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Guides
Scenic Drives in Los Angeles
Oct 15, 20261 min read
The best scenic drives in Los Angeles include Mulholland Drive (ridgeline city and valley views), the Pacific Coast Highway (ocean cliffs through Malibu), Angeles Crest Highway (mountain switchbacks in the San Gabriels), Palos Verdes Drive (coastal bluffs), and the Malibu canyon roads (Topanga, Latigo, Las Virgenes). Each offers a different landscape — coast, mountains, or city skyline — and all are classic LA driving experiences. Check current road conditions before you go.
Why LA is a driver's city
Los Angeles gets teased for its traffic, but away from the freeways it hides some of the most spectacular driving roads in the country. Within an hour of downtown you can be carving along an ocean cliff, climbing switchbacks into mountain pine forest, or tracing a ridgeline with the whole city glittering below. The variety is the magic: coast, canyon, and mountain, all in one region. It's exactly why LA is a dream destination for anyone who loves to drive — and why it pairs so perfectly with a car worth driving.
The best scenic drives in Los Angeles
Routes worth planning a day around:
- Mulholland Drive — the iconic ridgeline road with sweeping views over the city and the San Fernando Valley.
- Pacific Coast Highway (Highway 1) — ocean cliffs, beaches, and Malibu; one of America's great coastal drives.
- Angeles Crest Highway (SR-2) — dramatic mountain switchbacks and pine forest in the San Gabriel Mountains.
- Palos Verdes Drive — coastal bluffs, tide pools, and Pacific panoramas on the peninsula.
- Topanga Canyon Boulevard — a winding canyon road linking the valley to the coast.
- Latigo & Las Virgenes (Malibu Canyon) — classic Malibu canyon roads loved by driving enthusiasts.
Each delivers a completely different landscape — pick by the view you want.
Coast, canyon, or mountain?
The beauty of LA driving is choosing your backdrop. For the ocean, the Pacific Coast Highway and Palos Verdes serve up cliffs, surf, and endless blue. For mountains, Angeles Crest climbs into a different world of switchbacks and alpine air, often cooler and quieter than the city below. For that quintessential LA feeling — the city spread out beneath you at golden hour — nothing beats Mulholland Drive. And the canyon roads between the valley and Malibu give you the twisty, engaging driving that enthusiasts travel for. The official Visit California travel resource is a good starting point for planning, and the National Park Service's Santa Monica Mountains pages cover the canyon areas.
The drive that becomes the memory
Ask anyone who's driven Mulholland at sunset and they'll describe the same thing: the moment the road opens up and the entire basin of Los Angeles unfolds below, hazy and golden, lights just beginning to flicker on. Or the first glimpse of the Pacific as PCH drops toward Malibu, the ocean suddenly filling the windshield. These aren't just drives — they're the memories people carry home from LA. The city's freeways are something to endure; its scenic roads are something to savor. The difference is night and day, and it's what turns a visit into a story.
Make the drive unforgettable
A great road deserves a great car. Driving Mulholland or PCH in something ordinary is lovely; doing it in an exotic — windows down, engine singing through the canyons — is the kind of experience people plan whole trips around. The right car turns a scenic drive into the highlight of your visit. Just be sure to check current road conditions before you set out, since canyon and coast roads can close for weather, fire recovery, or construction.
Experience LA's best roads in an exotic
The surest way to make these drives legendary is the car you do them in. FYV, a supercar rental agency, delivers exotic and luxury cars across Los Angeles, so you can take on Mulholland, PCH, or the canyons in something special. See our Los Angeles location page.
Author Bio:
Matching the perfect supercar to the right stretch of California asphalt is something I do for my clients daily. I am George Kazanjian, CEO of FYV Exotic Car Rentals—a premier driving destination within the Rent FYV network founded by Sean Cohen. Because our team physically delivers vehicles from the coastal cliffs of Malibu to the peaks of Angeles Crest, we constantly monitor the Caltrans grid for local closures, rockslides, and fire repairs. I wrote this guide to ensure that when you rent an exotic from our fleet, you don't end up stuck in downtown traffic, but instead know exactly how to escape to the legendary, twisting canyons that these high-performance machines were engineered for.
Frequently Asked Questions
The top routes are Mulholland Drive (ridgeline city views), the Pacific Coast Highway (ocean cliffs through Malibu), Angeles Crest Highway (mountain switchbacks), Palos Verdes Drive (coastal bluffs), and the Malibu canyon roads like Topanga and Latigo. Each offers a different landscape.
Absolutely — it's the quintessential LA scenic drive, tracing a ridgeline with sweeping views over the city and the San Fernando Valley. It's especially spectacular at sunset. It's one of the most famous driving roads in the world.
Sections of PCH were affected by the 2025 Palisades fire and reopened in phases. It's generally open again, but conditions can change, so check current status (Caltrans QuickMap) before you go, as coast and canyon roads sometimes close.
The Pacific Coast Highway through Malibu is the classic coastal drive, with ocean cliffs and beaches. Palos Verdes Drive is another beautiful coastal option, with bluffs and Pacific panoramas on the peninsula. Both are stunning.
Angeles Crest Highway (SR-2) is the premier mountain drive, climbing into the San Gabriel Mountains with dramatic switchbacks and pine forest. It's a favorite of driving enthusiasts and far cooler than the city in summer. Check for seasonal closures.
Early morning and late afternoon (golden hour) offer the best light and lighter traffic. Weekdays are quieter than weekends on popular roads. For mountain drives, check seasonal conditions, as higher elevations can see snow or closures.
Yes — the Malibu canyon roads (Topanga, Latigo, Las Virgenes) are beloved for their twists, elevation changes, and views. They're engaging driving roads, best enjoyed at a sensible pace with respect for cyclists and local traffic.
No, but a great car makes them unforgettable. Many visitors rent an exotic or luxury car to make scenic drives like Mulholland or PCH the highlight of their trip. The right car turns a nice drive into a memorable one.
It varies — Mulholland can be a quick hour or a leisurely half-day with stops; PCH through Malibu can fill a full day with beach and viewpoint stops; Angeles Crest is a longer mountain excursion. Plan by how much you want to explore.
Yes. FYV delivers exotic and luxury cars across Los Angeles, so you can take on Mulholland, PCH, or the canyon roads in something special — turning a scenic drive into the highlight of your trip.