Thrill seekers return to Mulholland

Noise and recklessness rumble back with vengeance

- BY CLARA HARTER

ROBERT GAUTHIER Los Angeles Times BIKERS RIDE along the Snake, a famous stretch of the Mulholland Highway.

Its serpentine curves have entranced drivers for decades, and even lured some to their death.

For motorcycle and car enthusiasts, riding the hair-raising turns of the 2.4-mile section of Mulholland Highway known as “the Snake” can feel akin to a religious experience.

When the road reopened after a nearly seven-year closure in December, its devotees returned in droves.

"It is so gratifying, so tactual, it clears my head and reinvigorates my soul," said Malibu resident Doug Baron, who fell in love with the canyon road while cruising it alongside childhood friend Chad McQueen in the late 1970s.

But locals who live at the base of this motorsports mecca have a very different view of the Snake.

“It’s always been loud. It’s always been reckless — now, it’s come back with a vengeance,” said Cristina Lopez, a 22-year resident of Seminole Springs Mobile Home Park. Her home faces the start of the route, which winds through the Santa Monica Mountains just outside Agoura Hills, roughly between Kanan and Sierra Creek roads.

Although many drivers come to enjoy the sweeping canyon views at a respectful speed, the route also attracts adrenaline junkies and social media clout chasers—who residents say have transformed the road outside their tranquil, Stars Hollow-esque community into a racetrack.

“Race car driving is like sex. Most men think they’re good at it, and they’re really not,” Jay Leno, a noted car and motorcycle collector, told The Times. Drawn by the strong community of motorsports enthusiasts, the former “Tonight Show” host has also been coming to the Snake for decades, and noted that it’s often the case that a few bad drivers ruin the fun for everyone.