Mulholland Drive (Thousand Oaks, Woodland, Malibu: neighborhood, campground, club)

[BZEP]

I am visiting LA for a 3 day weekend in a couple weeks and one of our stops is going to be Mulholland DRive. Wouldn't mind spending an hour or so hiking or walking around. Its a pretty long road. Any suggestions? Preferably soemthing I could plug into my GPS. Thanks for your help.

[bmwguydc]

Depending upon where you're staying, I would recommend the stretch of Mulholland from Cahuenga to the 405, or even Beverly Glen. Across the 405, Mulholland turns into a neighborhood street and then is unpaved as it passes throgh Topanga State Park, and is then paved again as it heads to PCH. If you want an ocean view, however, you want to be on the west stretch from PCH to Topanga Canyon.

There are a few scenic overlooks, both city and Valley, on the east side of Mulholland and then there's always Ruynon Canyon Park, Laurel Canyon Park, or Coldwater Canyon Park for a hike, though Runyon is the largest of them. On the west side, Topanga and the fire roads are the star attraction, especially if you like a natural setting, and then you have some vistas of the hills and the ocean as you descend to PCH (or ascend from it and stop along the way). From PCH, the road is Mulholland Highway as Mulholland Drive branches to its termination at the 101 where it becomes Valley Circle Blvd.

To get to the western half of Muholland, coming from the east, you would want to get to Topanga Canyon Blvd. & Mulholland, but stay on Mulholland Highway, don't branch off on Mulholland Drive as that's the portion that heads to the 101. From PCH (Pacific Coast Highway), you would already be on Mulholland Highway, and you would follow that to Mulholland Drive at Topanga Canyon as soon thereafter it becomes a fire road through Topanga State Park.

To get to the eastern half of Mulholland, from the east you would want to get to Mulholland & Cahuenga (near the 101), and from the west, you could begin at the 405 & Skirball Center Blvd. or any of the following intersections with Mulholland: Beverly Glen, Benedict Canyon, Coldwater Canyon, or Laurel Canyon Boulevard.

The west side is not as developed as areas to the east, so you might be thinking of Mulholland Drive from about Beverly Glen to Cahuenga if you're looking for the iconic stretch as opposed to the more natural setting. Both are worth a visit, though, but if you have limited time, the east side might be the better bet. Have fun!

[Vistrol]

I saw the movie called Mulholland Drive yesterday. It looks to have a fine view. In the movie, one of the characters walks from Mulholland Drive all the way down the hill to West Franklin Avenue and beyond to West Sunset Boulevard. Does anyone know, is it possible to do that for real?

Also the shot from the top of the hill, when the two detectives are discussing the car crash, shows the bright city lights below but there is one long avenue which appears even brighter than all the other streets. Does anyone know which street that would be? Would it be Sunset Boulevard?

Films such as Mulholland Drive, Collatoral and Falling Down rouse my curiosity and make me want to see those places for myself!

[Lovehound]

Originally Posted by BZEP

I am visiting LA for a 3 day weekend in a couple weeks and one of our stops is going to be Mulholland DRive. Wouldn't mind spending an hour or so hiking or walking around. Its a pretty long road. Any suggestions? Preferably soemthing I could plug into my GPS. Thanks for your help.

Noting the topic is over a month old...

You should consider hiking in Griffith Park, and you should get hiking advice from the Sierra Club of Southern California for which hikes to take. You can google that.

[1200RT]

Originally Posted by BZEP

I am visiting LA for a 3 day weekend in a couple weeks and one of our stops is going to be Mulholland DRive. Wouldn't mind spending an hour or so hiking or walking around. Its a pretty long road. Any suggestions? Preferably soemthing I could plug into my GPS. Thanks for your help.

mulholland isn't ideal for pedestrian traffic .... best enjoyed by car.


or motorcycle.

There it good hiking in the area, but not directly along mulholland.

[Statz2k10]

I didn't want to start a new thread and this is helpful. I want to venture on this road. I look at google maps and the highway ends but not sure how it's 55 miles if that's the case. I looked at both areas of the map and the area near Thousand Oaks eventually runs out & the area near San Vicente Mountain Park ends. Only option is a "trail" in the mountains.

Do these roads not connect by driving?

[Winter Coven]

Originally Posted by Statz2k10

I didn't want to start a new thread and this is helpful. I want to venture on this road. I look at google maps and the highway ends but not sure how it's 55 miles if that's the case. I looked at both areas of the map and the area near Thousand Oaks eventually runs out & the area near San Vicente Mountain Park ends. Only option is a "trail" in the mountains.

Do these roads not connect by driving?

There are two Mulholland Drives.

The "east" MH begins at Cahuenga Boulevard near Hollywood Resorvoir and ends where you noted at San Vicente Mountain Park (old NIKE base) near Encino Resorvoir.

You pick up the "west" MH at the south end of Canoga Ave near Topanga Canyon Boulevard in Woodland Hills and can take it to the sea and PCH (near the Leo Carillo campground just west of Malibu) near the Ventura County line.

[highlanderfil]

Originally Posted by Statz2k10

I didn't want to start a new thread and this is helpful. I want to venture on this road. I look at google maps and the highway ends but not sure how it's 55 miles if that's the case. I looked at both areas of the map and the area near Thousand Oaks eventually runs out & the area near San Vicente Mountain Park ends. Only option is a "trail" in the mountains.

Do these roads not connect by driving?

Mulholland Highway starts at Leo Carrillo State Beach in Malibu and runs northeast, until it becomes Mulholland Drive at the intersection of Topanga Canyon in Woodland Hills. Then it turns into a trail and re-emerges again as a driving road around the Encino Reservoir. What you're describing is accurate. The 55 mile measure is the entire length, from Malibu to the Hollywood Hills.

[Statz2k10]

Thank you Both!