Back
Mulholland Highway, Santa Monica Mountains, California
Photo: Kay Röllig · CC BY 3.0 · cropped

Drives California Los Angeles

Mulholland Highway

Mulholland Highway, Decker Road, CA 23 · Las Virgenes Road → Leo Carrillo

Intense21 mi45 min3,400 ft climbHigh point ≈ 1,900 ftOne way
Scan to drive it in CarvePoint a phone's camera here. It opens ready to drive.
Drive it in Carve, free

Opens this route in the app, or where to get it.

Drive this road
in the appOpen

The drive

Mulholland Highway through the Santa Monica Mountains is Southern California's best-known motorcycle road. This drive runs it west from Las Virgenes Road, beside Malibu Creek State Park, through canyons and over ridges toward the ocean.

A few miles in it passes the Rock Store in Cornell, a building of local volcanic rock from the 1910s that began as a stagecoach stop and has been a weekend gathering place for motorcyclists since the 1970s. West of Kanan Road comes the Snake, a 2.4-mile run of tight bends, closed for years after the Woolsey Fire and reopened with curve-warning signs, rumble strips and bollards to slow traffic.

Past the Snake the road crosses Highway 23, sharing about 0.8 mile with Decker Road, then turns west again on the quietest and slowest part of the drive, winding through remote canyon country and down to the coast. It ends just short of Pacific Coast Highway at Leo Carrillo State Park.

Along the way

  1. Las Virgenes Road
  2. Rock Store
  3. The Snake
  4. Mulholland Highway west of Decker Road
  5. Mulholland Highway above Leo Carrillo
  6. Leo Carrillo (Highway 1)
Elevation
3,400 ft of climbing · high point ≈ 1,900 ft
Las Virgenes RoadLeo Carrillo
Curves
Mostly moderate, with three twisty stretches
Las Virgenes RoadLeo Carrillo
GentleHairpins

Good to know

  • Weekends bring heavy motorcycle traffic, especially around the Rock Store and the Snake; the CHP patrols the Snake.
  • Street racing has been a problem on the Snake, and the new rumble strips and bollards are there to slow it; keep to the posted speeds.
  • Expect cyclists on the climbs, and blind bends where you'll meet them.
  • The Rock Store keeps limited hours, mainly on weekends.

Open all year, weather permitting. Roads close for snow, fire, storms and repairs: before you set off, check LA County Public Works road closures.

Questions about this drive

How long does Mulholland Highway take?

Mulholland Highway from Las Virgenes Road to Leo Carrillo on Highway 1 is 21.3 miles and takes about 45 minutes without stops.

Is the Snake on Mulholland Highway open?

Yes. The Snake, the 2.4-mile stretch of Mulholland Highway between Kanan and Sierra Creek roads, is open, with curve-warning signs, rumble strips and bollards to slow traffic.

Where is the Rock Store on Mulholland Highway?

The Rock Store is at 30354 Mulholland Highway in Cornell, a few miles west of Las Virgenes Road; it's a long-time weekend stop for motorcyclists.

Is Mulholland Highway twisty?

Mulholland Highway is curvy throughout, with the tightest bends on the Snake and on the long descent to Leo Carrillo at the western end.

What you get in the app

Turn by turn, on this roadSpoken directions along the exact route. Carve never reroutes you onto a faster one.
Preview it in 3DFly the whole drive over satellite and terrain before you go.
Drive it with no signalAPEXDownload the map and every turn before you go.
Live Group TrackingAPEXEveryone on the route, on the map, by name.
Road conditionsAPEXWet or dry, ice, fog and wind along the road before you go.
Record your drivesAPEXRecord a drive and turn it into a route to drive again or share.

Free on iPhone and Android. CarPlay and Android Auto come with Apex.

Download on theApp StoreEarly access onGoogle Play

More drives near here

All 126 drives in California ›

Distance, time, elevation, curves and intensity are from Carve's route. Checked 2026-10-28.

+ Plan a new route
Map of Mulholland Highway, from Las Virgenes Road to Leo Carrillo