Valley gravel hangs off one road: Dirt Mulholland, the car-free, unpaved spine of Mulholland Drive along the top of the Santa Monica Mountains. Two trailheads off Reseda Boulevard get you up there from the Valley floor. Clubs posting gravel rides on RiderFinder are listed below with their next date and distance.
Where to ride gravel in the San Fernando Valley
Dirt Mulholland runs unpaved along the crest for roughly seven and a half miles, closed to cars from Encino Hills Drive west to Topanga Canyon. Once you’re up, it rolls rather than climbs, with the Valley on one side and the canyons toward the ocean on the other. That makes it the easiest sustained gravel in this part of LA.
The real choice is how you get up. The simplest start is Marvin Braude Mulholland Gateway Park at the south end of Reseda Boulevard in Tarzana, with parking, water and a short ramp straight onto the dirt. To earn it on gravel, take Caballero Canyon, which branches off Reseda a little lower and climbs about a mile and a half of sandy wash to the ridge. After rain that wash goes soft, so expect to pick your way through.
From the top you can string a longer loop along the ridge and onto the connecting fire roads toward the old Nike missile site at San Vicente Mountain Park, whose viewing platform looks back over the whole Valley. Bikes belong on the fire roads; leave the narrow trails to hikers. The area borders Topanga State Park, so if you keep heading west, check its post-fire closures before you cross the park boundary.
Frequently asked questions
Where can I ride gravel in the San Fernando Valley?
On Dirt Mulholland, the car-free, unpaved stretch of Mulholland Drive along the Santa Monica Mountains crest, about 7.5 miles between Encino Hills Drive and Topanga Canyon. The two easiest ways up from the Valley floor are Caballero Canyon and Marvin Braude Mulholland Gateway Park, both off Reseda Boulevard.
What is Caballero Canyon?
A dirt trail off Reseda Boulevard in Tarzana that climbs about a mile and a half up a sandy wash to meet Dirt Mulholland. It’s the most direct way onto the gravel without riding pavement to a trailhead. The lower section goes soft and washed out after rain, so pick your line.
Where do I park or start for Dirt Mulholland?
Marvin Braude Mulholland Gateway Park, at the south end of Reseda Boulevard in Tarzana, has parking, restrooms and water, and a short paved ramp leads straight onto the dirt. If you’d rather climb in on dirt the whole way, start at Caballero Canyon a little way back down Reseda.
How do clubs end up on this page?
Clubs show up when they’ve posted a gravel ride on RiderFinder or Strava recently, or have one coming up. A name or description alone never gets a club listed, so the list tracks the rides clubs actually post.