Adam and I drive to Malibu a lot. If you lived in Los Angeles, then trust me — you would, too.
Easy fulfillment of the temptation to vacation while hardly traveling is one of the best things about Los Angeles.
Roughly a half-hour outside the city, Malibu offers mountains worthy of Colorado, hiking trails that offer both solitude and endless valley views, destination restaurants and hangouts, great little beaches where you can see caves, mansions and surfers, and the opportunity to glimpse celebrities (and other hilariously vapid rich people) in the wild.
The name Malibu is a rough pronunciation of the native Chumash word Humaliwo, meaning a stretch of beach where “the surf sounds loudly.” These days, Malibu’s equally literal slogan is “27 Miles of Scenic Beauty.” Because Malibu stretches so far along the Pacific Coast Highway and through the Santa Monica Mountains, there are several ways to get there.
Each route has its own special features:
- Central Malibu Along the Pacific Coast Highway
- Sunset Boulevard to Malibu
- Topanga Canyon
- Malibu Canyon
- Latigo Canyon
- The Far Northern End of Malibu
