United States, California
The Santa Monica Mountains run every Los Angeles driver knows, ending at the Pacific.
Length
34 km
In miles
21.1 mi
Driving time
51 min
Atlas rating
8.9 / 10
The run
Calabasas to Leo Carrillo Beach. Drive it in either direction, though the views usually favour the climb.
Season
Heavily policed at weekends
Checked by the Drivers Atlas desk
Scored and written by the Drivers Atlas editorial desk, drawing on driven routes across the UK and Europe, mapping data and member road reports. Every road in the library carries a driving and scenery score set by the same method. How we score roads.
Last reviewed 22 March 2026
Nearby
84 km away
Angeles Crest Highway
Los Angeles's mountain playground, hours of clean sweepers above the basin.
357 km away
Highway 1, Big Sur
The Pacific coast at its most theatrical, cliff curves above the open ocean.
399 km away
Seventeen Mile Drive
Cypress trees, crashing surf and Pebble Beach, best taken slowly at first light.
425 km away
Tioga Pass Road
Yosemite high country, granite domes and meadows, then a drop to Mono Lake.
470 km away
Valley of Fire Road
Bright red sandstone waves either side of a smooth, almost empty two lane.
477 km away
Sonora Pass
The steepest Sierra crossing, narrow and demanding with barely a car on it midweek.
Drive here from
Plan around it
Curated drives
A to B journeys
2 days
Los Angeles to San Francisco
Highway 1 through Big Sur, the coast drive every other coast drive gets compared with.
4 days
Washington DC to Asheville
Skyline Drive into the Blue Ridge Parkway, 1000 km of ridge top tarmac with no lorries on it.
3 days
Nashville to The Great Smoky Mountains
Country music to 318 curves in 11 miles, taking in the Cherohala Skyway on the way.