Canyon Carving is Pure Joy
Mulholland Hwy “The Snake” taken summer 2022
First let me start by elaborating what canyon carving is for those who have never heard the term. The term canyon carving is driving your vehicle of choice on a curvy road at an enjoyable flowing pace. This term originated in Southern California. The hub for this wonderful activity is the Santa Monica Mountains near Los Angeles. Long before it was even regarded as an activity, driving enthusiast legends like Steve McQueen had discovered the joy to be had on these curvy asphalt roads. Many consider the godfather of all canyon carving roads to be Mulholland Hwy, a road built in the 1920s that stretches right through the spine of the Santa Monica mountains and named after William Mulholland a man who is largely responsible for the Los Angeles water supply infrastructure.
Santa Monica Mountains Recreation Area map
On a sunny California weekend while driving through the Malibu canyons a driving enthusiast will see nearly all types of super bikes and sports cars putting smiles on their pilots faces as they enjoy the glorious engineering of their machines. This was a treat for me and my brother even as youngsters. Our dad being a motorcycle rider and car enthusiast would purposely take the longer curvier roads on our way to the beach from the San Fernando Valley. This exposed us to this beautiful enthusiast culture from an early age. Stopping at the Mulholland Hwy outlook in a particular section dubbed “the snake” was adrenaline even for those just spectating as every make of machine would carve their way up the visible sections of road before screaming by the outlook blasting through the gears sometimes on 1 wheel as suggested by the “Lance” that was painted on the asphalt. That’s right someone had painted the word “Lance” with an arrow pointing at the sweet stretch for getting up on 1 wheel. Unfortunately this also resulted in many crashes on that stretch of road and after a wildfire in 2018 closed the road it has yet to reopen to traffic at the time this article was written in early 2024. The stretch of road has obviously remained closed for 6 years for reasons other than fire damage.
But fear not my fellow enthusiasts Sunset Blvd, Topanga Canyon Blvd, Tuna Canyon, Mulholland Hwy, Stunt Rd, Piuma Rd, Malibu Canyon Rd, Latigo Canyon Rd, Kanan Rd, Encinal Canyon Rd, Decker Rd, Westlake Blvd and Potrero Rd are world class roads that can be thoroughly enjoyed just for the price of a few gallons of gas or kilowatts of electricity. The joy these roads bring to all driving enthusiasts is truly magical. Hearing your exhaust resonate off the canyon walls while precisely placing your car or motorcycle through each corner back to back satisfies deeply. Any curvy road will bring joy to a driving enthusiast. To find the best road near you just use Google Maps and look for the road that looks like a squiggly line, the curvier the better. Once you find one that looks interesting go explore and enjoy. Get out and drive my friends, go enjoy the machines companies have spent billions developing and decades perfecting.
Drive On