I love beaches that are not fills with so many people. This beach is very cozy and great for a photo shoot and loved watching the surfers. The water is very cold and their are rocks so be careful but it's not that bad. read more

I don't understand why people think this is camping or fun. I would never want my tent or stuff on ground here, they are infested w chipmunk/squirrels and it just looks like a bunch of rats running all over everyone's site. There is no separation between other sites. Again, dusty, dry, but many of these sites have water spigots, not that that helps where you put your tent or walk. It's quite a walk to the beach. There is a HUGE pile of felled logs/trees at the back, but CA State Parks can't share that, they have you buy & haul your wood. $45 a night makes NO sense to me!!! But, seeing as every campground around locks gate at 10p, & CHP won't let you sleep in car along HWY 1, they got you, CA gunna get that money, and put it somewhere else than back into its communities. read more

We love Leo Carrillo - Been going there for decades. This is not so much a review, as it is a warning. We went camping to Leo this weekend and we parked our extra car in the overflow lot, next to the bushes and trees so that the sun wouldn't beat down on the car so much. We got in the car to take a cruise on Saturday morning and the transmission was shifting REALLY rough - babied the car back to Santa Monica on Sunday - took it to the repair shop- RATS or SQUIRRELS had eaten the transmission wiring and caused MAJOR damage - in just ONE night - I thought the transmission was GONE, and with only 40K miles on the car, it was very upsetting. So, if you're going to park in overflow, park in the CENTER of the lot, not around the edge(s). Lesson learned. read more

This was our third and most likely last time going to Leo Carrillo State Beach for camping. Although the Malibu beaches are beautiful, they are not worth the price of admission. I reserved two neighboring campsites for a nice weeklong family trip - total of five families. I understand that we were camping, but the maintenance of the bathrooms alone is enough for us to never come back - especially since we had children with us. Issue #1: I am not expecting luxury, however, the bathrooms near our campsite, always ran out of toilet paper by 5pm. We always take a roll or two of toilet paper wherever we go, but I did not realize I need a Costco size pack since we are apparently supplying our own toilet paper. During the summer time, and the busiest time, I would think a state park, that is reserved to capacity starting at $45 a night ($60 for sites with electricity), would hire more people for a second bathroom clean up. By the end of the night, enter the bathrooms at your own risk. When many go camping, they eat a little more, drink a little more, and if you are anywhere north of 30 years old, your body does not function like that of a 20 year old. One evening someone had a gastric explosion all over one of the stalls. People are disgusting and all manners and etiquette are apparently forgotten when they go camping. Issue #2: The showers consistently ate up tokens. You are paying 50 cents for 2 minutes of hot water. A 4-minute shower, should only cost $2, however, we ended up spending $4 easily because the machines would eat up our money. For a family of five, that adds up. One of the shower stalls was out of order. There were also more shower stalls then there were bathroom stalls. Issue #3: Parking is also an issue. There is a limit of how many cars can park at a reserved site, and that is three at Leo Carrillo. However, only one car is included with the campsite reservation cost. Otherwise, if you have a couple of families camping with you, then they will pay an additional $12 a night to just park there. Additionally, we had disabled day visitors, who were asked to pay the full $12 for a day visit. One would think that people with disabilities would get a break in the cost of parking for day use. Issue #4: If three cars are allowed to park at the site, then make your parking spots big enough to accommodate three cars. All the sites have enough space for two cars. You can tandem park if you have two vehicles the size of a Prius. The third paying vehicle has to park perpendicular to the other two, per park rules and regulations. The park wants people to block other vehicles in - emergency hazard anyone? On most sites, you can squeeze another car parallel to the other two on the dirt. However, the rules for the park do not allow anyone to park on the dirt, only the pavement. At one point, we were almost issued a ticket by a park ranger, while unloading our vehicle. They did not come and ask if we can move the car, they just stopped and began to write up the vehicle. Luckily we were there to stop them and let them know were unloading our vehicles. "Welcome to Leo Carrillo, folks. Enjoy your visit." You can smell the financial desperation of the California state parks. Issue #5 - Our fire ring had holes in it. Time to update the ring. With all this being said, the California state parks are already making a killing with what they charge and they cannot afford enough people to clean the bathrooms. One of the days we were there, my sister in law happened to show up when the maintenance staff came to clean the bathroom, and she asked the young lady, why the bathrooms are not resupplied with toilet paper. The staff members response was basically, "no one wants to work in Malibu for just $10 an hour" - MESSAGE TO California State Parks - PAY ACCORDINGLY FOR THE COST OF LIVING. We had to ask the host to resupply the toilet paper. The two stars is for the beach, hiking trails, and the time enjoyed with my family. (campsites 47 & 45). read more

The women at the ticket booth was very rude to me. Clearly there were cars leaving and there was open spaces! She threatened me to leave when i was just trying to tell her there was an open space. She kept following me as if i were doing something wrong! read more

Probably a good option for a car camping spot, reasonably close to LA, and of course close to the beach. LOTS of kids here. More of a Disneyland feel here then camping because of all the people, but it's probably a fun place for kids to go camping for their early years. read more

I recently had an excellent experience camping here with my boyfriend. We went early March which is still rather cold, but if you're coming from the cold you won't mind it at all. The campsites are all nice and privately spaced out though I prefer the right side of the campgrounds as opposed to the middle or the left. They seem to be more secluded and quieter. The bathroom facilities are decent (always bring flip flops in the shower) but I would suggest bringing your own firewood as opposed to buying it at the beach store which is a bit overpriced. Make sure to catch the high tide as there are always beautiful living sea creatures to photograph and admire. read more

The Beach Park and Campground at Leo Carillo is as quaint as it gets for Southern California. The beach has little secret coves that the water some days resembles the Hawaiian islands for it's color of blue, which is unseen in So.Cal. I really think it is best known for it's cave, but the three little cove beaches are absolutely beautiful. On weekends it is difficult to go and be in solitude, as it gets over run by families with screaming kids, but it is a tranquil place on most weekdays. The beach has surfing, and although rocky and territorial to surfers of local variety, it has a decent break and a long ride. There are tide pools and while kids love them, I saw kids taking the wildlife and this bugs me. YOU MUST hold a commercial licence for sea urchins or cucumbers or beach combing to do this, as most people don't do it, most don't know there are laws against it.. (think about it, don't let your animals loving kids kill something, leave it there so it can be there when they bring their kids) The campground is very nice, and usually has very clean facilities, but always just bring your own t.p. etc, but the store has stuff too, beer for the dads, a little thing or two mom forgot to make some lunch and a toy for the kid when he goes in for his ice cream you promised. The camping permits are very hard to get, during peak season, as you must go online and book six months prior,, Thsi process is fine for those who can navigate and hold open four pagesa t a time tio try, but for an older person, forget it they will never know how to get this done. it starts at 7 am pacific six months priot to the first or fifteenth of the month you want to camp in. (I have heard Leo allows some camping off season at first come first serve, but i know if you plan a weekend night it has to be reserved through nps.gov (hint, pre-register your paying source and name etc prior to the date of the free for all, as it will bog you down, if you find a spot that is available you have fifteen minutes to purchase it and this time is not enough time to register your payment method if you have not already done so.) Food nearby that ROCKS is Malibu Fish and Seafood, south on PCH. It is amazing quality, never frozen anything, the fish and chips is a type of fish that has large meaty flakes that separate (i/2" thick by 1 1/2 inch square) and is tempura style fried. also the fresh fish market will never leave you unhappy, with ahi that is sashimi grade, you can purchase a hunk and eat it with wasabi.. or just as it is! The business is operated and owned by friends of mine who have demanded quality fish for the 25 years plus it has been opened. Not at all closely compared to Neptune's Net, which is more about the atmosphere of Party and bikers. Also, MF&S is a great place during the weekdays to people spot, I have seen a star there pretty much each and every time I have gone, and always a great place to see pods of Dolphins cruising up and down the coast .. (they have heaters for cold days.) wine and beer also, and the grilled seafood a must and mazing... this cooks have been here since they opened, and they are a family run business, as well as an amazing employer to their crew. (ok maybe I am biased but definitely knowledgeable since I know the background here, my hubby used to lobster fish with the owner, and I can say they are the nicest fisher family in Southern California.) Our weekends camping here and visiting the Leo Carillo Beach Park is a really great time. We have gotten spoiled by the whole area, but this is a treat for those of us who have lived here forever and have seen so much change around us. These places I mentioned have been a stable and lovely place to visit, from the inside 101 corridor, it's only a quick trip over Malibu Canyon or From the Camarillo grade to the Pacific coast road 1, it is a short and worth-while trip to some serenity. Nothing bad about that!!! read more

This is the first time I've camped at the Leo Carillo Campground. Some friends recommended it to us and at the last minute we decided to ride up there. It was alot farther from Santa Monica than I originally expected and it was a LOT colder than I thought it was going to be, but that's nothing against the campground. We went in March and so we didn't need any reservations. We just drove up and paid for it at the machine. The store was closed and there were no people working at the place, but I guess that's just because it's off season. The machine takes credit cards or cash. It was $35 a night (it'll give you $1 coins back if you pay in cash). The campground is wooded and nearly surrounded by mountains. Very pretty. We saw big squirrels, lots of rabbits, tons of birds, a pretty river that runs to the ocean, etc. Very beautiful. The road to the ocean is under the PCH so you can walk or drive over there without any difficulty. There were just a few campers while we were there so we didn't have any issues with the bathroom situation. However, I imagine it can be pretty backed up in the summer time - there are just 2 commodes per bathhouse. There are big metal drums at each campsite where you can have a campfire. That was a SUPER plus for me! Most of the campgrounds I've checked out in the area only allow charcoal fires and half of them don't allow tent camping. So, it was great to be able to do some real camping - in a tent, with a wood fire, away from concrete! The campsite has a paved area for your car, but the rest of the area is dirt and grass. Some sites are pretty wooded and some are more open. The only downfall is that there is a sign at the site manager's RV that says they sell firewood for $6. But we never saw anyone there and there weren't any hours posted, so your best bet is probably to bring your own firewood. Park rangers drove through every once in a while to check things out. We definitely plan to go back there in the future! So glad there is such a rural place this close to LA! Oh, if you type "Leo Carrillo Campground" into google, there are 2 sites that will come up with some good info. read more

This is a great place to camp with one huge issue- no quite hours enforcement. I've camped here for the past 3 summers & every year we have experienced a horrible night or two of sleep. Either folks don't calm down the party noise at 10 P.M. Or young adults roll into the campground at midnight & party until 3 A.M. The beauty of the canyon & the close proximity to the beach is wonderful, but we won't be back. read more

Took the family camping here for 3 nights last week and had a pretty good time. It's a nice clean campground with good showers and bathrooms. We were in 74 and it was a really good site. Make sure you look at photos because some sites are really small. It was nice to have a bunch of kids riding bikes and scooters that my kids could play with also. It's easy camping and good for beginners which we are. The non-dog beach is right there and has tide pools and a cave when the tide is low. Really cool. The dog beach though is a good half mile hike and you'll need a wagon to haul your stuff. The dog beach is really nice though and if you go far enough north you can get away with letting your dog off leash. Some of the bad things are that the sites are right on top of each other. There are a few exceptions but most are really close to each other. You are allowed dogs but then they aren't allowed on the trails so that was kinda lame. The only other thing is what everyone else mentioned... it's a little loud at night. We didn't have it as bad as some reviewers, but there were some kids partying a little too late one night. Overall we really enjoyed the campground and the overall experience!! read more

We went camping here in April 2015. It was great! I was surprised by how close all the sites were to each other. I would have thought they would be slightly more private, but there were some that seemed like more of a group camping experience. We were in site 110 which was actually up and away from others, made it feel more secluded. I was also pleasantly surprised by the beach. The kids saw octopus and starfish in the tides and it was truly an amazing experience to share with them. We walked the grounds a lot and found additional sites that offered more privacy in the 60's range. The bathrooms were far from our site, but that was fine! Overall, wonderful trip and I highly recommend camping here. :D Super family friendly. read more

one of the best spots to camp in so cal you got the mountains and hills behind you and the beach in front of you you can also surf here so thats a big plus there are also miles of hiking trails, but one day of camping is never enough to check out the hikes, there are also caves in the rocky part of the beach, during high tide, it might be hard to get in there. one of the best times there is during winter early in the morning when the sand is flying all over the place, you can walk during the sandstorm and have a great time (wear glasses to protect your eyes) once in a while you might get a ranger who hassles you (2 stars off) or profiles your group, just do a nerdy dance and serenade them with a love song and they usually leave you alone the coyotes come out like 2 o clock on the morning once in a while you might hear a "growl" thinking it might be a bear or a lion, but it might actually be just a broken branch from a tree that's bouncing up and down because of the windy weather dont be scared, just learn some kungfu skills my friend read more

I love taking my dog here. You have to pay to park your car but at least they take cards. There's ample parking and access to the beach is made easy. People are respectful enough with their dogs. I try to stay away because my dog can be pretty mean when other dogs get too close. There have been instances where people let their dogs off of a leash, but most interactions are okay. I just wish some people would realize not all dogs like to be approached and just because your dog is friendly off leash does not mean they won't provoke other dogs. Either way, beautiful beach to take your dogs to! read more

Favorite beach spot located on a short drive north of Malibu...also one of the rare seaside spots near LA where bonfires are allowed as well...could be a nice little day trip if wanting alone time or a local romantic getaway if you're Neptune is calling. read more

This is a wonderful beach. Lots of tide pools to explore for the beach comber and some good beginner surfing. This beach is also not very crowded on the weekends. Perfect for anyone that wants to get away from the crowds on the surf or on the sand. And as a bonus you can bring your dog on one section of the beach! read more

I've been going to Leo Carrillo for 30 years now with my family. It's a great place to just get away every once in a while or start a family tradition that will last forever :). The campgrounds are nice and the beach is even nicer. It's very family oriented, but not so stuffy that you can't let your hair down and have tons of fun. The campground has a store that has pretty much everything you need. Their motto is, "If we don't have it, you don't need it". Can't wait for this year. For me, it's just one of those places that I can get away and not worry about a thing :). Hope to see you there. read more

Great beach for Dogs on the leash, which is on the North Side North of Pier 3, also park on the street after the parking lot because you will be closer to the dog beach. Thank me later, wish I had this advice when I visited. My dog loved it here, so for his sake i'll give this place 4 stars, but the nice beach is obviously where dogs are not allowed and that's closer to the parking area. read more

Beautiful Campsite, close to the beach and has a friendly onsite store. No hookups but does have access to water and an onsite dump station. One major drawback, they seem to have no way to letting you know if anyone has cancelled even at the ranger station. Their Reserve America site shows totally full for all 139 sites and it is useless to set up a notification if anyone cancels because they never show cancellations even when it is going to rain. This is the only State Campsite that I have experienced this at. I have camped at State sites from Refugio to San Clemente and ALL OF THE OTHERS know especially at the ranger station when people have cancelled their campsites. I was there from 3/23 to 3/25/12 with a RV group and again a very beautiful campsites and with very clean bathrooms but I need 4 more campsites and then finally I just begged for just 1more campsite. I was told they were all full in spite of several empty campsites late in the evening. I also observed the rangers turning away potential RV paying campers by say that the campsite was full. This totally amazed me since rain was forecast and it did rain. I sure do bet that especially tents watch the same weather forecasts as I do. Later that evening after the gate closed I easily counted well over 20 empty sites and then the next evening even more. It is a shame that in this cash strapped state where state parks are closing that Leo Carrillo State Beach turns away paying customers and leave numerous sites vacate. What do you think is the chance that not even one reservation out of 139 sites for over three weeks with rain forecast would cancel? I think the odds are better at rolling snake eyes 3 times in a row at Vegas. read more

My family and I have been going to Leo Carrillo for the past 6 years every summer, usually during the 4th of July weekend and Labor day weekend. This past weekend we went for the 4th of July weekend and seems like the park rangers are a bit more strict. In the past, I don't remember them really asking how many people we had per site, and not letting more cars in at the gate. Luckily we had more than one site and were able to fit people. In a way, that's good because people were beginning to take advantage and take a lot of people. Also, last year I remember being next to some really rowdy people who partied till at least 2 am for two straight nights, and nobody came around to tell them anything. This time as soon as it was 10 pm the rangers began doing their rounds and telling people to turn off their music and lower their voices. It's good that they do that, but it was a bit extreme. We were there to have fun with the kids and hang out and we felt like we had no choice but to go to sleep. The next day, which was 4th of July we noticed pretty much every campsite was kind of loud and having a good time, but nobody came around that night to say anything. We just felt like it was a lot more strict this time around. Overall, we enjoy coming here and having the beach so close were we can walk to. Also, it isn't too far from civilization were you are out in the middle of nowhere. The downfall is that, there is almost little to no cellphone service at all at the campsite, until you go out to the beach. We usually chose the same campsite because of its privacy. Some sites have more privacy than others and some are larger than others. read more

Great site for camping. Difficult to book so plan ahead! Pros: Most sites have sycamore trees and plenty of shade. Perfect for hammocks. Close to LA for quick getaways. Clean flush toilets, hot showers and water is available. Some sites are bigger and provides some privacy. Beach access is a plus It feels great to be there, its just a different feeling. Cons: There is a road next to the site, not too close but close enough to hear traffic. read more

I agree with everyone else about the good things of Leo Carrillo campground, however, I have to say something about the bad. We've been camping there for the last three years during the 4th of July holiday. This is the first time we decided to take our two small chihuahuas with us; mostly because of the "dog beach" we know there is. Well, one of the kids we had with us accidentally left the trailer door open while she went in to get a drink and Lucky got out. Well, lucky for us a couple of Park Rangers were driving by and were kind enough to return her to us. They sure gave her back, but not before issuing me a CITATION!! for DOG OFF LEASH. They would hear no explanations and didn't even know how much the find would be for. Needless to say, I just got home a few minutes ago and found the notice from the Malibu Courthouse. ***$256!!!**** That's $100 more than it cost for us to reserve 3 days at the campground! Holy crap! I'm unemployed and couldn't afford to take our kids to a summer vacation this year, but to freakin Malibu Beach and this is what we get! I'll never take my dogs there again. "Dog friendly"... my a$$!!! read more

Beyond Tower 3 dogs are allowed. Great beach, especially since you can take your dog with you. Beautiful drive and views of the PCH along the way. Must bring own food and beverages because there are no restaurants or stores close by, but there's plenty of picnic areas so come prepared. It also costs $12 per car to park but you can park along the PCH for free, only oroblem with that is the hike to the beach with your stuff. Love this place!! read more

I wanted to do a review of the Nicholas Flats trail that starts at Leo Carillo, but since the trail does start at Leo Carillo I might as well lump it all in as one. The trail itself is pretty awesome with a steady grade for the first two miles or so before it flattens out and you go another two miles before you get to this area that looks like it was supposed to be Nicholas Flats. At any rate, the flowers and stuff are coming out quite nicely. A lot of the trail is shaded so that is a plus for the summer hikes. Since it is next to the ocean a nice ocean breeze can be expected to cool you down as well. The views for more than half the hike were simply amazing. Kind of far away from Santa Monica (maybe 25 miles north), but it is a good weekend destination. 8 miles total for the in and back. Oh and I nearly cut off my finger trying to cut this plant with a sharp pocket knife. Had to wrap my bloody finger with napkins and hold it like an idiot above my head as I ran down the mountain. Pretty funny experience. The beach was cool too, but we didn't spend too much time there. read more

Leo Carrillo State Park - Macro shot of a spring flower - Parks Near Me - Malibu, California

This review is for the group site located beyond the amphitheater in the back of the park: Nice group spot, grill and eating area set up. The restroom was well-maintained with toilet paper and a working shower. The electricity outlets in the bathrooms were not functioning. All and all, a great experience given you can walk directly to a beautiful beach during your stay. Only down point is the access to the group spot was gated off so that we all had to haul all our gear and kitchen necessities up a steep upgrade that was ridiculous given a paved road led there. The management did not want to unlock the gate for us to unload and reload-basturds. It was like 1,000 yards. It literally wiped many of us out and made it more work than necessary. read more

can i say LOVELY??? i love the little caves i went crazy talking pix the drive was awesome down the PCH read more

Water was freezing of course, but the view and beach overall is very nice. Not crowded at all if you start your morning a little early.

I took my dogs here and we had a really great time! The beach itself is beautiful, the water seems clean and the area that allows dogs is more secluded. There are a lot of rocks and caves that are super scenic. It's never too populated and provides a fun but private time to play with your babies! read more

Dog friendly beach! Very clean and not a lot of other dogs. The dog friendly beach is the north side beach. This park is a must stay cation hot spot! Very family friendly and lots of nice people. read more

Went here yesterday with my dog and I have to say I was surprised to find TAR all over the beach! In fact my dog even stepped in it and now has to get it removed from his foot. How can a beach with tar everywhere be allowed to stay open? That can't be safe for humans, dogs, or sea life. read more

If you have a pup, park in the lot! It's worth the $12 for the day to have that immediate access. The beach itself was great - clean, not too crowded and people were pleasant. All dogs are on leashes, and can only be on the beach past lifeguard tower #3. The water was so refreshing especially with the heat we have been having! Waves were huge that day too and it was fun to watch the surfers in the swells. We saw a seal and beautiful pelicans, which made the day even more perfect. It was our puppies first trip to the beach and she loved every minute of it. read more

One of our great state beaches. Offering incredible wave for surfing and delightful tide pools for junior explorers.

It took me multiple trips to Leo Carrillo to actually figure out where dogs were allowed to be on the beach (for the record, it is north of the lifeguard number 4 tower). I have yet to figure out how to get to the parking lot associated with this particular beach area but parking on PCH has been acceptable for now. The beach is beautiful and the past two times I've been I have enjoyed watching dolphins in the ocean. Yes, dogs must remain on their leashes (strictly enforced). It's nice to have an area where I can go to the beach with my dog though! read more

Totally disappointing! We came because we wanted to bring our dog, but this beach has gone down hill. With no simple path to get to the beach because they have all fallen apart, this beach is a hazard. There were a lot of dogs, all on leashes, but there are exposed pipes, broken concrete, and PCH parking is questionable. They need to close it and do some work before next summer...for sure! read more

it's a 5 min. walk from the campgrounds to the beach. Campground (most of it) is shaded with sycamore trees with well appointed sites.

Nice stretch of beach to take your dog to. The dog approved area of the beach is North of lifeguard tower #3. If you park on PCH at lifeguard tower #4, there are stairs down to the beach. Otherwise, you have to pay to park. Dogs are required to be on leashes. However, when the lifeguard closed up his station at about 4:30PM, people were letting their dogs off leash. There are Park Rangers that do patrol, so keep that in mind if you're going to let your dog off leash. You could be cited. read more

beach RIGHT across the street but there were a lot of those little sand bugs. surf must be good there because there were a lot of surfers when you pull in, there's a little map and check list to see if there are sites available. there are at least two shower/bathroom facilities. we stayed in a tent site and there were kids running around - wicked cute! we saw a lot of wildlife. there were a lot of deer even walking up and around our campground, up the mountain. the bathrooms are coin operated. have a blast! :) read more

Just returned from a 2 day trip. Good combination of forest and beach. Facilities are clean and most sites are semi private. read more

Leo Carrillo State Park - Site 113 - Parks Near Me - Malibu, California

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RV camp was wonderful: lots of room between sites (most with good-sized trees); peaceful, quiet, private. All facilities, rangers always present and always helpful. Not all that close to the beach, nor is it a fantastic, long beach; but the camping sites make it worthwhile. And the price is great, for the area. read more

Love this place! Thanks Leo! I think this is a great campground, the staff is great. Lots of trees close to the beach.