Kanan Dume Road: Coast to Canyon
A main connection from PCH into the western canyon network, with broad hillside sections and tighter bends.
Loading map…
Planning the drive
Kanan Dume covers 6.2 miles with only 14 counted bends — far fewer than the tight canyon roads around it — but an 8% grade on the descent toward the coast, the steepest sustained stretch in this cluster. The character changes by section: wide, predictable curves near US 101, tightening through the recreation area at the highest elevation, then three narrow tunnels (built between 1967 and 1982, known locally as T-1, T-2 and T-3) on the final drop to PCH. A runaway-truck ramp near the bottom is a fair indicator of how steep that last stretch runs. SoCal Regional Rocks and Roads: Kanan Dume Road
Roads to connect
- Pacific Coast Highway · MalibuThe coast road at Kanan Dume's southern end.
- Latigo Canyon RoadA parallel canyon road to consider for a return leg.
- Mulholland Highway · Malibu mountainsCrosses Kanan Dume partway up, toward the Snake and the Rock Store.
Driving notes updated .
Road shape
- Length
- 6.2 mi
- Bends
- 14
- Switchbacks
- 0
- Bends per mile
- 2.3
- Turning per mile
- 224°
- Curviest rank
- 125of 168
Measured from the OpenStreetMap centreline at a 20 m sampling step — road shape only, not a safety or speed judgement. How bends are counted.
Elevation
- Total climb
- 1,908ft
- Climb per mile
- 308ft
- Highest point
- 1,772ft
- Steepest grade
- 8%
Sampled every 100 m from USGS 10 m elevation data, a public-domain federal dataset. Total climb counts vertical change in both directions, so it does not depend on which way you drive. How elevation is measured.
Speed limits
45 mph
Published limits
45 mph in the Malibu city section; limits elsewhere vary.
45 mph in the Malibu city section; limits elsewhere vary.
Posted signs always govern. How speed evidence is handled.
Sources
Difficulty 2/3 (Winding) is our editorial rating of width, bends and sightlines; “Medium speed” describes character, not a target speed. Full method. Identified from:
- “Our favorite rides and routes”
- Municipal Code, Chapter 10.08, Speed Limits
- OpenStreetMap road data (12 ways in this trace)
Reviewed 2026-09-09. The trace shows selected road sections, not a navigation route.
Roads nearby
Distances are approximate straight lines between road centers, not driving distances or direct connections.