Malibu is an easy place to add to a Los Angeles trip, especially if you want to see something beyond the city’s usual neighborhoods and attractions. Follow the coast west from Santa Monica and the scenery starts changing quickly, with beaches, cliffs and the Pacific appearing beside the road.
What many visitors do not realize is that some of Malibu’s best drives head away from the ocean. The Santa Monica Mountains rise directly behind the coast, and roads such as Malibu Canyon, Latigo Canyon and Kanan Dume can take you from PCH into a completely different landscape in a matter of minutes.
You do not need to cover huge distances either. Pick one coastal route, add a canyon road or two, and leave enough time to stop along the way. Just check current road conditions before setting out, as construction, weather and wildfire recovery can occasionally affect access.
Whether Malibu is a day trip from Los Angeles or one stop on a longer California visit, these are six scenic roads worth adding to the route.
Pacific Coast Highway Through Malibu
Pacific Coast Highway is the route most visitors picture when they think about driving Malibu. It follows the coast for miles, with beaches, cliffs and stretches of open Pacific appearing beside the road as you move west. It is also the easiest route to combine with sightseeing because so many of Malibu’s best-known stops sit just off PCH.
Coming from Los Angeles, join PCH around Santa Monica and Pacific Palisades, then continue west through Malibu for as long as you have time.
You do not need a complicated route. Malibu Pier comes up first, followed by stretches of beach, Point Dume, Zuma Beach and, farther west, El Matador and the other small beaches around Robert H. Meyer Memorial State Beach. Keep going and you can reach Leo Carrillo before the road eventually continues towards Point Mugu.
The best way to drive PCH is not to treat it as a road you need to finish. Pull over where parking is permitted, take a walk and carry on when you are ready. Our one-day Malibu itinerary follows the same coast and gives you a few useful stops if you want to turn the drive into a full day.
For a self-drive trip from the city, you can rent a luxury car for the day and make the journey out of Los Angeles part of the route rather than simply driving to Malibu and starting there.
One option is the Rolls Royce Spectre, a two-door electric coupe with a dual-motor powertrain producing 577 hp. It gives you a very different type of coastal drive from a petrol sports car, particularly if you prefer the quieter character of an EV. You can also look through the wider Rolls-Royce collection before choosing a car for the route.
Try to leave before the busiest part of the day. PCH is wonderfully scenic. It is considerably less wonderful when everyone else has decided to drive it at the same time.
Malibu Canyon Road
A few minutes inland from the coast, Malibu Canyon Road feels like a completely different part of Southern California. The road climbs away from PCH and into the Santa Monica Mountains, where steep canyon walls and rocky slopes replace the open ocean views. It is one of the simplest ways to see how quickly Malibu changes once you leave the coastline.
Turn inland from Pacific Coast Highway near Pepperdine University and the road begins climbing through Malibu Canyon. Continue north, and it eventually becomes Las Virgenes Road on the way towards US 101.
Malibu Creek State Park is farther along the route if you want to stop and spend some time outside the car. That makes the drive easy to combine with a short walk rather than treating it purely as a through-route.
The Porsche 911 GT3 is one of the more driver-focused cars in the LA fleet. It is a rear-engine, rear-wheel-drive coupe with a naturally aspirated 4.0-liter flat-six and a 2+2 seating layout, although the rear seats are occasional rather than full-size passenger seats. The wider Porsche range gives you other layouts if the GT3 is more focused than the day requires.
Whatever you are driving, this is not somewhere to chase speed. Malibu Canyon Road has bends, changing visibility, and plenty of reasons to take your time.
You will see more that way anyway.
Kanan Dume Road
Kanan Dume Road is a broader mountain crossing than many of Malibu’s smaller canyon roads. It connects western Malibu with the inland valleys, climbing through the Santa Monica Mountains before eventually reaching US 101. Along the way, you pass tunnels, long uphill stretches and higher mountain scenery that feels far removed from PCH.
Start from PCH near western Malibu and Point Dume, then turn north onto Kanan Dume Road. It becomes Kanan Road farther inland and eventually connects with the Ventura Freeway.
Unlike some of Malibu’s narrower canyon roads, Kanan Dume is a broader four-lane route. That makes it a good choice when you want mountain scenery without spending the entire drive negotiating tight switchbacks.
It also connects neatly with Mulholland Highway, so you can turn a simple coast-to-valley journey into a longer drive through the Santa Monica Mountains.
Another fresh model in the LA rotation is the Lamborghini Aventador SVJ. It is a two-door, mid-engine car with all-wheel drive and a 6.5-liter V12. That is a completely different configuration from the rear-wheel-drive Porsche in the previous section, although both are two-door performance cars.
Kanan Dume is not the route to choose if you want constant hairpins. Pick it when you want a longer mountain crossing with a bit more space around you.
And when you reach Mulholland, you do not necessarily have to head for the freeway.
Latigo Canyon Road
Latigo Canyon is a much more involved drive than its roughly 10-mile length suggests. The road rises from PCH through a long sequence of bends, switchbacks and residential canyon sections before meeting Kanan Dume near Mulholland Highway. For visitors who enjoy the drive itself as much as the destination, this is one of the more interesting roads in the Malibu hills.
The lower sections climb away from the ocean, with occasional views back towards the Pacific. Farther into the hills, the route becomes more enclosed, with chaparral-covered slopes and residential stretches dotted through the canyon.
Expect bends. Lots of them.
Latigo is a good road for anyone who actually enjoys the process of driving rather than simply reaching the next stop. It is a two-lane road across the Santa Monica Mountains, so this is very much a route to enjoy at sensible speeds.
There are plenty of blind corners too. Stay in your lane, watch for cyclists and motorcycles and do not assume the next bend is empty just because the last three were.
If your passenger starts getting suspiciously quiet after the first run of corners, that may also be useful information.
You can always turn the music down and take things a little easier.
Mulholland Highway
Mulholland Highway ties several of Malibu’s canyon roads together across the Santa Monica Mountains. Instead of simply taking you from the coast to the valley, it runs through higher mountain terrain and connects with Malibu Canyon, Kanan Dume, Latigo and Encinal. That makes it especially useful when you want to keep exploring rather than drive one road out and come straight back.
There is no single correct way to drive it. You can join from Malibu Canyon and head west, climb up from Kanan Dume, or use one of the smaller canyon roads to reach it.
The route winds through the Santa Monica Mountains, connecting parkland, ridges and canyon areas well away from the busier coastal strip. Depending on the section, you can get views across valleys and ridgelines, with occasional glimpses towards the Pacific.
Pick a section rather than trying to drive every mile. You can always drop back towards PCH on one of the other canyon roads later.
You do not have to be behind the wheel yourself either. If the plan involves mountain scenery, several stops, lunch and a return to Los Angeles later in the day, you can book a chauffeur for the route and leave the navigation to the driver.
Group size should decide the vehicle. The Mercedes Sprinter chauffeur service gives you a larger group configuration, with the Los Angeles fleet listing the Sprinter for six passengers and four pieces of luggage. It makes more sense when several people want to do the drive together rather than splitting across multiple cars.
The important bit is not trying to turn Mulholland into a racetrack. The views are good enough that there is no prize for getting through them quickly.
Encinal Canyon Road
Western Malibu becomes noticeably quieter once you leave PCH and head into Encinal Canyon. The two-lane road climbs through chaparral-covered hills towards Mulholland Highway, with wider views appearing as you gain elevation. Charmlee Wilderness Park also sits along the route, giving you an easy reason to stop and explore on foot before continuing into the mountains.
The road is calmer than some of the tighter canyon routes, but you still get enough bends and elevation change to make the drive interesting.
Charmlee Wilderness Park is one of several hidden gems around Malibu worth adding when you want something besides another viewpoint from the car.
Encinal feels different from Latigo. There are still bends and plenty of mountain scenery, but the reason to come is the quiet climb from western Malibu and the easy connection into the Mulholland network.
If you would rather make this part of a driven day, the Rolls Royce Cullinan chauffeur service gives you an SUV configuration for four passengers, with the LA chauffeur fleet listing room for three pieces of luggage. That makes it a different proposition from the six-passenger Sprinter mentioned above.
Once you reach Mulholland Highway, you have a choice. Head east towards Kanan and Malibu Canyon, or keep exploring the western Santa Monica Mountains.
No one says a scenic drive has to finish where you expected it to.
Tips for Driving Malibu’s Scenic Roads
A little planning makes these drives much easier. The routes themselves are not especially long, but canyon traffic, stops and road conditions can quickly add time.
Check the Roads Before Setting Out
Construction schedules change, and mountain routes can be affected by weather or emergency conditions. Check current road conditions before leaving, especially if there has been recent rain, wildfire activity or roadwork.
Leave More Time Than the Map Suggests
Do not build the whole day around Google Maps’ fastest time. A canyon drive is not particularly scenic if you spend the entire thing trying to beat the estimated arrival time.
Leave room for slower traffic, photo stops and the occasional detour.
Use Proper Pullouts
The view will occasionally make you want to stop immediately. Wait until there is somewhere safe and legal to do it rather than pulling over on a bend or blocking part of the road.
Watch the Corners
Latigo, Mulholland and the other mountain roads have limited sightlines in places. Cyclists and motorcyclists use them too, so stay in your lane and take blind bends carefully.
Keep Fuel or Charge in Reserve
You may decide to extend the route once you reach Mulholland or continue farther into the Santa Monica Mountains. Keeping some fuel or battery range in reserve gives you more flexibility.
Bring water too, especially if you plan to stop for a walk along the way.
Do Not Try to Drive Everything in One Day
There is no need to cover every scenic road in one afternoon. PCH and one canyon route can easily fill a day once you start stopping along the way.
Pick the roads that interest you most and leave something for the next trip.
Explore Malibu’s Scenic Roads With STARR Luxury Cars
Malibu gives you a surprising amount of variety without requiring a long-distance road trip. Stay on PCH and the Pacific is beside you for much of the journey. Turn inland and, within minutes, you can be surrounded by canyon walls and mountain ridges.
The route you choose matters more than trying to cover everything. PCH is the place to start for a first drive. Malibu Canyon and Kanan Dume give you straightforward ways across the mountains, while Latigo and Encinal are better saved for days when the road itself is one of the reasons you came out.
Check the conditions, leave enough time and take the corners properly. There will always be another Malibu road left for next time.
