Barbara and I first attempted this hike on a really hot morning a few years ago and gave up from (my) exhaustion 0.1 miles in. Though we were wary today, the morning was foggy, temps were in the mid-60s, and we were like, "Hey, it's only 1.8 miles—we can do this." And we did. No kidding though—do not let the short distance fool you. This popular hike is a tricky climb navigating straight up a trail of rocks & small boulders with no shade and few breaks. When we reached the top we felt like we'd DONE something. Burbank Peak, at 1,690 ft. elevation, stands at the west end of Griffith Park past Cahuenga Peak and overlooks Lake Hollywood, Toluca Lake, Universal City, and Burbank with a stunning view of the San Gabriels. Howard Hughes bought the land in 1940 to build a house for Ginger Rogers but, well, they broke up. In 2002 his estate sold the land to private investors from Chicago who planned to build houses and got as far as zoning. Angelenos wouldn't have it—the 2010 "Save the Peak" campaign attracted thousands of individual and organization donors, and Hugh Hefner pitched in the last $900K to buy out the Chicagoans to make Burbank/Cahuenga Peak part of our beloved Griffith Park. The origin of the Wisdom Tree, the lone pine at the top, is speculative: some believe it was planted 35 years ago from a free sapling giveaway from McDonald's; others theorize that a family replanted their pine Christmas tree and it grew into a hiking landmark. No history on the flag flying from a pole near the tree, but it's considered an "unofficial" 9/11 memorial and, flying high from the top, provides a visible hiking goal. At the base, a bronze tribute mounted on a boulder marks the start of the trail a few hundred feet east of the gate at the end of Lake Hollywood Drive. It's all up-the-mountain from there—dusty, slippery, tricky and testing. We climbed slow, paused for water a lot, and took in the view of Lake Hollywood as the fog lifted. A sharp switchback marks the final leg and soon we joined the group gathered at the top. We paused for a sit-down and snack, took pix, and then tackled the steep trail down. Awesome all the way!!!