024). The investors considered constructing five luxury estates on the property.
Los Angeles city officials received hundreds of letters pleading for the peak's protection, which prompted a campaign by city leaders and conservationists to raise $6 million ($10.5 million in 2024), an amount they thought sufficient to buy Cahuenga Peak and turn it into an extension of neighboring Griffith Park.[4] On February 13, 2008, the Chicago investors released plans to sell the property for $22 million ($32.1 million in 2024).[5]
That same month, The Trust for Public Land launched a campaign to purchase the land for $12.5 million ($18.7 million in 2024). As part of the campaign, the organization draped the Hollywood Sign so that it read "SAVE THE PEAK", and the campaign was announced as successful within three months. Though funds came from many sources, including $1.7 million in public money, it was final-hour donations of $500,000 from The Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation and Aileen Getty and $900,000 from Hugh Hefner that enabled the purchase.[6]
In July 2010, more than 100 acres (40 ha) around Cahuenga Peak was officially added to Griffith Park.[7]
Flora and fauna
The peak is home to the rare Plummer's mariposa lily, a population of coast horned lizards, and the echo blue butterfly.[8]
Hiking
The Aileen Getty Ridge Trail allows hikers to ascend Cahuenga Peak from the east or west.[9] From the west, the trail approaches from Burbank Peak, from the east, Mount Lee.
See also
- Santa Monica Mountains topics index
References
- ^ a b "Cahuenga 2". NGS Data Sheet. National Geodetic Survey, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, United States Department of Commerce. Retrieved July 4, 2009.
- ^ "Cahuenga Peak, California". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved February 28, 2014.
- ^ "Cahuenga Peak and Mount Lee via Burbank Peak Trail and Aileen Getty Ridge Trail in Griffith Park". hikespeak.com. Hikespeak. Retrieved May 26, 2024.
- ^ Pool, Bob (February 24, 2006). "Striving to Save an Iconic View". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 9, 2009.
- ^ Leff, Lisa (April 17, 2008). "Hollywood Sign Endangered By Real Estate Deal". Los Angeles: Huffington Post. Associated Press. Archived from the original on March 11, 2010. Retrieved December 18, 2009.
- ^ "Hugh Hefner Saves The Hollywood Sign". Beverly Hills Courier. Archived from the original on March 14, 2016. Retrieved June 3, 2010.
- ^ Behrens, Zac (June 18, 2010). "It's Official: Griffith Park Grows by More than 100 Acres with Addition of Cahuenga Peak". LAist. Archived from the original on May 10, 2012. Retrieved February 27, 2014.
- ^ Goodyear, Dana (May 10, 2010). "Hef's Peak". New Yorker. Archived from the original on February 22, 2014. Retrieved February 27, 2014.
- ^ "Griffith Park Trail Map" (PDF). laparks.org/. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 26, 2019. Retrieved December 10, 2018.
External links
- "Cahuenga Peak". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved July 4, 2009.
- "Cahuenga Peak/Hollywood Sign" (PDF). Oliver's Hikes. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 27, 2007. Retrieved December 18, 2009.
- Cathcart, Rebecca (February 14, 2008). "For Sale: Parcel Near Big Sign. Views Are Nifty". The New York Times. Retrieved August 16, 2010.
- Steinhauer, Jennifer (February 11, 2010). "Hiding a Hollywood Symbol, to Make It More Visible". The New York Times. Retrieved August 16, 2010.