Southern California - PCH Parking for Topanga, Latigo, other climbs

I've become hooked on the glorious mountain climbs off the Pac Coast Highway in SoCal such as Topanga, Latigo Canyon, Las Flores, Piuma, etc. I've been doing them mostly every weekend with various bike clubs, such as LATri, LaGrange, and Marina Del Rey, and we typically ride from Ocean Ave in Santa Monica as a group.

I'm interested in adding these climbs to my solo workout schedule. Trouble is, I feel very uncomfortable as a solo rider on the PCH (on weekdays) going from Santa Monica to these canyon roads. Particularly nasty is the first few miles from Santa Monica to Malibu.

Are there any good free parking lots that give a good starting point to most of these climbs, or other places on the roads good to park? I'm going to try parking at the base of Topanga Canyon road right off the PCH for starters, but I'd love to hear of some other options, particularly a good one for Malibu Canyon/Piuma road.

I know there's a little baseball field at Malibu Canyon Rd and PCH, there is parking in there and I have seen cyclists unpacking/packing there stuff from their cars at that parking lot. Don't know if it's free but the times I've passed I never see any signs or ticket machines or whatever.

Here it is on google maps:
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=&daddr=34.033964,-118.703274&hl=en&geocode=&mra=dme&mrcr=0&mrsp=1&sz=17&sll=34.033759,-118.702458&sspn=0.005166,0.009656&ie=UTF8&z=17

I agree with you not being comfortable about going from Santa Monica to Malibu on PCH for those few miles, they can get downright scary at times. Especially when the shoulders disappear, large rocks from the cliffs on the side of the roads, car doors, very aggressive drivers, etc...

For Topanga Canyon, just turn onto TC Blvd and park on either side of the road. There's plenty of room for a good 100 yards or so. I like to park in the direction I'll be going when finished so I don't have to deal with turning around. You can also park along the west/south side of PCH just past TCB heading toward Malibu. Furthur up PCH in Malibu past TCB there's plenty of parking along the road if you're doing a Las Flores ride. All of those options are free, as is the hilltop park across from Malibu Canyon Rd.

I know there's a little baseball field at Malibu Canyon Rd and PCH, there is parking in there and I have seen cyclists unpacking/packing there stuff from their cars at that parking lot. Don't know if it's free but the times I've passed I never see any signs or ticket machines or whatever.

It is called Malibu Bluffs Park, when we do the climbs from the PCH it is the only place we park. It does get a little crowded after 9 on the weekends. It is not a great location for doing the climbs around Topanga, but all the others Latigo, Encinal, Decker, Mulholland, Yerba Buena & Deer Creek it is great. Plus if you just want to ride up to Pt. Mugu on PCH this section of road usually has a much better shoulder to ride on with less traffic, than from Santa Monica to Malibu. Once you get beyond Pepperdine the traffic is less.

For Topanga Canyon, just turn onto TC Blvd and park on either side of the road. There's plenty of room for a good 100 yards or so.
That's my uncle's favorite parking location. It's especially nice if the ride ends with a descent down Topanga so you don't have to deal with PCH traffic ruining your zen.

For Latigo, you can park behind Malibu Arts Center. Turn right on Webb Way (coming from LA), which turns into Stuart Ranch Road. 1/4 mile to the parking lot. You then have about four miles on PCH before you reach Latigo--just enough to get warm. You can drop from Latigo down to Mulholland, ride South to Las Virgenes and make a right. L.V. turns into Malibu Canyon, which drops you right back to the parking lot. The perfect short loop, IMO.

If you want to ride Yerba Buena, Mulholland, or Deer Creek, you can park at County Line beach with all the surfers. There is also plenty of PCH street parking and paid parking at Zuma Beach.