LA96C-Former NIKE Missile Control Site

I went on a fairly clear day and it was awesome. You can see 360 degrees of the greater Los Angeles area. You can see all of the valley. Dtla and the beach is visible. I think Catalina was off in the distance. You can see the Observatory and Mt. Lee where the Hollywood sign is. They have free telescopes at the top and picnic tables too

This was a cool little spot we found one day when we were trying to go for a hike. You can drive all the way up and park right outside the old guard station. We didn’t have any problem parking because it was a week day, but I’m not sure how it gets on weekends. The views are great on both sides — you can see the valley on one side and downtown and the ocean on the other. We were surprised that you can walk right up to the lookout that had been used during the war. Kinda neat for history buffs. We ended up not doing the hike because it began to rain, but it was a cool spot even just to drive up to and check out the views, even without the hike. We also noticed a picnic table on the west side of the lookout, so it seems like a cool spot to bring a lunch as well.

This is about an 8 mile round trip hike up and back. I will not comment on the history, as it has been described quite well by other reviews. The trail starts at Mandeville Canyon fire road and is wide and smooth, without loose rocks under foot. The entire hike is not shaded and can get windy. The inclines are fairly tame and the trail ascends and descends. About 4 miles into the hike, you will arrive at the former NIKE Mission Control Site, which consists of a tower/​overlook and a flat area with 2 restrooms. There are panoramic views of the mountains, ocean, and LA in the distance.
If you continue on beyond the tower and left, you can reach Sullivan Canyon in a few more miles. Otherwise, this hike is up and back.
parking — free, tiny lot or free residential street parking on Westridge Rd.

The uphill run up makes the view that much more beautiful. Great spot to overlook the area and then some.

Another very cool find. I started this hike at Mandeville fire road. It was approximately an 8-​mile round trip hike.
As others have mentioned, this is the address:
2652 Westridge Rd, Los Angeles, CA 90 049
(I plugged it into my GPS and it took me straight there no problem)
In general I feel like this hike provided a good workout due to the distance and fairly steady incline. What makes it even better is the history (I found the story of these Nike bases really interesting. I could write a book describing them. Instead here are some of the highlights):
What prompted the Nike system around the United States?
It was 1949 and the Russians had exploded their first atomic bomb. This made the threat of long-​range bomber aircraft reaching populated targets within the US more serious.
A typical Nike air defense site consisted of two features. One feature was the IFC, or Integrated Fire Control Area and its purpose was to house the systems radar and computer systems… basically it was designed to locate and track enemy aircraft and guide the missiles to the targets.
The second feature was the Launcher Area. This is where the Nike missiles were stored. I find it fascinating that it was the job of a large elevator to bring the Nikes to the surface. From here they were pushed manually to a satellite launcher. The missile was then attached to its launcher and erected to a near-​vertical position for firing. The near-​vertical firing position ensured that the missile’s booster rocket would not crash directly back onto the missile site, but, instead, would land within a predetermined booster impact area.
By the 1950s the Soviet military strategy changed and the began to work on Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles, at the time there was no defense against these ICBMs. «The shifting nature of the Soviet threat meant that the air defense role, for which Nike was originally intended, became relatively less critical as time passed. Defense dollars were needed for other projects (including the development of American ICBMs and potential missile defenses) and also to fund the rapidly growing war in Vietnam. As a result, beginning in the mid 1960s, the total number of operational Nike bases within the continental U.S. was fairly steadily reduced, on an almost annual basis. All Nike Ajax sites in the continental United States were closed down by 1964. Closures of select Nike Hercules sites began during the mid 1960s.»
Another fun fact:
Once you arrive to the Nike base, you will be thrilled to see the restroom…

Almost 20 years before the first Nike tennis shoe was invented, there was project Nike. Named after the goddess of victory, project Nike produced the Nike Ajax and Nike Hercules. Nike Ajax was the first US surface to air missile system. Nike Hercules, developed a little later, was equipped with a nuclear warhead. Between 1956 and 1974 Los Angeles had 16 total launch sites collectively formed a «Ring of Steel.» The purpose of the launch sites was to shoot down enemy bombers that would enter LA airspace during the height of the Cold War.
This particular site, located in San Vicente Mountain Park, contained the ground-​based radar and computer systems that were used to detect and track enemy aircraft and guide the anti-​aircraft missiles that would be launched from nearby Sepulveda Basin to their targets.
There are a few ways to get to the site. I chose to start from the Westridge Trailhead located in Brentwood. From there it’s a 4 mile trek to the Nike site. Along the way you will encounter a number of other hikers, mountain bikers and friendly unleashed dogs. The path is wide and mainly sun exposed. It has a nice consistent incline most of the way there. At the Nike site there are some clean bathrooms and shaded picnic benches.
Here’s the address to the Westridge Trailhead if you want to plug it into your smart phone map app:
2652 Westridge Rd, Los Angeles, CA 90 049

Love hiking this area. Secluded enough where you can be alone on the trail for a long while unlike Runyon Canyon. From Encino entrance up Hayvenhurst to Encino Hills Dr., you can choose one path along the 405 or to the right to Topanga State Park or to Brentwood via Mandeville Canyon from Nike watch tower where can stop for clean restrooms and water fountain. Walk up the tower for 360 view of Los Angeles.