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4.5
16 votes

Leo Carrillo State Park Campground

35000 Pacific Coast Hwy, Malibu, California 90265-2376 USA

$
Budget
Closed Now
Opens Thu 8a
  • Independent
  • Credit Cards
    Accepted
  • Pet Friendly
  • Wheelchair
    Accessible
  • Public
    Restrooms
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“1.5 miles of pristine beach”

Leo Carrillo State Park has 1.5 miles of beach for swimming, surfing, windsurfing, surf fishing and beach combing. The beach has tide pools, coastal caves and reefs for exploring. Hiking trails range from easy to hard. Canyon Campground offers well-shaded sites for RV and tent camping.

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Reviews of Leo Carrillo State Park Campground

12 people have reviewed this location

Ratings Summary

4.8 Access
4.8 Location
4.4 Cleanliness
4.3 Site Quality
4.1 Noise

Cell Coverage

Verizon 4G/5G

Confirmed by 4 users | Last reported on September 30, 2023

AT&T 4G/5G

Confirmed by 5 users | Last reported on March 05, 2024
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Reviewed by
leighwetzel

  • 307 Reviews
  • 0 Helpful
November 12, 2012
Rated

We stayed at Leo Carrillo quite awhile ago, so our camping experience is a little dated though we did drive through recently for a visit. The nightly rate is a little high for dry camping though typical for California State Parks. Like Malibu Creek State Park, Leo Carrillo's gate closes at 10pm so if you are trying to visit friends in the area for dinner, you have to hurry back or you'll be locked out.

Our campsite was mostly dirt. On our recent visit I was able to get AT&T service in the front of the park, but not towards the back. Verizon didn't work at all.

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Nightly Rate: $35.00

Days Stayed: 7

Site Number: -

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Reviewed by
Campendium

February 03, 2017
Rated

I am an LA native and have such happy memories of playing in the Leo Carillo coves, as a child, again as a young adult. I am 50 now! Surprising how this exquisite location has lived in my memory but truly too few visits over half a century. (ouch!)

Anyway--bought a travel trailer--found campendium (thank you!) and all sites app--arrived at leo carillon (note:apple maps kept taking us to the closed coast side entrance.) Only after looping multiple times and about to give up did we see the sign on the east side of pch just a scootch south of the west side closed gate.

So we made it! We (australian shepard, cat and i) had an idyllic time. off season so very sparsely inhabited, everyone quiet and cool. The camp hosts have firewood for $7 and were helpful and kind.

Sites 102-70 run along the stream. That's right! There's a stream which has been dry for ages, according to camp hosts, but the recent rain blessed the land with beautiful happily running water.

The rules about dogs on trails are strict but if you have a service dog is ok. And dogs can be on the beach north of station 3, leashed of course, service dog or not.

Ditto the other reviewer. We had 2 bars at our nice site deep in the campground but towards the highway it jumped up to 5 and i was uploading pics to instagram as we walked along the beach--shameful la iphone addict.

Could not have been a better maiden voyage. GO.

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Nightly Rate: $45.00

Days Stayed: 3

Site Number: 89

5 Access
5 Location
5 Cleanliness
5 Site Quality
5 Noise

Cell Coverage Rating

AT&T 4G

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Reviewed by
Campendium

November 12, 2017
Rated

We live in LA and came to the park a few time to visit the dog beach and decided to book a long weekend to take the van. Our site had a lot of trees and was more private than a lot of others in our loop, but overall the sites are somewhat close together, so the noise level just depends on those around you. As we walked around, it really looked like the sites in the 100s were more private, but then you’ve got a longer walk to the ocean. The park was incredibly clean — especially the bathrooms — and the staff was super helpful and nice.

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Nightly Rate: $45.00

Days Stayed: 3

Site Number: 3

5 Access
5 Location
5 Cleanliness
5 Site Quality
4 Noise

Cell Coverage Rating

Verizon 4G

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Reviewed by
Campendium

December 30, 2019
Rated

Good spacing between campsites for privacy. Restrooms/showers are clean. Small camp store. They do sell wood, drinks, canned goods, ice creams and other refrigerated items. Rangers are all very friendly and helpful. Tents, camper vans, RVs, pull trailers, saw a wide variety of campers. All ages from early 20s, young families and retirees. Cell service is not good and some times non existent the deeper your campsite is in the canyon. The canyon walls block the signals. The day use parking area at the front of the parks has fantastic cell service. Even if you are at the back of the campground it is still a short walk to the beach. Beach access is at the end of the day use parking lot and you walk under the overpass. So it is safe that you don’t have to park on the highway or run across the highway to get to the beach. Right now, the underpass is full of mud that came with all the rain we have been getting. But accessing the dog beach, you will need to cross some water to get to the side where the dog beach is. Access road that would make it easier to get to the dog beach is closed at the moment. I’m sure they will open as soon as they can clear all the mud. Saw lots of open spaces even though it looks like it’s always sold out. We arrived Friday and stayed for 2 days. Rangers said to come talk to them if we wanted to stay longer. So, folks are obviously cancelling or not showing up.

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Nightly Rate: $60.00

Days Stayed: 2

Site Number: 12

5 Access
5 Location
5 Cleanliness
5 Site Quality
4 Noise

Cell Coverage Rating

Verizon

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Reviewed by
Campendium

September 29, 2020
Rated

We wanted a beach that our dog could enjoy with us. We arrived on a Sunday afternoon, beach very crowded, Monday morning, blissfully deserted and easy walk from campground although North beach area (for leashed dogs) can be challenging to access. Site 139 close to bathrooms but not too close, it was a bit challenging to back in our 16 foot Bambi but we just managed it. Sites are roomy and some with electric hook ups but still not much privacy. Bone dry for our visit, dusty and be careful with storing food due to aggressive squirrels and ANTS. Lots of kids on bikes, scooters make the place bustling, wouldn't say it's peaceful and or particularly scenic due to heavy use but its ok. This wave of campers mostly good neighbors, lots of tents and RV's, surfers, families, rules to keep pets on leashes and on leads in the sites mostly observed, one woman told us her dogs were attacked by a dog not properly restrained. Very important to come prepared to properly restrain your dogs given the volume of people and pets to keep everyone safe. At night quiet hours observed. Covid precautions? Mask requirement posted, many wore masks, some did not. Limiting numbers of campers at the sites, not so much. Read prior review that said rangers will help in extending your stay, but the rangers we asked weren't super helpful even though plenty of empty spaces, said we could only extend our spot, which was booked, but would not offer to book us into another available site. On a Monday? No cell service for AT&T, not the place to work remotely. Would camp here again in a pinch, best for groups or family beach experience.

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Nightly Rate: $60.00

Days Stayed: 1

Site Number: 139

5 Access
4 Location
5 Cleanliness
4 Site Quality
3 Noise

Cell Coverage Rating

AT&T

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Reviewed by
Campendium

January 01, 2021
Rated

We stayed here in August 2020 with our puppy at site 128, which is about a 5 minute walk to the beach and a 10-15 minute walk north to the dog beach. You're camped in a canyon without highway noise, unlike many other beach campgrounds in Southern California that are basically parking lots next to PCH. The spots near 128 are small, very tight or too small for a 25'+ trailer or motorhome; we stayed in a rooftop tent on our pickup truck. We reserved for Summer 2021 in the sites further inland (Site 64), which appear much larger and shaded with big trees. I've stayed at several state park beach campgrounds, and this is my favorite (or at least a close tie to South Carlsbad State Beach). Very nice campground to walk around, and the camp store has tons of necessities like coffee and other things you might forget to bring with you. The reason we chose to go here again is because there is a dog friendly beach within walking distance, something that is pretty rare among state beaches. Cell service is very spotty in the campground itself, but if you walk to the main parking lot or near the entrance to the campground it is full 4G high speed internet on cellular (T-Mobile and Verizon).

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Nightly Rate: $60.00

Days Stayed: 3

Site Number: 128

5 Access
5 Location
5 Cleanliness
4 Site Quality
5 Noise

Reviewed by
tracywaldon

  • 128 Reviews
  • 0 Helpful
May 17, 2022
Rated

This is a tight campground. You'll want to pay close attention to the pad size when selecting a site. Don't assume you can squeeze in an extra couple of feet. Odds are you can't. They seem to be measuring distances from the axle to the hitch so you'll need to back in with your rear over the cement curbs. On the positive side, the parking pads are double-wides so you may be able to squeeze in an additional vehicle. If you can't, there is overflow parking easily accessible near the entry kiosk. Our site, 103, was large and private (despite the short parking pad). That did not appear to be the case for many other sites. The park makes up for these deficiencies by being a very short walk from multiple lovely beaches. The main beach closest to the campground gets crowded and has a litter problem. However to the northwest are a few secluded beaches and the very large dog beach which are worth the extra five minute walk. There is also a nice loop trail that begins near the entrance kiosk and heads up the mountainside to a great overlook.

If you have a larger rig I would recommend scoping out the dump station before pulling into it. It's a tight loop but I did see large rigs make it through unscathed.

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tracywaldon would stay here again

Nightly Rate: $45.00

Days Stayed: 7

Site Number: 103

3 Access
5 Location
3 Cleanliness
4 Site Quality
4 Noise

Cell Coverage Rating

Verizon 4G

AT&T 5G

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Reviewed by
Campendium

October 19, 2022
Rated

This is a busy campground near Malibu that’s right across from the beach. The spaces are nicely spaced but the pads are small. My rv Is 25 feet and I had to hang the end over the curb. Not sure how they let larger rvs in here but the kids running the kiosk did not seem to care. There is no cell service unless you walk down towards the entrance. Lots of liter around the campground and the views are trees and brown Southern California style hills which are not that great. But the beach is really nice and to the north it’s dog friendly so that’s a plus. … nice little store if you forgot anything.

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This reviewer would stay here again

Nightly Rate: $60.00

Days Stayed: 2

Site Number: -

5 Access
4 Location
2 Cleanliness
3 Site Quality
2 Noise

Cell Coverage Rating

AT&T

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Reviewed by
Campendium

September 30, 2023
Rated

My site 112 was listed as a "pull through" but it's really just a wide spot on the road and my 22' vintage Airstream barely fit with my vehicle. I think this site and others like it would be better for Tent camping because the majority of the site is up the hill from where you park and there was a flat spot for a tent under a cool looking tree where you would feel like your in the woods. It's an awesome beach, especially if you surf and/or do wind sports. The hiking trail from the campground is beautiful with views. Nice to have the store on site as there isn't much else near by. I was working so I needed a signal. It's was crazy cause there for 3-4 bars in the day use lot, that disappear after a few steps into the CG. The showers take "tokens" which was kind of a pain...taking quarters is enough of a hassle. All in all, I had a magical stay and will be back. The staff were very friendly and helpful.

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This reviewer would stay here again

Nightly Rate: $60.00

Days Stayed: 5

Site Number: 112

5 Access
5 Location
5 Cleanliness
4 Site Quality
5 Noise

Cell Coverage Rating

Verizon

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Reviewed by
Campendium

March 05, 2024
Rated

Love this campground! It has everything you need. It is only a short walk (or drive) to private dog-friendly beach. There are also trails leading out of the campground up the back-side into the canyon. Foliage between sites for some privacy. It has a general store, decent showers, and a dump station. Even though it is only a short drive south to Malibu or north to Pt. Hueneme and Oxnard, it feels very remote. Highly recommend!

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This reviewer would stay here again

Nightly Rate: -

Days Stayed: 4

Site Number: -

5 Access
5 Location
5 Cleanliness
5 Site Quality
5 Noise

Cell Coverage Rating

AT&T 4G

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Leo Carrillo State Park Campground

35000 Pacific Coast Hwy
Malibu, California
90265-2376 USA
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Hours

Closed Now
  • Sun - Sat: 8:00 am - 10:00 pm

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Good for hiking, surfing, and swimming.

  • Check
    Parking
  • Check
    Pets Allowed
  • Check
    Restrooms
  • Unavailable
    Wifi
  • Check
    Wheelchair Accessible
  • Check
    Credit Cards Accepted
Affiliation
State park or forest
Back In RV Sites Count
20
Check In
2 PM
Check Out
12 PM
Last Nightly Rate
35.0
Longest Vehicle Length Reported
28.0
Lowest Nightly Rate
35.0
Max Length
31 ft
Max Stay
7
Sites Count
135
  • Unavailable
    Swimming Pool
  • Check
    Paved Sites
  • Check
    Fifty Amp
  • Unavailable
    Full Hookup
  • Check
    Rec Facilities
  • Unavailable
    Pull Through
  • Check
    Tent Sites
  • Check
    Dump Station
  • Unavailable
    Big Rigs
  • Unavailable
    Open Seasonally
  • Unavailable
    Age Restricted
  • Check
    Back In RV Sites
  • Check
    Boondock
  • Unavailable
    Cabin Sites
  • Unavailable
    Dispersed Sites
  • Check
    Firewood
  • Unavailable
    Fulltime Residents
  • Unavailable
    Group Tent Sites
  • Unavailable
    Laundry
  • Unavailable
    Mobile Homes
  • Unavailable
    Permit Required
  • Check
    Potable Water
  • Unavailable
    Propane
  • Check
    Public Water
  • Unavailable
    Pull Through RV Sites
  • Check
    Reservations
  • Unavailable
    Sewer Hookup
  • Unavailable
    Showers
  • Check
    Sites
  • Check
    Standard Tent Sites
  • Unavailable
    Vehicle Wash Permitted
  • Unavailable
    Water Hookup
  • Check
    Outdoor Seating
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