Campgrounds at Malibu Beach
Some Malibu campgrounds are at the beach, while others are across the highway or up the canyon, affording incredible views. Since the Malibu coastline stretches for miles, you can find a campground up to 28 miles from civilization.
Malibu Beach Camping at Leo Carrillo State Park
If you want to find beach camping northwest of Malibu, try Leo Carrillo State Park. The campground is on the inland side of Highway One and is shaded by oak trees. A tunnel leads to the beach. It has one and a half miles of shoreline, with tide pools, a sandy beach, and a cave to explore when the tide is low. Campers enjoy surfing, swimming, fishing, wind surfing and hiking inland. There are also group sites for 9 or more people.
CAMPSITES
135 RV/tent spaces
AMENITIES
- beach store
- visitor’s center
- campfire programs
- nature trails
- dump station
- fire rings
- showers
You can find Leo Carrillo Campground 28 miles northwest of Santa Monica along Highway One, or Pacific Coast Highway, as it’s also known. The address is 35000 Pacific Coast Highway.
Call 800-488-5223.
Malibu Beach RV Park
The Malibu Beach RV Park offers camping in a beautiful location just two miles north of Malibu Canyon Road. It’s located on the hill across from the beach, with Pacific Coast Highway down below. The views are great from this campground, but it’s not so easy or safe to cross the highway on foot to get to the beach. It’s only a short drive to the town center of Malibu.
CAMPSITES
35 Tent sites, 142 RV sites
All sites have an ocean view or mountain view
AMENITIES
- cable TV hookups
- TV room
- laundromat
- convenience store
- game room
- video game arcade room
- hot showers
- ping pong
- horseshoes
- playground
- dish washing facilities in the tent area
- jacuzzi
This campground is located at 25801 Pacific Coast Highway. Call 310-456-6052.
Point Mugu State Park
Five miles of Point Mugu State Park is along the beach, and you can camp there as well. The park also extends inland, with over 70 miles of trails in the Santa Monica Mountains.
Activities besides hiking include swimming, fishing and body surfing. The beach features sandy shores and rocky bluffs.
There are three Malibu campgrounds at Point Mugu State Park: Big Sycamore Canyon, La Jolla Canyon Group Camp and Thornhill Broome Beach Campground.
Thornhill Broome Campground
You can enjoy Malibu beach camping at Thornhill Broome, a Point Mugu campground within the state park. This is a primitive campground right on the beach. All 68 sites have picnic tables and fire rings. The only shower is cold and outdoors. There is also no shade, so bring your own. Chemical toilets. RVs are welcome, but there are no hookups.
For Point Mugu camping, call 800-444-7275 or 805-488-5223. The address is 9000 W. Pacific Coast Highway, Malibu. This is the farthest northwest of all the Malibu campgrounds. It’s actually closer to Oxnard than the Malibu Pier.
Big Sycamore Canyon Campground
On the other hand, Sycamore Canyon is a developed campground, complete with hot showers (pay) and flush toilets. These campsites do have shade from the sycamore trees. All 58 sites include fire rings and picnic tables. Since it is located on the inland side of busy Pacific Coast Highway, you can either drive to the beach (Sycamore Cove) or walk under the highway when it is not flooded. There are lots of hiking and biking trails accessible from this campground. Dump station for RV’s, but no hookups. Call 800-444-7275.
La Jolla Canyon Group Camp
Also on the inland side of Pacific Coast Highway (across from Thornhille Broome Beach), this campground has flush toilets and hot showers. Also lots of hiking trails, but to get to the beach it is recommended to drive, as there is really no safe crossing over the busy highway. 1 RV space plus tent spaces. Accommodates 10-50 people. Call 800-444-7275.
Malibu Creek State Park
This campground is a ten minute drive to the beach down Malibu Canyon Road. It’s the furthest inland of the Malibu campgrounds. Pets are allowed here and they have water, restrooms and showers. There are 15 miles of trails to hike around on. There are 60 campsites.
Call 800-533-7275 or 818-880-0367.
To make reservations or to get more info on campgrounds in Malibu, you can call the numbers provided above. To book Malibu camping sites within state parks, you can do it online through ReserveAmerica.com.
