Mulholland Drive Overlook

The drive is named for William Mulholland, the self-taught engineer who built the Los Angeles Aqueduct, the enormous system completed in 1913 that carried water more than two hundred miles from the Owens Valley to fuel the city's explosive growth. Mulholland was a hero to Los Angeles for making its rise possible, though the aqueduct also drained the Owens Valley and left a bitter legacy there that still runs deep.

The scenic road along the mountain crest opened in 1924 and was named in his honor. It was meant from the start as a pleasure drive, a way for a car-loving city to reach the ridge and take in the view, and it has served that purpose for a century.

The Santa Monica Mountains run right through the middle of Los Angeles, an unusual thing for a great city, a range of wild chaparral canyons dividing the metropolis in two. Mulholland Drive follows their spine, so its overlooks look down on both halves of the city at once.

From the north-facing pull-offs, the grid of the San Fernando Valley stretches to the distant mountains. From the south side, the view sweeps over Hollywood and the basin toward downtown's cluster of towers and, on the clearest days, a strip of Pacific blue. The Jerome C. Daniel Overlook, perched above the Hollywood Bowl, frames the Hollywood Sign and downtown together and is the most famous of them all.

Few roads carry as much cultural weight as Mulholland Drive. Winding past the gated estates of the Hollywood Hills, it became shorthand for movie-star glamour and for the dreamlike, sometimes sinister allure of Los Angeles itself, most famously in David Lynch's film that took the road as its name and its mood.

The overlooks have appeared in countless films, television shows, and photographs, the place where a character looks out over the city that will make or break them. Standing at a pull-off at night, with the whole basin flickering below, it is easy to feel why the road came to stand for the city's mix of promise and mystery.

For all the mansions and mythology, Mulholland runs through genuinely wild country. The Santa Monica Mountains are a national recreation area, and the canyons below the road hold coyotes, mule deer, bobcats, and even the occasional mountain lion, along with hawks riding the ridge thermals and spring wildflowers on the slopes.

This land is part of the ancestral homeland of the Tongva people, who lived across the Los Angeles basin for thousands of years and remain a living community. A short walk on one of the ridge trails off Mulholland trades the city view for coastal sage scrub and birdsong, a reminder that a strip of wilderness still runs down the middle of the second-largest city in the country.

The closest Boutel™ stays, so you can turn this stop into an overnight. Each is a place we chose through independent editorial review, never a paid placement.

Mulholland Drive is a famous, winding road that follows the ridgeline of the Santa Monica Mountains through Los Angeles, and its scenic overlooks offer spectacular panoramic views of the city, the San Fernando Valley, and the surrounding landscape. Immortalized in film and celebrated for its glamour and vistas, the drive features several pullouts and overlooks where visitors can stop to take in sweeping views of the LA basin, downtown skyline, Hollywood Sign, and, on clear days, the ocean. The Mulholland Drive overlooks are beloved spots for enjoying breathtaking scenery high above the city.

From the overlooks along Mulholland Drive, you can enjoy sweeping panoramic views of the Los Angeles basin and downtown skyline on one side and the San Fernando Valley on the other, with sightings of the Hollywood Sign, the Griffith Observatory, and, on clear days, the distant ocean. The views are especially stunning at sunset and after dark when the city lights sparkle below. Popular overlooks like the ones offering valley and city vistas are favorite photo spots. The dramatic elevated scenery makes the overlooks a memorable stop on a Los Angeles visit.

Mulholland Drive is narrow and winding with sharp curves, so drive carefully and watch for cyclists, pedestrians, and other cars, and use only designated pullouts and overlooks rather than stopping on the road. At the overlooks, park safely, stay back from steep, unfenced edges, and keep children close. Be aware of your surroundings, especially after dark, and secure your belongings. Driving cautiously on the curvy road and being mindful at the overlook edges keeps a scenic drive along Mulholland safe and enjoyable while you take in the views.

Clear days offer the best panoramic views of the city, valley, and ocean, while sunset and evening are especially magical as the sky glows and the city lights come on below, making them popular times. Smog and haze can reduce visibility on some days, so clear conditions, often after rain or on breezy days, are ideal. Weekdays may be less busy at popular overlooks. For the most spectacular views, aim for a clear day, with sunset offering a particularly beautiful vantage over Los Angeles from the ridge.

Mulholland Drive winds along the Santa Monica Mountains through Los Angeles, near the Hollywood Hills, Griffith Park and its observatory, the neighborhoods and studios of the San Fernando Valley on one side, and Hollywood and the west side on the other, with the beaches and canyons of the Santa Monica Mountains reachable nearby. That makes the Mulholland Drive overlooks a scenic highlight to combine with Griffith Park, Hollywood, and the many other attractions of Los Angeles on a Southern California visit.