The Outpost - MISSING LbNA #13276 (ARCHIVED)

This letterbox takes you to the remains of the old Outpost Sign in Los Angeles. The Outpost sign stood on the hillside of the Outpost Estates in 1924 and rivaled the Hollywoodland sign. It was “one of the largest neon signs in the world.” To see a picture of it, go to this website: http://www.outpostestates.com/outpostsign2.html. This hike is slightly strenuous, but fairly short (about a ½ mi hike uphill).

To get to the box, head north on Fuller, past Franklin to the dead end. Here, at the end of Fuller is Runyon Canyon. Park along the street. Enter the gates at the end of the cul-de-sac, and begin walking along the paved path. Not too far past the gates, you’ll see on your left a set of stairs and some cacti. These are the remains of a mansion that belonged to a famous Irish tenor named John McCormack in the 1930’s.

When you pass the stairs and cacti on the left, you’ll come to a slight “split” in the road: you can either go left up the hill or continue along the paved road. Continue along the paved road (the dirt path on the left will take you to the Hollywoof Kennel LB). You’ll see palm trees along this road, and eventually you’ll reach a black metal gate. Go through this gate and notice that the paved road becomes a dirt path that starts heading uphill. Keep walking, going uphill, past something that looks like a “dry well” (which looks like a hole in a corral) on your left, then past an abandoned tennis court on the right. Continue uphill and you will eventually come to a clearing/vista point. You will find another “dry well” here on your left. Make a “U-turn” around the dry well and head up the hill along a set of wooden steps. Continue up and up, and you’ll see a chain-link fence on your right (you’re almost there!). Follow the chain link fence to the end. This is the location of the Outpost sign! Find the informational sign of the Outpost Sign (has a wooden frame with glass, and a flyer and two pictures displayed inside). As you’re facing it, you’ll see a few heaps of scrap metal to your left. These are the actual remains of the sign. If you look close enough, you can figure out which of the letters each pile is. Take the little dirt path on your left (as opposed to the main path you were walking on) towards the metal and stand in front of it, facing it. You’ll see that there are three piles of scrap metal. From left to right, the first pile looks like a pile of gnarled metal. The second pile is a flat, vertical piece of metal. The third has a flat panel lying on the floor as well, but also has a large wiry piece of metal that looks like a rainbow hovering over it. The Outpost letterbox is located under one of the flat pieces of metal.