Malibu Woolsey Fire Burn Tour

"Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)" (rduncan5678)
11/22/2018 at 15:46 • Filed to: None

On my way home from work on Wednesday, the PCH was open for the first time all the way through to Malibu Canyon from Pt Mugu so I was able to get home through the canyons for the first time since the fire. The destruction was just unreal. So many areas that were once covered in lush, green vegetation are now blackened and charred. It was even worse in person since I could look up the hills and see destruction all the way to the top of the mountains. There were many buildings that thankfully seem to have survived, the famous Neptune’s net one of them. But there were also plenty of other structures that definitely were a full loss. I am sure many of the “still standing” structures still had some damage and many others that I couldnt see up the hill were just gone.

A t about 2:58 in the video there was a traffic cone down in the road so I even got to go do my own little autox course through the road. The person behind me just ran over the cone instead but I didnt feel like scuffing my paint or sending it flying into opposing traffic.

Here is the video of that drive from about the County Line to just before Kanan:

Here is video starting at about 42:00 and goes to about 46:00 showing that same area of the PCH in the other direction. As you can see, there was A LOT more green down there before:

DISCUSSION (7)

Braniff747SP > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
11/23/2018 at 01:51

Are all the canyons open now? It’s been a while since I’ve been out there, and I’d penciled a drive into the calendar this weekend.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > Braniff747SP
11/23/2018 at 09:22

Oh no, definitely most of the roads are still closed. It's quite the mess up in the hills! But towards the south end of Malibu, it is safe. Piuma road would be the canyon to check out, that is well worth your time.

Braniff747SP > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
11/23/2018 at 11:20

Figured as much. Piuma is nice, but I’m partial to some of the canyons further north - I don’t think they’re open yet.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > Braniff747SP
11/23/2018 at 12:15

Decker is probably my favorite and I also enjoy a nice cruise on Encinal. Then Latigo is my other favorite from the PCH to Kanan. All of those are very closed though right now. That area was basically ground zero of the fire.

Braniff747SP > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
11/23/2018 at 13:54

Latigo is great, but it’s often busy. Encinal, Yerba Buena, and the back end of Mu lholland are my favorites. Yerba Buena in particular is a ghost town.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > Braniff747SP
11/23/2018 at 18:26

The pavement on Yerba Buena is absolutely the worst though. To the point that I'd never willingly drive that road again unless it was to go hiking up there. It's just brutally rough. It is nice how empty it is but it's for a reason lol.

Braniff747SP > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
11/23/2018 at 20:28

Parts of it are rough. The bigger problem is how narrow it gets in some places. I’m not bombing down it, though, so I take it in stride.