Malibu via Latigo Canyon

Spring flowers along Kanan-Dume Road in Malibu's Latigo Canyon

Latigo Canyon, otherwise known as Kanan-Dume Road, is the northernmost direct canyon artery from the 101, connecting Agoura Hills with Malibu.

Here you’ll find unusual rock formations, vivid yellow wildflowers in Spring, the best mountain views, but also the most nauseously winding route. It’s the top choice for motorcycle riders, and you’re bound to see a lot of them.

You’ll also see a lot of mansions, and as in other places along the 27-mile stretch of Malibu, you might marvel at the myopic logic of building them in a place where huge hillside fires are a yearly occurrence.

As with all things in Malibu, enjoy them for now.

If you’re looking for a little variety in your journey before you’ve even begun, take a detour for awhile and check out the small private community of Malibou Lake (click here for detailed directions). There really is a lake here, a lovely spot to wander around, watch birds, and enjoy the quiet. Started in the mid 1920′s, it’s often served as a movie location, standing in for summer camps, the Canadian woods, and more. Click here for directions to get from Malibou Lake back to Kanan Dume Road and once again on your way to Malibu.

Otherwise, within a mile of the 101, you’ll find three things specific to Kanan Dume in quick succession: a business selling chainsaw-carved bears and totem poles; the pond-as-theme-park Troutdale, where you can go fishing in a trout-stocked pool; and the Rustic Canyon Cafe, whose parking lot is, on Sundays, full of Italian-leather-clad crotch-rocket riders.

For the next ten miles or so, you’ll pass huge and seemingly far-off mountains, a shiny new housing development or two, a couple of hillside vineyards, and rock outcroppings that seem like they’d be more at home on the surface of the moon.

Kanan Dume ends at Pacific Coast Highway near some good restaurants and a string of great beaches.

Once at PCH, you can turn left and head towards Paradise Cove or Geoffrey’s.

At the first stoplight, on your right, is the sign for Paradise Cove. It’s a beach cafe/upscale mobile home park, the latter of which is a very Malibu concept. Park free with validation, rent some Adirondack chairs or grab a table right on the sand, and it’s sort of like having your own beach house for the day (albeit with a bunch of strangers). The shabby, dark bar inside is stocked with barrels of peanuts — everyone just grabs a handful and then drops the shells on the floor; try not to think too much about this. The real treat is the yummy salad bar and the opportunity to sit on a tiny, friendly beach and drink free of legal penalty while you watch pelicans and (if it doesn’t feel too creepy) Malibu teenagers. If your secret desire is to bust out that straw-cowboy-hat-and-flip-flops look without looking out of place, this is your moment.

geoffreys 300x225 Malibu via Latigo Canyon

View from the deck at Geoffrey's in Malibu

Enclosed by a glass “fence,” you don’t miss a single wave, boat, seagull or drift of seaweed from the patio at Geoffrey’s. They have beautiful iced tea, excellent crab cakes and a delicious Mediterranean salad with roasted cherry tomatoes. The scene at valet is an exercise in vehicle one-upmanship, and dominates the restaurant’s entrance; cut your visit time in half by snagging off-peak-hour parking (above the small hill of the driveway) on PCH. Dress is generally pretty spiffy.

If you want pure beach in your day, then at PCH and Kanan Dume, turn right. For details, see the post for Three Great Malibu Beaches.

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