“hike and camp!”
Malibu Creek State Park covers 8215 acres in the Santa Monica Mountains. It is part of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area The park includes three natural preserves: 730acre Liberty Canyon, 300acre Udell Gorge, and 1920acre Kaslow Preserve. The land that is now Malibu Creek State Park was inhabited by native Chumash people for millennia. this area was the center of Chumash Native American life for centuries. One of the park's most significant points of interest is the Sepulveda Adobe, which was constructed in 1863 on what had been part of an early Spanish land grant. This historic structure was restored in 2003.
Reviews of Malibu Creek State Park Campground
11 people have reviewed this location
Ratings Summary
Cell Coverage
Verizon 4G/5G
Confirmed by 6 users | Last reported on April 30, 2024AT&T 4G/5G
Confirmed by 2 users | Last reported on November 16, 2022T-Mobile 5G
Confirmed by 1 users | Last reported on February 14, 2023Reviews
I feel somewhat wishy-washy about this park. On one hand, its an oasis in the middle of LA county, with jaw-dropping beauty, hiking trails, and close proximity to high end dining and grocery stores.
On the other hand, the park is run down, no hook-ups, and no dogs allowed on any park trails, even leashed!! The grounds have been invaded by squirrels, and in all their cute furriness have really destroyed the park. The sites are shallow and tight. The weekend brought hundreds of camping teenagers, boy scout camps, etc. so it was loud and super smoky from dozens of campfires. $45 is a bargain in Malibu but you still feel like you're getting ripped off.
But on the one hand, the hills are so pretty.........
Nightly Rate: $45.00
Days Stayed: 7
Site Number: 68
RV Length: 24 ft
Great spot for a quick get away. Some sites are better than others with more trees while others are a bit more exposed. We enjoyed our 2 day New Year’s Eve stay and would return on a non peak day for a bit more seclusion. Great facilities and lovely surround landscape.
Nightly Rate: $45.00
Days Stayed: 2
Site Number: 14
Cell Coverage Rating
Verizon 4G
AT&T 4G
Stayed in October 2016, our weekend happened to coincide with a 5K event which started and finished adjacent to the campground at the day-use area. I assume this happens with some frequency given the immediate proximity of the park to residential areas, and the general proximity of the park to a few million people. Nevertheless it's a pretty cool place to stay, particularly if you're a fan of the TV show MASH, which was filmed in the park. There's a creek, rock climbing and some nice hikes. The campground itself is fine, nothing to write home about.
Nightly Rate: $35.00
Days Stayed: 2
Site Number: -
RV Length: 16 ft
RV Type: Travel Trailer
The asphalt parking pads are small, not level, and have concrete parking chocks around the perimeter so check the size before reserving. There are only about 9 sights that an RV can fit in. There is a 48 hour advance window for reservations, but the park does allow walk-ins if space is available. Free Wifi near the bathrooms. There is an $8 additional reservation charge for online or walk-in, so over $50/night for Dry Camping. Potable water spigots are spread out in the campground area.
Nightly Rate: $45.00
Days Stayed: 3
Site Number: 20
RV Length: 32 ft
RV Type: Travel Trailer
Cell Coverage Rating
Verizon 4G
Our spot in particular was very tight and sloped significantly. Large rocks or other concrete barriers cause difficulty when backing into the space. Very busy and a bit crowded. Otherwise the view and the location was great. High prices for dry camping, but that is pretty standard throughout CA state parks campgrounds.
Nightly Rate: $45.00
Days Stayed: 3
Site Number: 58
Cell Coverage Rating
Verizon 4G
The natural beauty and proximity to Los Angeles and the area were nice, but considering the campground has no hookups the price is quite high. We paid $45/night plus a $7.99 California Parks reservation fee. Los Angeles is 1-2 hours away, depending on traffic (only 30 miles or so), but beach towns like Santa Monica are closer and easier to get to.
Sites and grounds are clean. Some sites are quite small and really only intended for tents, so pay close attention to the site size when you book your spot online. Our travel trailer is 21 feet long and fit without any issue, although we did need to park our tow vehicle in a parking area next to the site. Our site, #46, was quite unlevel. Some of the sites are more flat, but this site happened to be on a downward slope. Thank goodness for leveling blocks!
Bathrooms are no-nonsense and could stand to be a bit cleaner. No soap or paper towels, and tokens are required for two minutes of shower. The bathhouse closest to our site had three individual toilets (two with sinks), three individual showers, and four outdoor sinks. There are also water spigots between most of the campsites. Our site had a fire ring and a picnic table, and firewood was available to purchase from the camp host.
The park gates are closed and locked from 10pm to 7am.
The dump station is accessible outside the park gates and is a $10 fee.
The park is relatively close to plenty of shops and stores on highway 101, and lots of outdoor attractions with the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area. Unfortunately none of the hikes in the state park are dog-friendly, but the hikes in Santa Monica Mountains NRA generally allow dogs.
Nightly Rate: $48.00
Days Stayed: 3
Site Number: 46
RV Length: 21 ft
RV Type: Teardrop Trailer
Cell Coverage Rating
Verizon 4G
AT&T 5G
One of the cheapest in the area, near Malibu (40 mins) and Hollywood (45 mins). To dump grey water, you need to pay an additional $10 fee. In Feb 2023, no drinkable water is available. No one warned us about it, we are a bit angry about that. How could you charge $50 a night without providing water?
Nightly Rate: -
Days Stayed: 2
Site Number: 49
Cell Coverage Rating
T-Mobile 5G
Beautiful view and hot shower are my 2 stars. Average rate for dry camping in the area. However, sites are small even for my small toy hauler (13.5”) and surrounded by concrete barracks. Then campers using generators outside posted hours (both nights/days) and waking up to screaming kids. Not my kind of camping. No dogs in any trails.
Nightly Rate: $45.00
Days Stayed: 56
Site Number: 2
Cell Coverage Rating
Verizon 5G
This is one of those campgrounds that you really want to "love" but can't quite get past a really strong "like"!
Arrival was an easy check-in at the gate and our campsite was great. The campground is nice but it's obvious that it's been quite awhile since any real work has been done so overall it looks a bit worn down. The campground was SUPER quiet except on our 2nd day when someone's dog barked without end for a couple of hours.
We did a lot of hiking in the area and again, its really amazing terrain and great trails but because its so close to Los Angeles, its overused and there is noticeable trash and refuse on most of the trails (which is sad).
If you live in LA or SoCal, its hard not to want to come here because its SO close, but that is also its downfall as its a bit overused.
And $45 for dry camping is kind of insane.
We're 50/50 about returning. There are a lot of other campgrounds in the Angeles National Forest that are prettier, cleaner, and cost half the price.
Nightly Rate: $45.00
Days Stayed: 3
Site Number: 17
RV Length: 23 ft
RV Type: Travel Trailer
Cell Coverage Rating
Verizon 5G
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Malibu Creek State Park Campground
Hours
- Sun - Sat: 12:00 am - 11:59 pm
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Parking
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Pets Allowed
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Restrooms
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Wifi
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Wheelchair Accessible
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Credit Cards Accepted
- Affiliation
- State park or forest
- Check In
- unknown
- Check Out
- unknown
- Last Nightly Rate
- 45.0
- Longest Vehicle Length Reported
- 32 ft
- Lowest Nightly Rate
- 35.0
- Max Length
- 30 ft
- Sites Count
- 63
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Swimming Pool
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Paved Sites
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Full Hookup
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Rec Facilities
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Pull Through
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Tent Sites
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Dump Station
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Big Rigs
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Open Seasonally
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Age Restricted
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Boondock
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Cabin Sites
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Dispersed Sites
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Firewood
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Fulltime Residents
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Group Tent Sites
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Laundry
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Mobile Homes
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Permit Required
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Potable Water
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Propane
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Public Water
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Pull Through RV Sites
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Reservations
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Sewer Hookup
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Showers
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Sites
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Standard Tent Sites
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Water Hookup
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Outdoor Seating
Campground, Parking, Dining, Restrooms
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