Best driving roads in California
Find your next mountain road, coastal detour or weekend loop in the Bay Area, Los Angeles or San Diego. Tap a colored road on the map, or start with a guide for the route, worthwhile stops and access notes.
Make a drive of it
- Highway 9, Skyline & Pescadero coastal driveA great choice when you want a drive with a bit of everything: a wooded climb out of Saratoga, a stretch along Skyline, a stop at Alice’s, and a winding run through Pescadero to the ocean.
- Page Mill, Skyline & Alice’s driving routeA great Peninsula drive if you enjoy tighter, more involved mountain roads. Page Mill supplies the technical climb, Skyline connects you to Alice’s, and Highway 84 brings you back down toward Woodside.
- Glendora Mountain Road to Highway 39GMR brings the tight turns and mountain views. Stay on it over the ridge and down to East Fork Road, then follow Highway 39 back toward Azusa for a more open canyon finish.
A few roads to start with
- Highway 9 · Front SideThe front side of Highway 9: the climb from Saratoga to Saratoga Gap at Skyline, through tight wooded bends with short sightlines.
- Page Mill RoadA steep foothill climb to Skyline, with tight bends, limited sightlines and frequent bicycle traffic.
- Skyline Boulevard · Hwy 35The mountain section of Highway 35 links the Peninsula’s ridge roads between Highway 92 and Highway 9.
- Latigo Canyon RoadA tight canyon climb from the Pacific Coast Highway up to the Kanan Dume ridge, turning almost continuously through the coastal side of the Santa Monica Mountains.
- Palomar South Grade · S6The switchback climb up the face of Palomar Mountain from Highway 76, the road the whole mountain is known for.
- Mines RoadA long, remote backroad south of Livermore, mixing open valleys with narrow, winding sections.
Pick a map
- Bay Area71 roads · 942 milesThe Peninsula ridge roads, the Santa Cruz Mountains, the East Bay, Marin, Napa and Monterey.
- Los Angeles44 roads · 453 milesThe Malibu canyons, the Angeles and San Gabriel mountains, and the Orange County hills.
- San Diego9 roads · 118 milesPalomar Mountain, the Laguna and Cuyamaca ranges, and the North County back roads.
Also now mapping the Southern Appalachians — Tail of the Dragon and nine more roads across Tennessee, North Carolina, Virginia and Georgia — Colorado, from the Million Dollar Highway to Trail Ridge Road, Washington, from the North Cascades Highway to Chuckanut Drive, and Oregon, from the Historic Columbia River Highway to McKenzie Pass.