Malibu Creek State Park Camping

Definitely not our favourite campsite, and probably won’t be back. We stayed here to save a bit on accommodations while wanting to explore Malibu and Santa Monica/LA. Was definitely accessible for that purpose, but the campsite itself lacks oomph. Not a lot of shade, mediocre facilities, and in the middle of May it was a ghost town (I think to be expected ha!). We were glad to move on once our time there was done.

Malibu Creek is a great spot with some really nice hiking right off the campground. MASH was filmed there, so there are even some of the old filming sets still there that you can hike a short distance to. The campground is conveniently located in a quiet canyon within the Santa Monica mountains. There is some really good road cycling close by, as well.

Campfire restrictions can be frequent here, especially during the summer months, so pack a propane fire pit if you have your heart set on having one. They usually allow them outside of levels of extreme fire danger.

There’s a lot to like about this campground. Then, there’s this one super creepy thing about the campground.

At sunrise, hundreds of deer run through the entrance to the campground area. It’s awesome. It’s like “come on gang! All the grass and none of the cougars!!!” At sunset, they all run the other direction.

During the day, ditch the campground and take the long hike to the Mash Site. Or, take the little kids to to the nature center. Or, pile back in the car and head to the ranger station for air conditioning.

Malibu Creek SP is not on the beach. It’s through the canyon, nearly to the land of Kardashian (Calabasas). During the summer it’s super hot and dry during the day, and cold as soon as the sun goes down.

One Feb we stayed here, it was 70f during the day, and we woke up to 28f, and a dead frozen mouse in our water bucket. The next night we were in a massive rainstorm that tested the resolved of my sturdy Girl Scouts.

The creepy: there are cameras by all of the structures. A couple of years ago there was a loose madman who murdered people in their tents. (Yikes). So, the state put in cameras. “Totally safe now.”

The cell service is no good. The kids tend to come here to party. The camp host sleeps thru everything, but is super nice when they are awake. There are no hookups, but plenty of full sun for your solar panels. And, the dump station costs extra$.

You come here because thru Malibu Canyon is Malibu. Malibu is home to surfing. Surfing is life.